Systems and methods for mobile image capture and processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9514357-B2
Application number	US-201313740141-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2013
Priority date	Jan 12, 2012
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

In various embodiments, methods, systems, and computer program products for processing digital images captured by a mobile device are disclosed. Myriad features enable and/or facilitate processing of such digital images using a mobile device that would otherwise be technically impossible or impractical, and furthermore address unique challenges presented by images captured using a camera rather than a traditional flat-bed scanner, paper-feed scanner or multifunction peripheral.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving a request to capture data comprising a digital video;
capturing the data using a capture component of a mobile device in response to receiving the capture request, wherein the captured data corresponds to a digital representation of a document;
outputting the captured data to one or more of a display of the mobile device, a processor of the mobile device, and a storage medium of the mobile device;
receiving a request to analyze the captured data;
analyzing the captured data using the mobile device in response to receiving the request to analyze, wherein analyzing the captured data includes detecting the digital representation of the document, and detecting the digital representation of the document in the captured data comprises:
using a processor, defining a plurality of candidate edge points corresponding to the digital representation of the document, wherein defining the plurality of candidate edge points comprises:
defining one or more large analysis windows within a digital image;
defining a plurality of small analysis windows within the digital image;
estimating one or more distributions of statistics for each large analysis window;
calculating one or more statistics for each small analysis window;
determining whether a statistically significant difference exists between one or more of the statistics calculated for one of the small analysis windows and a corresponding distribution of statistics estimated for one of the large analysis windows; and
designating a point in the small analysis window as a candidate edge point upon determining the statistically significant difference exists;

defining four sides of a tetragon based on the plurality of candidate edge points; and

outputting the digital representation of the document and the tetragon to the display of the mobile device; and
outputting a result of the analyzing to one or more of the display of the mobile device, the processor of the mobile device, and the storage medium of the mobile device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a request to modify one or more capture data parameters; and
modifying the one or more capture data parameters in response to the request, wherein the one or more capture data parameters comprise one or more of:
a flash setting;
a capture stability assistance setting;
a capture alignment assistance setting;
a zoom level;
a capture color mode; and
a capture data destination.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , the analyzing comprising:
comparing one or more characteristics of the digital representation of the document to one or more quality control metrics;
determining whether each characteristic is acceptable based on the comparison;
for each characteristic:
outputting an indication that the characteristic is acceptable upon determining the characteristic is acceptable, and
outputting an indication that the characteristic is not acceptable upon determining the characteristic is not acceptable; and

outputting an indication that the digital representation of the document is acceptable upon determining that each characteristic is acceptable.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 , the one or more quality control metrics comprising one or more of:
a page detection metric;
an illumination metric; and
a blur metric.

5. The method as recited in claim 3 , further comprising:
displaying, via a display of the mobile device, the indication that the characteristic is not acceptable;
receiving instructions to recapture data in response to the displaying;
recapturing the data in response to receiving the instructions; and
outputting the recaptured data.

6. The method as recited in claim 3 , further comprising:
displaying, via a display of the mobile device, the indication that the characteristic is not acceptable;
receiving instructions to enhance the captured data in response to the displaying;
enhancing the captured data in response to receiving the instructions without recapturing the data; and
outputting the enhanced data.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , the method further comprising:
outputting the digital representation of the document to a display of the mobile device; and
receiving user input corresponding to instructions to modify the digital representation of the document.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the analyzing further comprises:
receiving a request to compare the digital representation of the document to one or more known document types;
estimating a resolution of the digital representation of the document in response to receiving the compare request;
correlating the estimated resolution to one or more known resolutions, each known resolution corresponding to one of the known document types; and
outputting an estimated document type based on the correlation.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the analyzing further comprises:
processing the digital representation of the document to determine a content of the document;
determining a document type based on the content; and
determining a resolution of the digital representation of the document based on the document type.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving metadata corresponding to the captured data; and
associating the metadata with the captured data,
wherein the metadata correspond to one or more of:
one or more alphanumeric characters,
one or more symbols,
one or more signatures; and
one or more pointers.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , the capturing comprising reading the data from a storage medium of the mobile device.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
correcting distortions in one or more portions of the digital representation of the document.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein correcting the distortions comprises transforming a tetragon corresponding to the digital representation of the document into a rectangle,
wherein the tetragon is characterized by a plurality of equations including at least one first degree polynomial and at least one second degree polynomial, and
wherein each equation corresponds to a side of the tetragon.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising determining whether one or more illumination problems exist in the digital representation of the document.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein determining whether the one or more illumination problems exist comprises:
dividing, using a processor, a tetragon comprising a detected digital representation of the document into a plurality of sections, each section comprising a plurality of pixels;
determining a distribution of brightness values of each section;
determining a brightness value range of each section;
determining a variability of brightness values of each section;
determining whether each section is oversaturated;
determining whether each section is undersaturated;
determining a number of oversaturated sections;
determining a number of undersaturated sections;
determining that the captured data is oversaturated upon determining that a ratio of the number of oversaturated sections to a total number of sections exceeds an oversaturation threshold;
determining that the captured data is undersaturated upon determining that a ratio of the number of undersaturated sections to the total number of sections exceeds an undersaturation threshold; and
determining that one or more illumination problems exists in the captured data upon determining that the captured data is

Assignees

• Kofax Inc

Inventors

• Macciola Anthony
• Amtrup Jan Willers
• Shustorovich Alexander
• Thrasher Christopher W

Classifications

• G06T7/143

  involving probabilistic approaches, e.g. Markov random field [MRF] modelling · CPC title

• G06V10/25

  Determination of region of interest [ROI] or a volume of interest [VOI] · CPC title

• G06V10/247

  by affine transforms, e.g. correction due to perspective effects; Quadrilaterals, e.g. trapezoids · CPC title

• H04N1/3872

  Repositioning or masking · CPC title

• G06T7/90

  Determination of colour characteristics · CPC title