Image processing device for determining a display position of an annotation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9996516-B2
Application number	US-201214401117-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2012
Priority date	May 16, 2012
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

Provided is an image processing device capable of displaying an annotation in an appropriate position. An image obtaining unit obtains an image. An annotation target information obtaining unit obtains annotation target information for indicating an annotation target to which to add an annotation, the annotation target being including in the image. An annotation information obtaining unit obtains annotation information indicating an annotation. A display position determination unit determines a display position of the annotation based on the position or the area of the annotation target. A data output unit outputs data on the image with the annotation displayed in the display position determined by the display position determination unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image processing device, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions,
wherein when the processor executes the instructions in the memory device, the processor is operable to:
obtain annotation target information for indicating an annotation target to which to add an annotation, the annotation target being included in an image;
obtain annotation information indicating an annotation; and
determine a display position of the annotation based on a position or an area of the annotation target,
wherein the processor is operable to:
where a plurality of annotations are added to the image, obtain a plurality of kinds of combinations of display positions of the plurality of annotations, the display positions of the plurality of annotations in each of the combinations being obtained based on the position or the area of the annotation target;
calculate an evaluation value of each of the combinations based on the display positions of the plurality of annotations in each of the combinations; and
determine the display positions of the plurality of annotations based on a combination selected from among the combinations based on the evaluation value of each of the combinations,
wherein the plurality of annotations comprise a first annotation corresponding to a first annotation target, and
the processor is operable to:
obtain a plurality of display position candidates of the first annotation based on at least one of:
the display positions of other annotations of the plurality of annotations,
the positions of the annotation targets corresponding to the other annotations of the plurality of annotations, or
the shape or size of the areas of the annotation targets corresponding to the other annotations of the plurality of annotations;

wherein the processor is operable to:
receive designation of the annotation target from a user; and
receive, from the user, designation of the annotation which corresponds to the annotation target designated by the user,
wherein a correspondence relationship between the annotation target and the annotation is determined based on the designation by the user.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is operable to calculate an evaluation value of each of the combinations based on the information regarding the display positions of the plurality of annotations in each of the combinations, and
the information regarding the display positions of the plurality of annotations includes at least one of:
a distance between the annotation and another annotation;
a display color of the annotation and a color of the display position of the annotation; and
an edge amount of the display position of the annotation.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of annotations includes a first annotation that is already added to a first annotation target included in the image and a second annotation that is newly added to a second annotation target included in the image, and
the processor is operable to, when obtaining the combinations, obtain a display position of the second annotation based on a position or an area of the second annotation target, and obtain a new display position of the first annotation based on a position or an area of the first annotation target.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is operable to, when obtaining the combinations, obtain the display position of the annotation based on at least one of a size and a shape of the area of the annotation target to which to add said annotation.

5. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is operable to, when obtaining the combinations, obtain the display position of the annotation based on the position or the area of the annotation target to which to add said annotation and at least one of a length, a display color, a display size, and a writing direction of said annotation.

6. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is further operable to obtain an edge amount of a pixel of the image, and
the processor is operable to, when obtaining the combinations, obtain the display position of the annotation based on the edge amount of the pixel of the image and the position or the area of the annotation target to which to add said annotation.

7. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is further operable to obtain a saliency map of the image, and
the processor is operable to, when obtaining the combinations, obtain the display position of the annotation based on the saliency map and the position or the area of the annotation target to which to add said annotation.

8. An image processing device, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions,
wherein when the processor executes the instructions in the memory device, the processor is operable to:
obtain annotation target information for indicating an annotation target to which to add an annotation, the annotation target being included in an image;
obtain annotation information indicating an annotation; and
determine a display position of the annotation based on a position or an area of the annotation target,
determine a plurality of kinds of annotation types, wherein the plurality of kinds of annotation types include a first type and a second type, and the processor is operable to:
obtain, before the annotation information is obtained, a first display position candidate corresponding to the first type of the annotation based on the position or the area of the annotation target, and store the obtained first display position candidate corresponding to the first type,
obtain, before the annotation information is obtained, a second display position candidate corresponding to the second type of the annotation based on the position or the area of the annotation target, and store the obtained second display position candidate corresponding to the second type,
determine, after the annotation information is obtained, which of the plurality of kinds of annotation types the annotation indicated by the annotation information belongs to,
determine, after the annotation information is obtained:
(a) the first display position candidate corresponding to the first type as a display position of an annotation if the determined type of the annotation is the first type, and
(b) the second display position candidate corresponding to the second type as the display position of the annotation indicated by the annotation information if the determined type of the annotation is the second type,

wherein the processor is operable to:
receive designation of the annotation target from a user; and
receive, from the user, designation of the annotation which corresponds to the annotation target designated by the user,
wherein a correspondence relationship between the annotation target and the annotation is determined based on the designation by the user, and

position and display the annotation based on the determined display position.

9. The image processing device according to claim 8 , wherein
the plurality of kinds of annotation types are set based on at least one of a length, a display color, a display size, and a writing direction of an annotation.

10. The image processing device according to claim 8 , wherein
the processor is operable to:
determine, before the annotation information is obtained, as to each of a plurality of kinds of length information concerning a length of an annotation, a display position of an annotation having a length indicated by the length i

Assignees

• Masuko Soh
• Rakuten Inc

Inventors

• Masuko Soh

Classifications

• G06F40/169 Primary

  Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes · CPC title

• G06T11/00 Primary

  Two-dimensional [2D] image generation · CPC title

• G06F17/241 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic