IP Library Granted Patent US 10,291,843
Granted Patent B2
US 10,291,843 · App. 15/868,168 · Granted May 14, 2019

Information processing apparatus having camera function and producing guide display to capture character recognizable image, control method thereof, and storage medium

Inventor: Daijiro Miyamoto (Kawasaki, JP)
Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
H04N5/23222G06K9/00442G06K9/2054G06K9/2081H04N5/23293G06K2209/01H04N5/23216
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,291,843
App. No.
15/868,168
Granted
May 14, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

In order to capture entire object, it is necessary for an image capturer to move a mobile terminal in various directions and to determine whether all is captured, and therefore, the operation of the image capturer becomes complicated. An information processing apparatus having a camera function, which displays a live view image acquired via a camera on a display, determines, by analyzing the live view image, a direction of an uncaptured area that should be captured next and whether the live view image is an image suitable to OCR processing, and displays, in accordance with analysis results of the live view image, a guide to prompt a user to perform an operation so that an image corresponding to the determined direction of the uncaptured area of the object is captured next.

Claims (56)

1. An information processing apparatus having a camera function, comprising:

a memory for storing a computer program; and

a processor for executing the computer program to perform:

controlling to display, on a display, a live view image acquired via a camera;

determining, by analyzing the live view image, a direction of an uncaptured area that should be captured next in an object and whether the live view image is an image suitable to OCR processing; and

controlling, in accordance with analysis results of the live view image, to display a guide on the live view image in an overlapping manner, wherein

the displayed guide is a guide to prompt a user to perform an operation so that an image corresponding to the determined direction of the uncaptured area of the object is captured next.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

in the analysis of the live view image, the determining whether the live view image is an image suitable to OCR processing is performed based on a character size in a text area included in the live view image, and

in a case where it is determined that the character size is not a character size suitable to OCR processing, the displayed guide is a guide to prompt the user to perform an operation so that a distance between the camera and the object becomes appropriate.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

in a case where it is determined that the character size is not a character size suitable to OCR processing because of being too small, the displayed guide is a guide to prompt the user to perform an operation so that the distance between the camera and the object becomes shorter; and

in a case where it is determined that the character size is not a character size suitable to OCR processing because of being too large, the displayed guide is a guide to prompt the user to perform an operation so that the distance between the camera and the object becomes longer.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

in the analysis of the live view image, the determining whether the live view image is an image suitable to OCR processing is performed based on definition of a character within a text area included in the live view image, and

in a case where it is determined that the definition of the character is determined not to be definition suitable to OCR processing, the displayed guide is a guide to prompt a user to stop a user moving the camera.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

when the capturing of the object is started, the processor further controls to display a guide to adjust an initial position in image capturing, and

in the analysis of the live view image, in a case where the analysis of the live view image being displayed indicates that a user operation in accordance with the guide to adjust the initial position has been performed, the determining whether the live view image is an image suitable to OCR processing is performed.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein

in the analysis of the live view image,

processing to detect a corner of the object is performed for a predetermined area within the live view image, which is displayed in the guide for adjusting the initial position, and

in a case where the corner is detected in the detection, it is determined that a user operation in accordance with the guide for adjusting the initial position has been performed.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein

the processor further controls to store captured images obtained by the plurality of times of image capturing in the memory and to generate an image corresponding to the whole of the object by combining the plurality of stored captured images, and

in a case where a user operation in accordance with the guide for adjusting the initial position has been performed and in a case where it is determined that the live view image is an image suitable to OCR processing, the processor stores the live view image in the memory as a first captured image.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the processor further controls to display an already-captured area on the live view image so that the already-captured area can be identified.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein

in image capturing to acquire second and subsequent captured images of the plurality of times of image capturing,

in the analysis of the live view image, a ratio in which the already-captured area occupies the live view image is found and whether the ratio is within a predetermined range is determined; and

in a case where the ratio is within a predetermined range, the processor further controls to display a guide to prompt a user to stop a user moving the camera.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein

in the analysis of the live view image, in a case where the ratio is outside a predetermined range, processing to detect an edge of the object is further performed for the live view image, and

in a case where the edge is detected in the detection, the processor further controls to display a guide to prompt a user to stop a user moving the camera.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein

in the analysis of the live view image, in a case where the edge is not detected in the detection, processing to specify a direction of an uncaptured area that should be captured next is further performed, and

the processor further controls to display a guide to prompt a user to move the camera in the specified direction.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein

the guide to prompt a user to move the camera in the specified direction is a guide which displays an arrow facing toward a center point of the uncaptured area.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein

the processor controls to shorten a length of the arrow as a distance from the center point becomes shorter.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the object is a document.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the object is a whiteboard.

16. A control method in an information processing apparatus having a camera function, the control method comprising the steps of:

displaying, on a display, a live view image acquired via a camera of the information processing apparatus;

determining, by analyzing the live view image, a direction of an uncaptured area that should be captured next in an object and whether the live view image is an image suitable to OCR processing;

displaying, in accordance with analysis results of the live view image, a guide on the live view image in an overlapping manner, wherein

the displayed guide is a guide to prompt a user to perform an operation so that an image corresponding to the determined direction of the uncaptured area of the object is captured next.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform a control method in an information processing apparatus having a camera function, the control method comprising the steps of:

displaying a live view image acquired via the camera function of the information processing apparatus;

determining, by analyzing the live view image, a direction of an uncaptured area that should be captured next in an object and whether the live view image is an image suitable to OCR processing; and

displaying, in accordance with analysis results, a guide on the live view image in an overlapping manner, wherein

the displayed guide is a guide to prompt a user to perform an operation so that an image corresponding to the determined direction of the uncaptured area of the object is captured next.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 6, 2018
From: MIYAMOTO, DAIJIRO
To: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 045852/0924 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2017-011976 · Jan 26, 2017 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180213147A1 · Jul 26, 2018