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US5940544A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Apparatus for correcting skew, distortion and luminance when imaging books and the like

Assignee: Sharp Corp
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Filing: 1997-08-21
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Granted: 1999-08-17
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Expires: 2017-08-21
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Abstract

Abstract An object of the invention is to correct a distortion due to inclination of a document and to correct a luminance. First, an edge detection section detects an edge of a document image from a picture obtained by imaging the document. Then, a skew detection section detects a skew of the document from the edge. A rotation correction section causes the picture to rotate on the basis of the skew detected by the skew detection section. Subsequently, the edge detection section again extracts a document image edge from the picture rotated by the rotation correction section. Further, a height calculation section calculates from the edge a height of the document. Simultaneously, a magnification calculation section calculates from the edge a magnification of the picture. Next, a distortion correction section corrects a distortion by magnification/reduction of the picture rotated by the rotation correction section on the basis of the document height and the magnification. Lastly, a luminance correction section corrects the luminance of pixels of the distortion-corrected picture. Whereby, even when the document suffers from skew added thereto, distortion correction and luminance correction can be performed.

Inventors

  • 👤 Kazuyuki Nako

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 15:48
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00681; H04N1/00684; H04N1/00718; H04N1/00742; H04N1/00748; H04N1/04; H04N1/047; H04N1/40; H04N1/401; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/04; H04N2201/0402; H04N2201/0434; H04N2201/047; H04N2201/04701; H04N2201/04703; H04N2201/04732; H04N2201/04737; H04N2201/04753; H04N2201/04758; H04N2201/04787

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim 160 words
A picture processing apparatus comprising: first edge detection means for detecting an edge of a document image from a picture obtained by imaging the document; skew detection means for detecting a skew of the document from the edge detected by the first edge detection means; rotation correction means for rotating the picture on the basis of the skew; second edge detection means for detecting an edge of the document image from the picture rotated by the rotation correction means; magnification calculation means for calculating a magnification of the picture from the edge detected by the second edge detection means; height calculation means for calculating a height of the document from a reference plane on the basis of the edge detected by the second edge detection means; and distortion correction means for correcting a distortion of the picture through magnification/reduction of the picture rotated by the rotation correction means on the basis of the magnification and the height of the document.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 160 words
A picture processing apparatus comprising: first edge detection means for detecting an edge of a document image from a picture obtained by imaging the document; skew detection means for detecting a skew of the document from the edge detected by the first edge detection means; rotation correction means for rotating the picture on the basis of the skew; second edge detection means for detecting an edge of the document image from the picture rotated by the rotation correction means; magnification calculation means for calculating a magnification of the picture from the edge detected by the second edge detection means; height calculation means for calculating a height of the document from a reference plane on the basis of the edge detected by the second edge detection means; and distortion correction means for correcting a distortion of the picture through magnification/reduction of the picture rotated by the rotation correction means on the basis of the magnification and the height of the document.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 165 words
A picture processing apparatus comprising: first edge detection means for detecting an edge of a document image from a picture obtained by imaging the document; skew detection means for detecting a skew of the document from the edge detected by the first edge detection means; picture reshaping means for reshaping a predetermined region of the picture on the basis of the skew; second edge detection means for detecting an edge of the document image from the picture reshaped by the picture reshaping means; magnification calculation means for calculating a magnification of the picture from the edge detected by the second edge detection means; height calculation means for calculating a height of the document from a reference plane on the basis of the edge detected by the second edge detection means; and distortion correction means for correcting a distortion of the picture through a magnification/reduction of the picture reshaped by the picture reshaping means on the basis of the magnification and the height of the document.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 165 words
A picture processing apparatus comprising: first edge detection means for detecting an edge of a document image from a picture obtained by imaging the document; skew detection means for detecting a skew of the document from the edge detected by the first edge detection means; picture reshaping means for reshaping a predetermined region of the picture on the basis of the skew; second edge detection means for detecting an edge of the document image from the picture reshaped by the picture reshaping means; magnification calculation means for calculating a magnification of the picture from the edge detected by the second edge detection means; height calculation means for calculating a height of the document from a reference plane on the basis of the edge detected by the second edge detection means; and distortion correction means for correcting a distortion of the picture through a magnification/reduction of the picture reshaped by the picture reshaping means on the basis of the magnification and the height of the document.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 120 words
A picture processing apparatus comprising: edge detection means for detecting an edge of a document image from a picture obtained by imaging the document; skew detection means for detecting a skew of the document from the edge; magnification calculation means for calculating a magnification of the picture from the edge; height calculation means for calculating a height of the document from a reference plane on the basis of the edge; distortion correction means for correcting a distortion of the picture by subdividing a predetermined region of the picture into a plurality of trapezoidal segments on the basis of the skew to individually perform magnification/reduction for each trapezoidal segment on the basis of the skew, magnification, and height of the document.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 120 words
A picture processing apparatus comprising: edge detection means for detecting an edge of a document image from a picture obtained by imaging the document; skew detection means for detecting a skew of the document from the edge; magnification calculation means for calculating a magnification of the picture from the edge; height calculation means for calculating a height of the document from a reference plane on the basis of the edge; distortion correction means for correcting a distortion of the picture by subdividing a predetermined region of the picture into a plurality of trapezoidal segments on the basis of the skew to individually perform magnification/reduction for each trapezoidal segment on the basis of the skew, magnification, and height of the document.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 48 words
The picture processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising luminance correction means for correcting a luminance of the picture whose distortion has been corrected by the distortion correction means, in such a manner that the higher the luminance the closer the luminance comes to a predetermined upper limit.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 52 words
The picture processing apparatus of claim 3, further comprising luminance correction means for correcting a luminance of each trapezoidal segment of the picture whose distortion has been corrected by the distortion correction means, in such a manner that the higher the luminance the closer the luminance comes to a predetermined upper limit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 52 words
The picture processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edge detection means subdivides the picture into a plurality of detection blocks, to detect an edge position of each detection block at a predetermined location, to connect lines each defined by two of the plurality of detected edge positions, thereby designating an edge.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 29 words
The picture processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the edge detection means reduces the detection block in response to increases in variation amount of the edge within the picture.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 21 words
The picture processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the picture reshaping means enlarges the predetermined region as the skew becomes larger.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 21 words
The picture processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the distortion correction means enlarges the predetermined region as the skew becomes larger.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 50 words
The picture processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the skew detection means determines a maximal point and a minimal point from among the edges, and detects as a skew an angle between a straight line penetrating such maximal and minimal points and a predetermined reference axis line in the picture.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US5537494A Cited
JPH05161004A Cited
JPH06164852A Cited
US5537226A Cited
JPH08181828A Cited
US5805272A Cited
US5764383A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 2002-08-16 2003-02-15 2003-08-17 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2006-08-16 2007-02-15 2007-08-17 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2010-08-16 2011-02-15 2011-08-17 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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