Image processing method and image processing apparatus

1. An image processing method, comprising the steps of:

scanning respective pages of a document in an image processing apparatus;

generating respective pieces of image data corresponding to the pages in a processor of said image processing apparatus;

calculating, in said image processing apparatus, image density distributions in a primary scan direction and a secondary scan direction in each of the pages from the image data;

determining, in said image processing apparatus, whether or not each of the pages contains isolated images that have different orientations according to the image density distributions;

assigning, in said image processing apparatus, respective ones of the isolated images to new pages;

identifying, in said image processing apparatus, respective orientations of the isolated images according to a result of character recognition for the image data; and

setting respective orientations, in said image processing apparatus, of the isolated images in the new pages as respective upright orientations of the isolated images,

calculating, in said image processing apparatus, respective summation values of image density for rows along the primary scan direction of the page, and obtaining the image density distribution in the secondary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the secondary scan direction;

calculating, in said image processing apparatus, respective summation values of image density for columns along the secondary scan direction of the page, and obtaining the image density distribution in the primary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the primary scan direction;

detecting, in said image processing apparatus, a blank area between the isolated images from the image density distributions of the primary scan direction and the secondary scan direction; and

determining, in said image processing apparatus, that the page contains isolated images, if the blank area is detected.

2. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a document scanning unit that scans respective pages in a document;

an image data generating unit that generates respective pieces of image data corresponding, to the pages;

an image density distribution calculating unit that calculates image density distributions in a primary scan direction and a secondary scan direction in each of the pages from the image data;

a mixture state identifying unit that identifies a mixture state from the image density distributions, the mixture state indicating whether or not each of the pages contains isolated images that have different orientations;

an isolated-image separating unit that assigns respective ones of the isolated images to new pages according to the mixture state; and

an image orientation identifying unit that identifies respective orientations of the isolated images according to a result of character recognition for the image data; and

an image orientation modifying unit that sets respective orientations of the isolated images in the new pages as respective upright orientations of the isolated images wherein:

the image density distribution calculating unit calculates respective summation values of image density for rows along the primary scan direction of the page, and obtains the image density distribution in the secondary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the secondary scan direction, and calculates respective summation values of image density for columns along the secondary scan direction of the page, and obtains the image density distribution in the primary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the primary scan direction; and

the mixture state identifying unit detects a blank area between the isolated images from the image density distributions of the primary scan direction and the secondary scan direction, and determines that the page contains isolated images, if the blank area is detected.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:

a display unit that displays an electronic document that contains an image of the document according to the image data.

4. An image processing method, comprising the steps of:

scanning respective pages of a document in an image processing apparatus;

generating respective pieces of image data corresponding, to the pages in a processor of said image processing apparatus;

calculating, in said image processing apparatus, image density distributions in a primary scan direction and a secondary scan direction in each of the pages from the image data;

determining, in said image processing apparatus, whether or not each of the pages contains isolated images from the image density distributions;

assigning, in said image processing, apparatus, respective ones of the isolated images to new pages;

identifying, in said image processing apparatus, sizes of the isolated images from the image density distributions;

identifying, in said image processing apparatus, respective orientations of the isolated images according to a result of character recognition for the image data;

setting, in said image processing apparatus, respective orientations of the isolated images in the new pages as respective upright orientations of the isolated images; and

enlarging, in said image processing apparatus, the isolated images in the new pages according to the sizes of the isolated images

calculating, in said image processing apparatus, respective summation values of image density for rows along the primary scan direction of the page, and obtaining the image density distribution in the secondary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the secondary scan direction;

calculating, in said image processing apparatus, respective summation values of image density for columns along the secondary scan direction of the page, and obtaining the image density distribution in the primary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the primary scan direction;

detecting, in said image processing apparatus, a blank area between the isolated images from the image density distributions of the primary scan direction and the secondary scan direction; and

determining, in said image processing apparatus, that the page contains isolated images, if the blank area is detected.

