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EP0898414A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Image area judging apparatus

Assignee: Sharp Corp
•
Filing: 1998-07-20
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2018-07-20
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Abstract

Abstract The read out image data is stored in the mask memory in a predetermined mask unit, and binarized into binary value with a predetermined threshold in the binarizing circuit. The binarized image data is output to the main scanning direction-black pixel counting circuit and the sub scanning direction-black pixel counting circuit, respectively, to count black pixels in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction, respectively. The largest value is determined by the comparator, and designated as the linkage degree. With the judging circuit, the area judgement of the character area, the photograph area and the dot area is performed based on the linkage degree.

Inventors

  • 👤 Mihoko Tanimura
  • 👤 Mitsuru Tokuyama
  • 👤 Masatsugu Nakamura
  • 👤 Masaaki Ohtsuki

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 10:03
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/40; H04N1/40062

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim 114 words
An area judging apparatus for judging multiple areas including character portions, photograph portions and dot portions, comprising: binarizing means which designates a block of a predetermined number of pixels centering around target pixels among the image data as a mask, and compares the pixels in said mask with a threshold to binarize it into binary value; linkage degree-calculating means for calculating the linkage degree indicating the linking condition of black pixels, based on the number of black pixels for each line in each direction in said binarizing mask; and area judging means for designating said linkage degree as a characteristic value, and judging an area of said target pixels based on the characteristic value.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 137 words
An area judging apparatus for judging multiple areas including character portions, photograph portions and dot portions, comprising: binarizing means which designates a block of a predetermined number of pixels centering around target pixels among the image data as a mask, and compares the pixels in said mask with a threshold to binarize it into binary values; linkage degree-calculating means for calculating the linkage degree indicating the linking condition of black pixels, based on the number of black pixels for each line in each direction in said binarizing mask; density parameter-calculating means for calculating the density parameter from the density of the black pixels in said binarizing mask; and area judging means for designating said linkage degree and said density parameter as the characteristic value, and judging an area of said target pixels based on the characteristic value.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 31 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said density parameter-calculating means designates (maximum value - minimum value) of the density of pixels in said mask as the density parameter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 53 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said density parameter-calculating means calculates the sum total of the difference in the density of successive 2 pixels, with respect to the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction in said mask, respectively, and designates the smaller one as the density parameter.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 66 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said density parameter-calculating means calculates (maximum value - minimum value) of the density of pixels in said mask, and the sum total of the difference in the density of successive 2 pixels, with respect to the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction in said mask, respectively, and designates the smaller one as the density parameter.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 23 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said threshold is the mean value of the density of pixels in said mask.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 23 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said threshold is the mean value of the density of pixels in said mask.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 44 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said threshold is a value which is varied so that there is a difference between the linkage degree for each area, with respect to the mean value of the density of pixels in said mask.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 44 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said threshold is a value which is varied so that there is a difference between the linkage degree for each area, with respect to the mean value of the density of pixels in said mask.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 53 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said linkage degree-calculating means counts the number of black pixels in each line both in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction from the results of binarization in said mask, and designates the largest value among them as the linkage degree.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 53 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said linkage degree-calculating means counts the number of black pixels in each line both in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction from the results of binarization in said mask, and designates the largest value among them as the linkage degree.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 54 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said linkage degree-calculating means counts the number of successive black pixels in each line both in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction from the results of binarization in said mask, and designates the largest value among them as the linkage degree.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 54 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said linkage degree-calculating means counts the number of successive black pixels in each line both in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction from the results of binarization in said mask, and designates the largest value among them as the linkage degree.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 61 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said linkage degree-calculating means counts the number of successive black pixels in each line both in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction from the results of binarization in said mask, adds the results for successive plural lines, and designates the largest value among them as the linkage degree.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 61 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said linkage degree-calculating means counts the number of successive black pixels in each line both in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction from the results of binarization in said mask, adds the results for successive plural lines, and designates the largest value among them as the linkage degree.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 66 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said linkage degree-calculating means counts the number of successive black pixels in each line in the main scanning direction, in the sub scanning direction, and in two diagonal directions at 45° from the results of binarization in said mask, adds the results for successive plural lines, and designates the largest value among them as the linkage degree.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 66 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said linkage degree-calculating means counts the number of successive black pixels in each line in the main scanning direction, in the sub scanning direction, and in two diagonal directions at 45° from the results of binarization in said mask, adds the results for successive plural lines, and designates the largest value among them as the linkage degree.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 59 words
An area judging apparatus according to claims 16 and 17, wherein when the number of the successive black pixels in each line is counted in the main scanning direction, in the sub scanning direction, and in two diagonal directions at 45°, normalization is performed according to the difference in the total pixel number to be counted in each direction.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 83 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said linkage degree-calculating means counts the number of successive black pixels in each line both in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction from the results of binarization in said mask, adds the results for successive plural lines, and further determines (maximum value - minimum value) of the added results in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction, respectively, and designates the largest value as the linkage degree.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 83 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said linkage degree-calculating means counts the number of successive black pixels in each line both in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction from the results of binarization in said mask, adds the results for successive plural lines, and further determines (maximum value - minimum value) of the added results in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction, respectively, and designates the largest value as the linkage degree.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 34 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the number of pixels in said mask differs in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction, said characteristic value is normalized.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 34 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the number of pixels in said mask differs in the main scanning direction and in the sub scanning direction, said characteristic value is normalized.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim 27 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when conforming to the predetermined conditions, the judgement according to the characteristic value can be corrected and controlled.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim 27 words
An area judging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when conforming to the predetermined conditions, the judgement according to the characteristic value can be corrected and controlled.

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