Image Processing Apparatus Text Appearance Sharpness Adaptation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image processing technologies fail to effectively suppress the lowering of text appearance in reproduced images when the sharpness of text in target images is low, leading to blurred edges in the background image.

Innovation Solution

An image processing apparatus that determines an extended text area based on the sharpness of the text, changes the color of this area to the background color, and applies correction processing to minimize the size of the surrounding area, thereby enhancing the text appearance in the reproduced image.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the text area is extended to include surrounding areas to suppress blurred edges, then the text appearance is improved, but the area of the background image that needs color correction increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetext appearance qualityVSAvoidextended text area size
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different processing strategies to different regions within the extended text area. The surrounding area determination unit identifies regions that actually require color correction based on local characteristics, rather than uniformly processing the entire extended area. This allows the system to focus correction efforts on areas with blurred edges while minimizing unnecessary processing in regions that don't require correction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent dynamically adjusts the size of the surrounding area based on the sharpness of text detected in the target image. When text sharpness is low, a larger surrounding area is selected to ensure blurred edges are captured. When text sharpness is high, a smaller surrounding area suffices. This parameter adaptation resolves the contradiction by matching the extended area size to the actual quality requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If a fixed size surrounding area is used for all images, then the processing is simple and fast, but the text appearance quality deteriorates when text sharpness varies

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidtext appearance quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a dynamic surrounding area determination mechanism that adapts to the sharpness characteristics of each image's text. The system calculates or detects text sharpness and uses this information to adjust the surrounding area size accordingly. This dynamic approach ensures optimal text appearance quality for each image while maintaining processing efficiency by avoiding unnecessarily large areas when sharpness is high.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically determines the appropriate surrounding area size based on the intrinsic sharpness characteristics of each image's text, without requiring manual intervention or fixed parameters. The surrounding area determination unit performs this self-adjustment by analyzing the target image and selecting the optimal area, enabling the system to adapt to varying image qualities autonomously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP2645697B1Image processing apparatus and method
Publication Date: 2019.01.02 BROTHER KOGYO KK
  • EP2645697B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2645697B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2645697B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3D

AI summary

An image processing apparatus may create text image data representing a text image using target image data representing a target image including text; and create background image data representing a background image in which a color of the text image in the target image has been changed, using the target image data. The creating of the background image data comprises determining an extended text area in the target image, the extended text area including a text area corresponding to pixels constituting text included in the text image and also including a surrounding area around the text area, and changing a color of the extended text area to a color of a background of the target image. The determining of the extended text area comprises acquiring related information related to a sharpness of the text included in the target image, and determining a size of the surrounding area according to the related information.