JP2006270204A - Photographic image processing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To propose a technique capable of generating specific information, such as date information, for embedding as an electronic watermark even in a photographic image read not only from digital photographic image data, but also from a conventional analog photographic film. <P>SOLUTION: A photographic image processing unit 1 comprises a generation means 71 for extracting the specific information, such as date data, from the photographic image read from media and added information for generation by using, for example a character pattern recognition technique; a deletion means 72 for deleting the image of the specific information contained in the read photographic image; an embedding means 73 for embedding the generated specific information in the photographic image by an electronic watermark technique; and an outputting means 74 for outputting the photographic image in which the specific information is embedded as the electronic watermark. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for embedding information such as date information as digital watermark information in digital photographic image data.

If the date is included in the photographic image, it is possible to specify the shooting date. Therefore, the value as a recorded photo is increased, but the date may be an obstacle.
In the case of the conventional analog photo print, the shooting date can be imprinted on the photographic image, but once the imprinted date cannot be easily erased, it may be in the way. In addition, date information may be printed on the back side of an analog photo print. In this case, there is a problem that the date information cannot be seen unless it is turned over.
On the other hand, when it is handled as digital photo image data, shooting date information is separately added as digital data, but there is a problem that such digital data is easily deleted or changed.
Therefore, a technique for embedding date information in a digital photographic image by an electronic watermark technique has been proposed. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 to 4)

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-290359 JP 2004-40179 A JP 2002-271535 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-170630

However, in the case of the date information embedding technique using the conventional electronic watermark technique, information to be embedded such as date information is input from an input means such as a date information setting means, or date data added to photographic image data is extracted. To do.
Therefore, in the former case, there is a problem that it is necessary to input date information or the like, and in the latter case, there is a problem that proper date information cannot be obtained if date data is not added. .

  Therefore, in the present invention, not only digital photographic image data, but also a photographic image read from a conventional analog photographic film, a technique that can generate specific information such as date information and embed it as an electronic watermark is proposed. The purpose is to do.

In the photographic image processing apparatus of claim 1 according to the present invention,
In a photographic image processing apparatus that processes and outputs a photographic image read from a medium on which a photographic image is recorded,
Generation means for generating specific information from the read photographic image or information added to the read photographic image;
An embedding means for embedding the generated specific information in a photographic image with electronic watermark technology,
Output means for outputting a photographic image in which the specific information is embedded as an electronic watermark;
Equipped with.
In claim 2,
The image processing apparatus includes an erasing unit that erases an image related to specific information included in the read photographic image from the read photographic image.
In claim 3,
The generation means extracts date information from a date image included in the read photographic image by a character pattern recognition technique and generates it as specific information.

According to the present invention, specific information such as date data is generated from the read photographic image and added information, and the generated specific information is embedded in a photographic image by an electronic watermark technique and output. It can be left with a photographic image in an inconspicuous state.
Further, when information related to the specific information is included in the photographic image, by deleting the image, the image of the specific information does not interfere with the design of the photo.
Further, since the date information can be extracted from the date image included in the read photographic image by the character pattern recognition technique, the date information can be extracted and embedded as an electronic watermark even when the date information is not held as digital data.

  A photographic image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof.

In FIG.
A photographic image processing apparatus 1 converts a photographic image read by a scanner unit 2 that scans a photographic film and a media input / output unit 3 that reads and writes various recording media into digital data. Then, the photographic image processing device 1 performs image processing such as correction processing, and is output to the media input / output unit 3 and stored in various recording media, or is output to the printing device 4 and output as a photographic print. It is comprised so that.

The photographic image processing apparatus 1 includes an operation unit 5 having a keyboard and the like, a display unit 6 for displaying various information, and a control unit 7 for integrating and controlling the above-described units, and has a desk shape as a whole. It is configured.
The photographic image input from the scanner unit 2 or the media input / output unit 3 is displayed on the display unit 6. The control unit 7 is configured to perform various processes such as an electronic watermark process, which will be described later, via the operation unit 5.

As shown in the figure, the control unit 7 has the following electronic watermark processing function.
1 and 2,
71 is a generating means for generating date information as specific information from the read photographic image, and the date information is obtained from the image at the end portion of the photographic image of one frame by a character pattern recognition technique such as a character pattern recognition technique. It is configured to extract. These end areas are rectangular areas a and b extending in parallel with the long side of the frame in the area of one frame, as indicated by hatching in FIG. Since the image may be upside down, the two portions at the end of the diagonal portion are the corresponding portions.

