JPH0223486A - Image signal processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To decode a bar code regardless of the stuck direction of a label by separating the bar code from its background by the texture decision (the decision of the parallel characteristic, etc., of the bars) of the bar code and reading binary data in the inclining direction of the bar code. CONSTITUTION:The multivalued input picture signal of a terminal 1 is converted into a binary signal in a binarizing circuit. The binary signal is thinned into 1/2 in both a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction in a thinning circuit 3, a texture deciding circuit 4 erases all the signals except those in a part decided as a bar code area, and an area deciding circuit 5 paints out the whole of the bar code area. For the signal to paint out the bar code area, its data are interpolated for the thinned amount into double in both the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction. The output of the binarizing signal is gated by this painting out signal in a segmenting circuit 6 and stored in a memory 7. On the other hand, an inclination and center arithmetic circuit 8 obtains the inclination and the center of the bar code based on the painted out signal area, and an address arithmetic circuit 9 calculates an address to read the bar code data from the memory 7 according to the inclination. The read data are decoded in a decoding circuit 10, and the bar code is decided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image signal processing apparatus that extracts and decodes a barcode area from scanned image data such as in a facsimile.

Conventional technology Conventionally, barcodes have been used in large numbers in logistics and other fields such as supermarkets, and most of them have scanning patterns in multiple directions, so that at least one scan on the barcode label used is correctly scanned. It is composed of (Nikkei Electronics 1980.12.22
．． p142 Types of Barcode Readers) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, there are no conventional methods and apparatuses for extracting and correctly reading barcode areas from image data scanned in one direction, such as in facsimile scanning. The present invention provides an image signal processing device that can correctly extract a barcode area and decode it.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:
Input data is converted into binary data and stored in a storage means, and the binary data is thinned out, and the barcode area is reduced by determining the texture of the barcode using the thinned out data and expanding the determination result. After determining the area and calculating the inclination and center point of the area, binary data is read out from the storage means in the direction of the inclination angle and the barcode is decoded.

According to the above configuration, the present invention separates the barcode from the background image by determining the texture of the barcode (determining the parallelism of the bars, etc.), and reads the binary data in the direction of the inclination angle of the barcode. This allows decoding even if the label is attached in any direction on the input document.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image signal processing apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 14, 1 is the input image signal (
The input terminal 2 is the input image signal of the input terminal 1.
3 is a data thinning circuit that thins out the binary signal and outputs it; 4 detects features such as barcode parallelism from the output signal of the data thinning circuit 3, and detects other signals. A texture determination circuit to be erased; 5 is an area determination circuit that expands the output signal 1 (black) of the texture determination circuit 4 by a certain area to make the barcode area all 1 (black); 6 is an area determination circuit 2
A cutout circuit gates the output signal of the digitizing circuit 2 with the output signal of the area determination circuit 5; 7 is a binary data memory that stores the output signal of the cutout circuit 6; A configuration in which the output signal of the conversion circuit 2 is stored is also possible. 8 is a slope/center calculation circuit that calculates the slope and center point of the barcode from the output signal of the area determination circuit 5; 9 is the slope/center calculation circuit that calculates the slope and center point of the barcode obtained by the slope/center calculation circuit 8; 10 is an address calculation circuit for determining a data read address; and 10 is a barcode signal decoding circuit for decoding a barcode signal from data read from the binary data memory 7.

The operation of the above configuration will be explained below. The input image signal (multi-value) at the input terminal 1 is converted into a binary image signal by the binarization circuit 2. The binary image data is reduced to 1/2 in both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction by the data thinning circuit 3.
The data is thinned out, and signals in other parts (for example, noise and other character information) are deleted except for the part determined by the texture determination circuit 4 to be a barcode area from the thinned data [black (1)]. →white (0)], area determination circuit 5
Fill in the entire barcode area with . However, the filled-in signal is interpolated (simple repetition of the same data) by twice as much data in both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction by the amount thinned out by the data thinning circuit. The binary data output of the binarization circuit 2 is cut out using this painted signal, gated by the circuit 6, and
It is stored in the value data memory 7. On the other hand, a slope/center calculation circuit 8 calculates the slope and center point of the barcode based on the filled-in signal area, and an address calculation circuit 9 reads out the barcode data from the binary data memory 7 along the slope angle. Calculate. 2 at the above read address
The data read from the value data memory 7 is decoded by a barcode decoding circuit 10 to determine the barcode.

Each of the above configurations will be explained in more detail below. The binarization circuit 2 simply converts the input image signal into two at a certain threshold level.
This is a general circuit that converts into values. The purpose of the data thinning circuit 3 is to reduce the size of the determination mask of the post-processing texture determining circuit 4, and performs data thinning to such an extent that the narrow barcode width of the input image data can be secured by at least one pixel.

For example, 2 barcode widths with narrow image sampling density.
If it is double, it is a simple circuit configuration that thins out every other pixel and outputs it. (Thinning in both the main scanning and sub-scanning directions) The texture determination circuit 4 is a determination circuit that focuses on the parallelism of barcodes. FIG. 2 shows an example of a scanning window used for the parallelism determination, and the numbers within the scanning window indicate pixel positions referred to for the parallelism determination of the texture. Judgment is based on the inherent characteristics of barcodes, namely, when the image signal strings arranged in one direction within the scanning window occur alternately in black and white, and when the image signal strings in the direction orthogonal to it are all white or black, parallel lines are determined. Output = 1). The determination formula for the scanning window shown in FIG. 2 is shown below.

