Abstract: The image processing apparatus is configured by including a palm luminance estimation unit and a surface reflected component enhancement unit that separate low-frequency components from a signal indicating luminance values of pixels of an input image, a denoising processing unit that executes a denoising process for the signal from which the low-frequency components have been separated, and a merging unit that generates an image by merging the signal after the denoising process and the low-frequency components.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus is configured by including a palm luminance estimation unit and a surface reflected component enhancement unit that separate low-frequency components from a signal indicating luminance values of pixels of an input image, a denoising processing unit that executes a denoising process for the signal from which the low-frequency components have been separated, and a merging unit that generates an image by merging the signal after the denoising process and the low-frequency components.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus is configured by including a palm luminance estimation unit and a surface reflected component enhancement unit that separate low-frequency components from a signal indicating luminance values of pixels of an input image, a denoising processing unit that executes a denoising process for the signal from which the low-frequency components have been separated, and a merging unit that generates an image by merging the signal after the denoising process and the low-frequency components.

Abstract: An authentication apparatus performs identity authentication by comparing and matching image information of a palm captured by a sensor unit with a preliminarily registered template. A surface information correcting unit corrects concavity/convexity of a palm surface for surface information that allows the concavity/convexity thereof to be evaluated. The surface information is extracted by a surface information extraction unit from the image information obtained by capturing the palm. When the surface information is not corrected by the surface information correcting unit or not used for authentication by an authentication unit even after correction, the authentication apparatus newly obtains image information of the palm. Correction by the surface information correcting unit reduces opportunities for the authentication apparatus to perform notification to guide the palm to a proper posture.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus is configured by including a palm luminance estimation unit and a surface reflected component enhancement unit that separate low-frequency components from a signal indicating luminance values of pixels of an input image, a denoising processing unit that executes a denoising process for the signal from which the low-frequency components have been separated, and a merging unit that generates an image by merging the signal after the denoising process and the low-frequency components.

Abstract: In a verification apparatus, a biometric information acquisition unit acquires a plurality of biometric information pieces from an object. A first verification unit calculates, as a verification score, the similarity between the biometric information piece and a verification information piece, and compares the calculated verification score with a first determination value to determine whether the biometric information piece matches the verification information piece. When the verification fails, a second verification unit performs verification on the plurality of biometric information pieces having a predetermined relationship, using the verification information piece and a second determination value which defines a less stringent criterion than the first determination value.

Abstract: One system to which the present invention is applied obtains the digitized form image of a form, recognizes a character string existing in the obtained form image, extracts a headline wording being a predetermined character string from the recognized character strings, determines a table structure existing in the form image, on the basis of the extracted headline wording and the arrangement of headline wordings in the form image and specifies a correspondence relationship between a headline wording and a character string other than the headline wording that is recognized, using the determination result.

Abstract: In an authentication apparatus, an input section acquires a living body image which an image capture apparatus generates by capturing an image of a living body that is an object of authentication, and outputs the living body image to an operation section. When the operation section acquires the living body image from the input section, the operation section calculates, on the basis of the living body image acquired and a registered image stored in a registered image storage section, the difference between the relative position of the living body with respect to the image capture apparatus at the time of acquiring the living body image and the relative position of the living body with respect to the image capture apparatus at the time of acquiring the registered image. The output section outputs guidance information for prompting a reduction in the difference in the relative position calculated by the operation section.

Abstract: An image processing method extracts line segment elements from grayscale captured images, so that line segments are extracted at high-speed without being influenced by contrast ratio, even if morphology processing is used. A selection processing select an area where continuous line segments possibly exist from the captured image and a morphology processing detect line segment elements in the selected area by scanning an operator. Line segments can be extracted in a plurality of directions at high-speed. Also by an extraction target area selection processing, an area of which contrast ratio is low, continuing from an area of which contrast ratio is high in the line segment growth direction is also extracted as one line segment.

Abstract: In a verification apparatus, a biometric information acquisition unit acquires a plurality of biometric information pieces from an object. A first verification unit calculates, as a verification score, the similarity between the biometric information piece and a verification information piece, and compares the calculated verification score with a first determination value to determine whether the biometric information piece matches the verification information piece. When the verification fails, a second verification unit performs verification on the plurality of biometric information pieces having a predetermined relationship, using the verification information piece and a second determination value which defines a less stringent criterion than the first determination value.

Abstract: An authentication apparatus performs identity authentication by comparing and matching image information of a palm captured by a sensor unit with a preliminarily registered template. A surface information correcting unit corrects concavity/convexity of a palm surface for surface information that allows the concavity/convexity thereof to be evaluated. The surface information is extracted by a surface information extraction unit from the image information obtained by capturing the palm. When the surface information is not corrected by the surface information correcting unit or not used for authentication by an authentication unit even after correction, the authentication apparatus newly obtains image information of the palm. Correction by the surface information correcting unit reduces opportunities for the authentication apparatus to perform notification to guide the palm to a proper posture.