5. An image processing method, comprising the steps of:

scanning respective pages of a document in an image processing apparatus;

generating respective pieces of image data corresponding to the pages in a processor of said image processing apparatus;

calculating, in said image processing apparatus, image density distributions in a primary scan direction and a secondary scan direction in each of the pages from the image data;

determining, in said image processing apparatus, whether or not each of the pages contains isolated images from the image density distributions;

assigning, in said image processing apparatus, respective ones of the isolated images to new pages;

identifying, in said image processing apparatus, sizes of the isolated images from the image density distributions;

identifying, in said image processing apparatus, respective orientations of the isolated images according to a result of character recognition for the image data;

setting, in said image processing apparatus, respective orientations of the isolated images in the new pages as respective upright orientations of the isolated images; and

enlarging, in said image processing apparatus, the isolated images in the new pages according to the sizes of the isolated images

calculating, in said image processing apparatus, respective summation values of image density for rows along the primary scan direction of the page, and obtaining the image density distribution in the secondary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the secondary scan direction;

calculating, in said image processing apparatus, respective summation values of image density for columns along the secondary scan direction of the page, and obtaining the image density distribution in the primary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the primary scan direction;

detecting, in said image processing apparatus, a blank area in the primary scan direction and/or the secondary scan direction from the image density distributions; and

identifying, in said image processing apparatus, the sizes of the isolated images from the blank area.

6. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a document scanning unit that scans respective pages in a document;

an image data generating unit that generates respective pieces of image data corresponding to the pages;

an image density distribution calculating unit that calculates image density distributions in a primary scan direction and a secondary scan direction in each of the pages from the image data;

a mixture state identifying unit that identifies a mixture state from the image density distributions, the mixture state indicating whether or not each of the pages contains isolated images;

an isolated-image separating unit that assigns respective ones of the isolated images to new pages according to the mixture state; and

an image size identifying unit that identifies sizes of the isolated images from the image density distributions;

an image orientation identifying unit that identifies respective orientations of the isolated images according to a result of character recognition for the image data; and

an image modifying unit that sets respective orientations of the isolated images in the new pages as respective upright orientations of the isolated images, and enlarges the isolated images in the new pages according to the sizes of the isolated images wherein:

the image density distribution calculating unit calculates respective summation values of image density for rows along the primary scan direction of the page, and obtains the image density distribution in the secondary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the secondary scan direction, and calculates respective summation values of image density for columns along the secondary scan direction of the page, and obtains the image density distribution in the primary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the primary scan direction; and

the mixture state identifying unit detects a blank area between the isolated images from the image density distributions of the primary scan direction and the secondary scan direction, and determines that the page contains isolated images, if the blank area is detected.

7. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a document scanning unit that scans respective pages in a document;

an image data generating unit that generates respective pieces of image data corresponding to the pages;

an image density distribution calculating unit that calculates image density distributions in a primary scan direction and a secondary scan direction in each of the paces from the image data;

a mixture state identifying unit that identifies a mixture state from the image density distributions, the mixture state indicating whether or not each of the pages contains isolated images;

an isolated-image separating unit that assigns respective ones of the isolated images to new pages according to the mixture state; and

an image size identifying unit that identifies sizes of the isolated images from the image density distributions;

an image orientation identifying unit that identifies respective orientations of the isolated images according to a result of character recognition for the image data; and

an image modifying unit that sets respective orientations of the isolated images in the new pages as respective upright orientations of the isolated images, and enlarges the isolated images in the new pages according to the sizes of the isolated images wherein:

the image density distribution calculating unit calculates respective summation values of image density for rows along the primary scan direction of the page, and obtains the image density distribution in the secondary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the secondary scan direction, and calculates respective summation values of image density for columns along the secondary scan direction of the page, and obtains the image density distribution in the primary scan direction by arranging these summation values along the primary scan direction; and

the image size identifying unit detects a blank area in the primary scan direction and/or the secondary scan direction from the image density distributions, and identifies the sizes of the isolated images from the blank area.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:

a display unit that displays an electronic document that contains image of the document according to the image data.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising:

a display unit that displays an electronic document that contains image of the document according to the image data.