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4°P76°Pg7=1 Note that the specific configuration of the image signal processing using the scanning window and the logic circuit configuration of the determination formula are common techniques such as an AND circuit, and their explanation will be omitted. The area determination circuit 5 is a circuit that takes the logical sum of all the data within the scanning window and outputs it as an output signal, and the black (1) of the input image signal is actually expanded by the size of the scanning window. Cutout circuit 6
is a circuit that takes the AND of the output signal of the binarization circuit 2 and the output signal of the area determination circuit 5, and removes the background image of the barcode (
This is to prevent unnecessary data from being supplied to the barcode decoding circuit later. (This circuit is unnecessary if there is no possibility of a judgment error in the later barcode decoding circuit.) The slope/center calculation circuit 8 calculates the slope and center of the barcode by the area judgment circuit 5.
Calculate from the black (1) data address of the output signal. An example of calculating the slope and center point when image data as shown in FIG. 3 is an input signal to the slope/center calculation circuit 8 will now be described. In the same figure, 11 is the image data area (corresponds to the area of the binary data memory), 12 is the filled-in barcode area, and there is no other background noise.《The barcode is rectangular and is read in the long side direction. It is assumed that it can be decrypted as follows.

The four points of the rectangle are (x1.y1), (x2.y2
), (
ln(x2.y2): point pyr where y is maximum
n. x("3 + 13) + Point 1'xmln(x4.y, a) where X is the minimum; Point p where x is the maximum
In calculations below xmax, lya yβ1〉1xα−
When yβ, the calculation is performed by exchanging the X and y coordinates.

In the example in Figure 3, the slope is from the two long sides to the slope a = (y2
-y3)/(x2 x3) or a=(y4 y1)/(x4 x1) If the slope is reversed, a=(y2-y4)/(x2-x4) or? = (y y )/(x3 xt) center ( x
■ , y O ) is xO = (x4-x3)/2 y□ = (y2 yl)/2 In Figure 4, there are four rectangular points Pymln + Pymax ix
mln.

Each coordinate point of PXn'l□ ("11y1)l(X21y2
), (x3.ya), and (x4.ya). In FIG. 4, 13 is a starting point, and 14 is a black signal detection section that detects the first black signal from the input image signal-scanning line data. 15 if there is no black light
It is determined whether the sub-scanning has ended or not, and if the sub-scanning has ended, the process returns to the abnormal end 16 in which the black signal cannot be detected, and if the sub-scanning has not ended, the process returns to the black signal detecting section 14. When a black signal is detected in step 14, the process goes to each pointer initial value setting section in step 17.
+Pyni□+ pxrnln IPX□□X of each point
Set the first address where the black signal was detected to the +Y coordinate.

Next, in step 18, it is determined whether the sub-scanning has ended or not, and if it has ended, the process goes to abnormal end in step 16, and if not, it goes to black signal detection section in step 19.

A black signal detecting section 19 detects a black signal from the input image signal of the next line-scanning line data. When a black signal is detected, each of the 20 pointers is updated. Here, if the detected black signal (D start point 'tp and end point is p), set the address of point p at the X+1 coordinate of point pymax, and if the X address of point pm is smaller than the X address of point Pxrnln, point Set the address of point p3 in the x t V coordinate of #xmln, and the X address of point p is point pxm
If it is larger than the X address of ax, x, y of point pXrn□
Point exit at the coordinates. Set the address of.

When the black signal is no longer detected by the black signal detection section 19, the 21
The process ends normally. The address calculation circuit 9 calculates an address for reading data in accordance with the slope of the bar code after data input to the binary data memory 7 is completed. A straight line y=ax+b passing through the center (x□, yo) from the slope a obtained by the slope/center calculation circuit 8 and the center (x□, y□) is obtained, and data is read out along the straight line. The read address Xs V is x=1.2.3... y = a x + b b = y - axo The slope/center calculation circuit 8 and the address calculation circuit 9 constitute a calculation circuit using a microcomputer. The barcode decoding circuit 10 can apply conventional barcode decoding techniques as is, and decodes the barcode by, for example, comparing it with a code reference table.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the effect of the present invention is that the inclination direction of the barcode can be detected and the unidirectional scanning image data stored in the storage means can be read out and decoded in the inclination direction. Its effects are great, such as being able to decode even if a barcode label is pasted in any direction on a manual manuscript.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image signal processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a scanning window used for parallelism determination in the main part of the device, and FIG. 3 is a filled-in bar code. Conceptual diagram of area, formulation circuit, 5... area determination circuit, 8... slope/center calculation circuit, 9...
...Address calculation circuit. Name of agent: Patent attorney Shigetaka Kurino and one other person a.
... Data thinning circuit, 4. Mountain... Texture size diagram □ Main set meal phrase X diagram diagram

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A binarization means that binarizes the scan-resolved data of an original image including a rectangular barcode area, a thinning means that selects predetermined data from the binary data, and a thinning means that extracts the texture of the barcode from the thinned data. texture determination means for determining, area determination means for enlarging the texture determination output by a predetermined size and making the texture determination outputs continuous, storage means for storing the binary data, and converting the area determination data into the rectangular barcode. calculation means for calculating the slope and center of the storage means; address calculation means for reading data from the storage means in the direction of the slope; and barcode decoding means for decoding a barcode from the data read from the storage means. An image signal processing device included. (2) Binarization means for binarizing the scan-resolved data of the original image including the rectangular barcode area, thinning means for selecting predetermined data from the binary data, and thinning means for extracting the texture of the barcode from the thinned data. a texture determining means for making a determination; a region determining means for enlarging the texture determination output by a predetermined size and making the texture determination outputs continuous; a cutting means for gate-outputting the binary data using the region determining data; storage means for storing data, calculation means for calculating the slope and center of the rectangular barcode from the area determination data, address calculation means for reading data from the storage means in the direction of the slope, and storage means for reading data from the storage means. An image signal processing device comprising: barcode decoding means for decoding a barcode from the output data.