Abstract: A gradation distribution of an image character is analyzed, the character color of the image character is analyzed, a gradation ratio between a turning point of a character stroke and the character stroke other than the turning point is analyzed, contrast at an edge of the character stroke is analyzed, the vertical size and center position of the image character are analyzed, the character size of the image character and pitch are analyzed, the first to sixth scores that quantify the respective analysis results are aggregated to discriminate whether the image character is handwritten or printed, and the recognition target item is checked to determine whether it includes both handwritten and printed characters. This makes it possible to enhance accuracy of handwritten-printed character discrimination, which leads to reducing a processing time for character recognition and enhancing accuracy of the character recognition.

Abstract: An objective is to eliminate dotted lines in a character box in image data to increase the character recognition rate. There are some cases in which a dotted line candidate cannot be extracted due to many overlapping parts of dotted lines and characters or due to a blurry part in a dotted line. In such cases, the position of a dotted line candidate is estimated referring to features such as the interval, length, width, etc. of a dotted line candidate in the same character box (or in a character box for another relevant item), and image data of the estimated position and image data of a previously extracted dotted line (or a reference dotted line) are compared to determine whether or not they are an identical dotted line.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a puncture-sealing agent, which effectively prevents gelification of the puncture-sealing agent caused by agglomerates of rubber latex and that can enhance the productivity of the puncture-sealing agent is provided. The manufacturing method includes a first mixing process of mixing an antifreeze liquid with water to obtain a mixture liquid A1; a second mixing process of adding the mixture liquid A1 dropwise into a rubber latex that is being stirred and performing mixing to obtain a mixture liquid A2, while increasing the stirring speed as a liquid amount of the mixture liquid A2 increases; and a third mixing process of mixing the mixture liquid A2 with a tackifier. An amount of variation in the stirring speed is preferably from 0.1 rpm/mm to 6.0 rpm/mm, and a dropwise-addition rate of the mixture liquid A1 is preferably from 0.5 kg/min to 500 kg/min.

Abstract: A gradation distribution of an image character is analyzed, the character color of the image character is analyzed, a gradation ratio between a turning point of a character stroke and the character stroke other than the turning point is analyzed, contrast at an edge of the character stroke is analyzed, the vertical size and center position of the image character are analyzed, the character size of the image character and pitch are analyzed, the first to sixth scores that quantify the respective analysis results are aggregated to discriminate whether the image character is handwritten or printed, and the recognition target item is checked to determine whether it includes both handwritten and printed characters. This makes it possible to enhance accuracy of handwritten-printed character discrimination, which leads to reducing a processing time for character recognition and enhancing accuracy of the character recognition.

Abstract: A body part guidance control is performed in a non-contact biometrics authentication device which performs individual authentication utilizing characteristics of a body part which is a portion of a human body, for guiding the body part so as to capture images without contact. The future position at the time of message display is predicted by using body part positions of n times in the past and the guidance message can be selected according to this predicted position to output an appropriate message. Hence the time for guidance into an appropriate image capture region can be shortened, the output of messages for movement in the direction opposite the body part movement can be prevented, and inducement of confusion in the user can be prevented, so that the speed of authentication can be improved.

Abstract: A pattern alignment method performs alignment of the comparison source pattern or the comparison target pattern that has been subjected to the angle-scale conversion with the comparison source pattern. Angular deviations and scale factors between the comparison source pattern and the comparison target pattern are computed separately, after angle and scale conversion, the measured template matching is performed. Therefore, parallel-displacement alignment can be made faster and precise alignment is possible. Template matching processing can be minimized, and aligning can be performed precisely and rapidly.

Abstract: The present invention firstly roughly classifies an analysis range specified by the operator in the color image data of a form into background, a character frame and a character, precisely specifies a character frame on the basis of the classification result, eliminates the character from the color image data from which the background is eliminated and recognizes the remaining character.

Abstract: According to the present invention, first, the first biometric information “a” is divided equally and biometric information “a” and biometric information “a?” are generated, the second biometric information “b” is divided equally and biometric information “b?” and biometric information “b?” are similarly generated. Then the biometric information “a?” that is the first half of the first biometric information “a” and the biometric information “b?” that is the first half of the second biometric information “b” are combined to generate one piece of biometric information 1 for a person. The biometric information “a?” that is the second half of the first biometric information “a”, and the biometric information “b?” that is the second half of the second biometric information “b”, are similarly combined to generate the other piece of biometric information 2 for the person. The biometric information 1 and 2 are stored and used for matching later.

Abstract: In an authentication apparatus, an input section acquires a living body image which an image capture apparatus generates by capturing an image of a living body that is an object of authentication, and outputs the living body image to an operation section. When the operation section acquires the living body image from the input section, the operation section calculates, on the basis of the living body image acquired and a registered image stored in a registered image storage section, the difference between the relative position of the living body with respect to the image capture apparatus at the time of acquiring the living body image and the relative position of the living body with respect to the image capture apparatus at the time of acquiring the registered image. The output section outputs guidance information for prompting a reduction in the difference in the relative position calculated by the operation section.