Character recognition device, mobile communication system, mobile terminal device, fixed station device, character recognition method and character recognition program

A mobile communication system in which a mobile terminal device and a fixed station device communicate via a wireless transmission path with each other, characterized in that:

• the mobile terminal device comprises:
• imaging means for shooting an image;
• position measuring means for measuring a shooting position of an image to obtain shooting position information indicating the shooting position;
• direction detecting means for detecting a shooting direction of an image to obtain shooting direction information indicating the shooting direction;
• information transmitting means on mobile terminal side for transmitting the shooting position information and the shooting direction information via a communication network to the fixed station device;
• and
• character recognizing means for recognizing a character or a character string included in the image shot by the imaging means;
• and
• the fixed station device comprises:
• position corresponding information storage means on fixed station side for storing therein position corresponding information that is words associated with respective positional information indicating positions of respective places;
• position corresponding information extracting means on fixed station side for determining, based on the shooting position information and the shooting direction information that are received from the information transmitting means on mobile terminal side, a range of a shooting object of the imaging means, and extracting from the position corresponding information storage means on fixed station side position corresponding information associated with positions included in the range;
• non-corresponding-to-position information storage means for storing therein non-corresponding-to-position information that is words not associated with positional information;
• non-corresponding-to-position information extracting means for extracting non-corresponding-to-position information from the non-corresponding-to-position information storage means according to the position corresponding information extracted by the position corresponding information extracting means on fixed station side;
• and
• information transmitting means on fixed station side for transmitting the non-corresponding-to-position information extracted by the non-corresponding-to-position information extracting means via a communication network to the mobile terminal device, wherein
• the character recognizing means recognizes a character or a character string included in the image using the non-corresponding-to-position information received from the information transmitting means on fixed station side.

A mobile terminal device for communicating information with a fixed station device that executes character recognition processing to recognize a character or a character string included in an image, comprising:

• imaging means for shooting an image;
• position measuring means for measuring a shooting position of an image to obtain shooting position information indicating the shooting position;
• direction detecting means for detecting a shooting direction of an image to obtain shooting direction information indicating the shooting direction;
• information transmitting means on mobile terminal side for transmitting the shooting position information, the shooting direction information, and an image imaged by the imaging means via a communication network to the fixed station device;
• and
• information receiving means on mobile terminal side for receiving from the fixed station device information of a character or a character string obtained by the fixed station device through the character recognition processing for the image using the shooting position information and the shooting direction information.

A fixed station device for communicating information with a mobile terminal device, comprising:

• information receiving means on fixed station side for receiving from the mobile terminal device an image shot by the mobile terminal device, the shooting position information indicating a shooting position of the image, and the shooting direction information indicating a shooting direction of the image;
• position corresponding information storage means for storing position corresponding information that is words associated with respective positional information indicating positions of respective places;
• position corresponding information extracting means for determining, based on the shooting position information and the shooting direction information that are received from the mobile terminal device, a range of an object shot by the mobile terminal device, and extracting from the position corresponding information storage means position corresponding information associated with positions included in the range;
• character recognizing means for recognizing a character or a character string included in the image received from the mobile terminal device, using the position corresponding information extracted by the position corresponding information extracting means;
• and
• information transmitting means on fixed station side for transmitting information of a character or a character string recognized by the character recognizing means via a communication network to the mobile terminal device.

A mobile terminal device for communicating information with a fixed station device and executing character recognition processing to recognize a character or a character string included in an image, comprising:

• imaging means for shooting an image;
• position measuring means for measuring a shooting position of an image to obtain shooting position information indicating the shooting position;
• direction detecting means for detecting a shooting direction of an image to obtain shooting direction information indicating the shooting direction;
• information transmitting means on mobile terminal side for transmitting the shooting position information and the shooting direction information via a communication network to the fixed station device;
• information receiving means on mobile terminal side for receiving from the fixed station device non-corresponding-to-position information that is words not associated with respective positional information indicating positions of respective places and that is determined by the fixed station device using the shooting position information and the shooting direction information;
• and
• character recognizing means for recognizing a character or a character string included in the image imaged by the imaging means, using the non-corresponding-to-position information received by the information receiving means on mobile terminal side.

A fixed station device for communicating information with a mobile terminal device that executes character recognition processing to recognize a character or a character string included in an image, comprising:

• information receiving means on fixed station side for receiving from the mobile terminal device the shooting position information of an image that is shot by the mobile terminal device and that indicates a shooting position of the image and the shooting direction information indicating a shooting direction of the image;
• position corresponding information storage means on fixed station side for storing therein position corresponding information that is words associated with respective positional information indicating positions of respective places;
• position corresponding information extracting means on fixed station side for determining, based on the shooting position information and the shooting direction information that are received by the information receiving means on fixed station side, a range of an object shot by the mobile terminal device, and extracting from the position corresponding information storage means on fixed station side position corresponding information associated with positions included in the range;
• non-corresponding-to-position information storage means for storing non-corresponding-to-position information that is words not associated with positional information;
• non-corresponding-to-position information extracting means for extracting non-corresponding-to-position information from the non-corresponding-to-position information storage means according to the position corresponding information extracted by the position corresponding information extracting means on fixed station side;
• and
• information transmitting means on fixed station side for transmitting the non-corresponding-to-position information extracted by the non-corresponding-to-position information extracting means via a communication network to the mobile terminal device.

