Image processing apparatus and method
US5974191A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 14, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 26, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 14, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06V30/10
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An image containing characters and lines, which is inputted by a scanner or the like, is binarized and stored in a memory. A thickening process is repeatedly applied on groups of significant bits stored in the memory, until a predetermined condition is fulfilled. After this process, the thickened image is thinned at least a greater number of times than the number of times the thickening process is repeated in order to eliminate lines. As a result, characters are determined to exist at areas where groups composed of remaining significant dots exist, then characters are separated from the input image based on the areas of groups composed of the remaining significant dots.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.