Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a reception unit receiving image data, a region determination unit to extract a text region from the received image data, a threshold value calculation unit to calculate the background amount of the extracted text region, and an image correction unit to correct a non-text region of the image data according to the calculated background amount. Since the non-text region of the image data is corrected according to the background amount of the text region, an appropriate correction process can be applied on the image data according to difference in the paper sheet quality and image pickup condition.

Abstract: An image processing method includes the steps of contracting an original image consisting of plural pixel data to produce a contracted image; comparing a pixel data of the original image with a corresponding pixel data of the contracted image; registering the pixel data of the original image as a registered data if it is judged in the comparing step that a color difference between the pixel data of the original image and the corresponding pixel data of the contracted image is larger than a predetermined value; and substituting the pixel data of the original image with one of a plurality of registered data only if the color difference is not larger than the predetermined value. An apparatus for performing this method is also disclosed.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprising image capturing means for capturing a plurality of images, adjacent ones of which partially overlap with each other, overlap region determining means for determining an overlap region, first region determining means for determining a first region within the overlap region determined, first pixel value determining means for determining a pixel value in the first region based on a pixel value of one of the two adjacent images, second pixel value determining means for determining a pixel value in a second region within the overlap region based on respective pixel values of the two adjacent images, and image joining means for joining the two adjacent images with each other by utilizing the determined pixel value in the first region and the determined pixel value in the second region as pixel values in respective regions of the overlap region.

Abstract: A color discriminating apparatus is provided with: a luminance calculator for calculating luminance information of a picked up color image based on image data of each of a plurality of color components constituting the color image; a color information calculator for calculating color information of the color image based on image data; a first discriminator for discriminating, based on calculated color information, which the color image is chromatic or achromatic; a second discriminator for discriminating, based on calculated luminance information, which the color image is black or white when the color image is discriminated to be achromatic; and a third discriminator for discriminating, based on the calculated color information and the calculated luminance information, which of a plurality of predetermined colors the color image agrees with when the color image is discriminated to be chromatic.

Abstract: An image processing method includes the steps of obtaining an image in which a first area including a first image and a second area including a second image are discriminated with each other, and a control step for performing a blur control to a second image using a filter to obtain a blur-controlled second image while accompanying processing for reducing an influence of the first area at a boundary between the first area and the second area and therearound when the blur control is performed to the second image.

Abstract: A distortion correction device performs pre-processing on an input image data of a double page spread document or the like and produces an edge image. Upper and lower ends of the document are detected from the produced edge image. From the detected upper and lower ends of the document, a relative position of an imaging unit with respect to the document is detected. An approximate distance from the imaging unit to the document, the relative position of the imaging unit and information about the ends of the document are used to calculate respective heights of points on the document. The input image data then undergoes geometric conversion correction by means of information about the heights. In this way, the distortion correction device can be provided capable of easily and accurately correcting distortion of the image due to nonuniform height of the surface of the object, i.e., document, regardless of imaging conditions.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus includes a CCD that receives an image, a fold detecting unit that detects edges using a lightness component of the received image and selects a specific one of the detected edges, and a fold erasing unit that corrects the lightness component of the selected specific edge. Thus, an image processing apparatus allowing removal of a noise appearing on the lightness component is provided.

Abstract: An image processing device for joining a plurality of images while preventing deterioration of a quality of joined images, and particularly for producing an entire image of a subject by joining a plurality of divided images produced from divided portions of the subject having partially overlapping portions, including a setting portion for setting a plurality of sets each including corresponding points in the two divided images having overlap regions overlapped together, a transforming portion for performing geometric transformation of one or the other of the two divided images based on the plurality of corresponding point sets, and a joining portion for joining the two divided images based on the plurality of corresponding point sets after the geometric transformation, wherein higher importance is placed on a specific portion of the overlapping regions compared with the other in the geometric transformation.