A character recognition method of recognizing a character or a character string included in an image, for use in a mobile communication system in which a mobile terminal device and a fixed station device communicate via a wireless transmission path with each other, comprising:

• the mobile terminal device shooting an image;
• the mobile terminal device measuring a shooting position of an image to obtain shooting position information indicating the shooting position;
• the mobile terminal device detecting a shooting direction of an image to obtain shooting direction information indicating the shooting direction;
• the mobile terminal device transmitting the shooting position information, the shooting direction information, and an image imaged by the imaging means via a communication network to the fixed station device;
• the fixed station device determining, based on the shooting position information and the shooting direction information that are received from the mobile terminal device, a range of a shooting object of the mobile terminal device;
• the fixed station device extracting, from position corresponding information storage means storing position corresponding information that is words associated with respective positional information indicating positions of respective places, position corresponding information associated with positions included in the range;
• the fixed station device recognizing, using the extracted position corresponding information, a character or a character string included in the image received from the mobile terminal device;
• and
• the fixed station device transmits information of a character or a character string via a communication network to the mobile terminal device.

A character recognition method of recognizing a character or a character string included in an image, for use in a mobile communication system in which a mobile terminal device and a fixed station device communicate via a wireless transmission path with each other, comprising:

• the mobile terminal device shooting an image;
• the mobile terminal device measuring a shooting position of an image to obtain shooting position information indicating the shooting position;
• the mobile terminal device detecting a shooting direction of an image to obtain shooting direction information indicating the shooting direction;
• the mobile terminal device transmitting the shooting position information and the shooting direction information via a communication network to the fixed station device;
• the fixed station device determining, based on the shooting position information and the shooting direction information that are received from the mobile terminal device, a range of a shooting object of the mobile terminal device;
• the fixed station device extracting, from position corresponding information storage means on fixed station side storing position corresponding information that is words associated with respective positional information indicating positions of respective places, position corresponding information associated with positions included in the range;
• the fixed station device extracting, from non-corresponding-to-position information storage means storing non-corresponding-to-position information that is words not associated with positional information, non-corresponding-to-position information according to the position corresponding information extracted from the position corresponding information storage means on fixed station side;
• the fixed station device transmitting the extracted non-corresponding-to-position information via a wireless transmission network to the mobile terminal device;
• and
• the mobile station device recognizing a character or a character string included in the image shot by the mobile terminal device, using the non-corresponding-to-position information received from the fixed station device.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a character recognition program, which causes a computer to execute:

• determining, based on shooting position information indicating a shooting position of an image and shooting direction information indicating a shooting direction of an image, a range of an object of imaging;
• extracting, from position corresponding information storage means storing position corresponding information that is words associated with respective positional information indicating positions of respective places, position corresponding information associated with positions included in the range;
• and
• recognizing, using the extracted position corresponding information, a character or a character string included in the image thus shot.

A character recognition program in a fixed station device for communicating information with a mobile terminal device, causing a computer to execute:

• receiving from the mobile terminal device the image shot by the mobile terminal device, the shooting position information indicating a shooting position of the image, and the shooting direction information indicating a shooting direction of the image;
• determining, based on the shooting position information and the shooting direction information that are received from the mobile terminal device, a range of an object shot by the mobile terminal device;
• extracting, from position corresponding information storage means storing therein position corresponding information that is words associated with respective positional information indicating positions of respective places, position corresponding information associated with positions included in the range;
• recognizing a character or a character string included in the image received from the mobile terminal device, using the extracted position corresponding information;
• and
• transmitting information of a character or a character string via a communication network to the mobile terminal device.

A character recognition program in a mobile terminal device for communicating information with a fixed station device and recognizing a character or a character string included in an image, causing a computer to execute:

• transmitting shooting position information indicating a shooting position of an image and shooting direction information indicating a shooting direction of an image via a communication network to the fixed station device;
• receiving from the fixed station device non-corresponding-to-position information that is words not associated with respective positional information indicating positions of respective places and which is determined by the fixed station device using the shooting position information and the shooting direction information;
• and
• recognizing a character or a character string included in the image shot by the mobile terminal device, using the non-corresponding-to-position information received from the fixed station device.

An information extraction program in a fixed station device for communicating information with a mobile terminal device which recognizes a character or a character string included in an image, causing a computer to execute:

• receiving from the mobile terminal device shooting position information indicating a shooting position of an image shot by the mobile terminal device and shooting direction information indicating a shooting direction of the image;
• determining, based on the shooting position information and the shooting direction information that are received from the mobile terminal device, a range of an object shot by the mobile terminal device;
• extracting, from position corresponding information storage means on fixed station side storing position corresponding information that is words associated with respective positional information indicating positions of respective places, position corresponding information associated with positions included in the range;
• extracting, from non-corresponding-to-position information storage means storing non-corresponding-to-position information that is words not associated with positional information, non-corresponding-to-position information according to the position corresponding information extracted from the position corresponding information storage means on fixed station side;
• and
• transmitting the extracted non-corresponding-to-position information via a communication network to the mobile terminal device.