Apparatus, method and non-transitory storage medium for changing position coordinates of a character area stored in association with a character recognition result

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10395131-B2
Application number	US-201715424202-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2017
Priority date	Feb 26, 2016
Publication date	Aug 27, 2019
Grant date	Aug 27, 2019

Abstract

In the case where a user extracts a desired character string by specifying a range by using a finger or the like of him/herself on an image including a character, a specific character (space or the like) located at a position adjacent to the desired character string is prevented from being included unintendedly in the selected range. The character area corresponding to each character included in the image is identified and character recognition processing is performed for each of the identified character areas. Then, from results of the character recognition processing, a specific character is determined and the character area corresponding to the determined specific character is extended. Then, the range selected by the user in the displayed image is acquired and character recognition results corresponding to a plurality of character areas included in the selected range are output.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a memory; and
at least one processor in communication with the memory, wherein the at least one processor executes:
identifying a character area corresponding to each character included in an image;
performing character recognition processing for each of the identified character areas to obtain character recognition results;
storing the obtained character recognition results in association with position coordinates of each of the character areas;
determining a specific character from the stored character recognition results;
changing position coordinates of the character area being stored in association with the determined specific character to extend the character area corresponding to the determined specific character;
displaying the image on a display;
acquiring a range selected by a user in the image displayed on the display; and
outputting, based on the results of the character recognition processing stored in association with the position coordinates of each of the characters after the changing, character recognition results corresponding to a plurality of character areas included in the selected range.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the position coordinates of the character area being stored in association with the determined specific character is changed so that the character area corresponding to the determined specific character is extended so as to overlap at least part of a character area corresponding to a character adjacent to the determined specific character.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a storage configured to store information specifying the specific character, wherein
the specific character is determined from the stored character recognition results by using information stored in the storage.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the position coordinates of the character area being stored in association with the determined specific character is changed so that the character area corresponding to the determined specific character is extended up to the center of an adjacent character area corresponding to a character adjacent to the determined specific character.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one processor further executes: changing position coordinates of an adjacent character area stored in association with a character adjacent to the determined specific character to extend the adjacent character area by a predetermined ratio in a direction away from the determined specific character.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the at least one processor further executes: determining whether characteristics of characters adjacent to each side of the determined specific character coincide with each other, wherein, in a case where the characteristics do not coincide with each other, a degree of extension of the adjacent character areas stored in association with characters adjacent to each side of the determined specific character is increased than that in a case where the characteristics coincide with each other.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the character recognition results are obtained as character codes,
wherein, in a case where elements included in character codes of the characters adjacent to each side of the determined specific character are different, it is determined that the characteristics do not coincide with each other.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the character code obtained by the character recognition processing includes elements of a kind of font, a font size, a style, and a color as the characteristics for each character for which the character recognition processing has been performed, and
wherein it is determined that characteristics do not coincide with each other in a case where at least one element is different.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the character area is a rectangle circumscribing each individual character included in the image.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor further executes:
dividing the image into areas in accordance with attributes to specify an area with a text attribute, wherein
the character recognition processing is performed for each character image included in the specified area with the text attribute.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the specific character includes at least one of a space, a comma, and a period.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the selection of the range is performed by a user specifying the range using a mouse.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the display has a touch panel function, and
the selection of the range is performed by a user specifying the range using a finger on the touch panel.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the display is a projector that projects the image, and
the range selected by the user is acquired by photographing a position of a fingertip of the user with respect to the projected image and by recognizing movement of the fingertip.

15. A method of outputting character recognition results, the method comprising:
identifying a character area corresponding to each character included in an image;
performing character recognition processing for each of the identified character areas to obtain character recognition results;
storing the obtained character recognition results in association with position coordinates of each of the character areas;
determining a specific character from the stored character recognition results;
changing position coordinates of the character area being stored in association with the determined specific character to extend the character area corresponding to the determined specific character;
displaying the image on a display;
acquiring a range selected by a user in the displayed image; and
outputting, based on the results of the character recognition processing stored in association with the position coordinates of each of the characters after the changing, character recognition results corresponding to a plurality of character areas included in the selected range.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform:
identifying a character area corresponding to each character included in an image;
performing character recognition processing for each of the identified character areas to obtain character recognition results;
storing the obtained character recognition results in association with position coordinates of each of the character areas;
determining a specific character from the stored character recognition results;
changing position coordinates of the character area being stored in association with the determined specific character to extend the character area corresponding to the determined specific character;
displaying the image on a display;
acquiring a range selected by a user in the displayed image; and
outputting, based on the results of the character recognition processing stored in association with the position coordinates of each of the characters after the changing, character recognition results corresponding to a plurality of character areas included in the selected range.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform:
identifying a character area corresponding to each character included in an image;
performing character recognition processing fo

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kawasaki Hiromasa

Classifications

• G06V30/1456

  based on user interactions · CPC title

• G06V30/18086

  by performing operations within image blocks or by using histograms · CPC title

• G06V30/147

  Determination of region of interest · CPC title

• G06V30/153 Primary

  using recognition of characters or words · CPC title

• G06F3/011 Primary

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title