Computer-readable storage medium storing image processing program, image processing device, and image processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9978123-B2
Application number	US-201615075832-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

Image data representing an image are obtained. A quadrangular area, which is defined by a quadrangle including a group of pixels with a first color, is specified. The first color corresponds to a color of an outline of a hole image in the image. A hole orientation is specified based on positions of the group of pixels with respect to the quadrangular area. The hole orientation represents a direction that the outline of the hole image occupies. When the hole orientation is specified, a candidate area is specified by extending the quadrangular area in an extension direction. The extension direction corresponds to a direction opposite to the hole orientation and extending along one of sides of the quadrangular area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, when executed by processor of an image processing device, causing the image processing device to perform processes comprising:
an obtaining process of obtaining image data representing an image;
a first specifying process of specifying a quadrangular area defined by a quadrangle including a group of pixels with a first color, the first color corresponding to a color of an outline of a hole image in the image;
a second specifying process of specifying a hole orientation based on positions of the group of pixels with respect to the quadrangular area, the hole orientation representing a direction that the outline of the hole image occupies; and
a third specifying process of specifying, when the hole orientation is specified by the second specifying process, a candidate area by extending the quadrangular area in an extension direction, the extension direction corresponding to a direction opposite to the hole orientation and extending along one of sides of the quadrangular area.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein the instructions further causes the image processing device to perform processes comprising:
a division process of dividing the quadrangular area into a plurality of grid segments, wherein
the second specifying process further comprises specifying the hole orientation based on an arrangement pattern of first and second grid segments, the first grid segment being the grid segment including one or more pixels with the first color, the second grid segment being the grid segment not including a pixel with the first color.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 2 , wherein
the division process further comprises dividing the quadrangular area into nine grid segments defined by three divisions of a first side of the quadrangular area and three divisions of a second side of the quadrangular area, the first and second sides of the quadrangular area being orthogonal to each other.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein
the third specifying process further comprises specifying candidate area by extending the quadrangular area to be a specific length in the extension direction, the specific length being defined based on longer sides of the quadrangular area.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein the instructions further causes the image processing device to perform processes comprising:
a fourth specifying process of:
specifying a shape of the hole image as a round shape when the hole orientation is specified by the second specifying process and when a pixel with the first color is not included in a corner area corresponding to the hole orientation in the quadrangular area; and
specifying the shape of the hole image as a quadrangle shape when the hole orientation is specified by the second specifying process and when the shape of the hole image is not specified as the round shape.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5 , wherein
the third specifying process further comprises specifying, when the shape of the hole image is specified as the round shape by the fourth specifying process, the candidate area by extending shorter sides of the quadrangular area to be equal to or greater than longer sides of the quadrangular area in length.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 6 , wherein
the extension direction indicates two directions when a first angle is equal to a second angle, the first angle being defined between a first side of the quadrangular area and the direction opposite to the hole orientation, the second angle being defined between a second side of the quadrangular area and the direction opposite to the hole orientation, the first and second sides of the quadrangular area being orthogonal to each other, one of the two directions being parallel to the first side of the quadrangular area, the other of the two directions being parallel to the second side of the quadrangular area, wherein
the third specifying process further comprises:
specifying, when the first angle is equal to the second angle, the candidate area by extending the shorter sides of the quadrangular area to be equal to a predetermined length in the one of the two directions and extending the longer sides of the quadrangular area to be equal to the predetermined length in the other of the two directions, the one of the two directions being parallel to the shorter sides of the quadrangular area, the other of the two directions being parallel to the longer sides of the quadrangular area, the predetermined length being a multiple of a length of the longer sides of the quadrangular area; and
specifying, when a first angle is not equal to a second angle, the candidate area by extending the shorter sides of the quadrangular area to be equal to the longer sides of the quadrangular area in length.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5 , wherein
the third specifying process further comprises specifying, when the shape of the hole image is specified as the quadrangle shape by the fourth specifying process, the candidate area by extending sides of the quadrangular area parallel to the extension direction to be equal to longer sides of the quadrangular area in length.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein
the third specifying process further comprises specifying, when the hole orientation is specified not to correspond to any specific direction by the second specifying process, the candidate area identical to the quadrangular area without any extension.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein the instructions further causes the image processing device to perform processes comprising:
a first exclusion process of excluding, when a pixel with the first color is included in a first central area of a specific quadrangular area, the specific quadrangular area from an object of the third specifying process prior to performing the third specifying process, the first central area including a center of the specific quadrangular area.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10 , wherein the instructions further causes the image processing device to perform processes comprising:
a second exclusion process of excluding a specific candidate area posterior to performing the third specifying process when a pixel with the first color is included in a second central area of the specific candidate area, the second central area including a center of the specific candidate area and larger than the first central area.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein the instructions further causes the image processing device to perform processes comprising:
a fourth specifying process of:
specifying a shape of the hole image as a round shape when the hole orientation is specified by the second specifying process and when a pixel with the first color is not included in a corner area corresponding to the hole orientation in the quadrangular area; and
specifying the shape of the hole image as a quadrangle shape when the hole orientation is specified by the second specifying process and when the shape of the hole image is not specified as the round shape, wherein

the second exclusion process further comprises:
excluding the specific candidate area using a quadrangle as a shape of the second central area when the shape of the hole image is specifi

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yoshida Akidi
• Hasegawa Tomohiko
• Motoyama Toshiki

Classifications

• G06V10/44 Primary

  Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components · CPC title

• G06V30/40

  Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition · CPC title

• G06K9/4604

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04N1/38

  Circuits or arrangements for blanking or otherwise eliminating unwanted parts of pictures (H04N1/387 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06T5/00 Primary

  Image enhancement or restoration · CPC title