Reference numeral 72 denotes an erasing unit that erases a date image included in any of the regions a and b of the read photographic image by image processing.
Reference numeral 73 denotes an embedding unit that embeds the specific information generated by the generating unit in a photographic image from which a date image has been deleted by an electronic watermark technique.
Reference numeral 74 denotes output means for outputting a photographic image in which the specific information is embedded as an electronic watermark to the media input / output unit 3 or the printing apparatus 4.

Next, details of the generating means 71 will be described.
The generation means 71 automatically sets the predetermined areas a and b as shown in (2) of FIG. 2 from the read photographic image as shown in (1) of FIG. As in (3), after cutting one image of the area and converting it to binary data, date data is obtained by a character pattern recognition technique. This date data is output as specific information.
If date data cannot be recognized in one of the two areas, similar character pattern recognition is performed for the other area. In this character pattern recognition, it is a matter of course that the processing is performed assuming that the date characters are inverted upside down.
In this way, when date data can be recognized from one area, it is determined that there is no date image in the other area, and character pattern recognition is not performed.

Next, details of the erasing means 72 will be described.
In the erasing means 72, the following erasing process is performed only for the area where the date data is extracted by the generating means 71 out of the two areas a and b, and nothing is processed for the other area.
The erasing process is performed by making the boundary of the character area ambiguous by matching the density of the pixel in the character area converted into the binary data inside the area with the density of the pixel outside the character area. As shown in 2 (4), the date image is deleted.
Such an erasing process can use a function such as a “scratch erasing function” provided in a conventional photographic image processing apparatus.

Next, details of the embedding means 73 will be described.
In the embedding unit 73, the specific information (date data) generated by the generating unit 71 is embedded in a photographic image from which the date image has been deleted by the erasing unit 72 by an electronic watermark technique.
With this electronic watermark technique, the embedding process is performed by converting the image of the specific information into yellow dots and combining it with a photographic image so that the specific information is displayed as yellow dots that are difficult to recognize by human vision. The method may be used, but other known electronic watermarking techniques may be employed.
As described above, the photographic image in which the specific information (for example, date data) is embedded by the electronic watermark technique and the date image is deleted is output from the output unit 74 to the media input / output unit 3 or the printing device 4. It is.

  Whether the photographic image output in this way is displayed on the screen of the display unit 6 or viewed as a photographic print on the print unit 4, it is embedded as an electronic watermark such as a yellow dot. Since the date data is difficult to recognize with the naked eye, the photographic image itself is not damaged and does not get in the way.

As described above, an image in which date data is embedded as an electronic watermark such as a yellow dot can be sufficiently recognized by the naked eye when viewed through a specific filter that emphasizes yellow.
Therefore, when you want to check the date data, scan it with a scanner or take a picture with a digital camera and apply a specific filter process, or take a picture with a camera attached to a mobile phone and use a specific filter function inside. By seeing, the date data embedded as an electronic watermark can be recognized.

In addition, although the area | region setting of the predetermined area | regions a and b in the above description may be set automatically, you may set an area | region manually. In addition, the erasing process in the above description may be processed automatically, but may be performed manually.
Further, although the generating means 71 is configured to generate the specific information from the photographic image, it may be generated by extracting or converting the specific information from the information added to the difference image.

Next, the processing procedure of the photographic image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the flowchart of FIG.
In step S1, a recording medium on which a photographic image is recorded is received from a customer. For this operation, a reception terminal device having a function of reading photographic images from various recording media can be used.
In step S2, the customer's desire is confirmed as to whether or not it is desired to insert an electronic watermark. The reception terminal device can also be used for this procedure. If not desired, the process proceeds to step S3. If desired, the process proceeds to step S4.
In step S4, it is confirmed whether or not the date data to be embedded as an electronic watermark is designated with a specific date. If not specified, the process proceeds to step S5, and if specified, the process proceeds to step S6.

In step S5, the type of the recording medium is confirmed. In step S7, it is determined whether the recorded date information is digital data. If it is not digital data, the process proceeds to step S8. Advances to step S9.
In step S8, it is determined whether the recording medium is 240 film (APS film). If it is not 240 film, it is determined that the recording medium is 135 film (35 mm film), and the process proceeds to step S10. Proceed to step S11.
In step S10, date data is extracted from the photographic image data obtained by scanning 135 films using the character pattern recognition technique described above.
In step S12, it is determined whether or not recognizable date data is imprinted as a date image on the 135 film by using the character pattern recognition technique described above. If not imprinted, the process proceeds to step S13. If it is burned, the process proceeds to step S14.

In step S13, it is determined whether date data exists in the photographic image data of the frames before and after the frame. If there is no date data, the process proceeds to step S3, and if there is, the process proceeds to step S15.
In step S15, it is determined whether or not the date data extracted in step S10 is the same date as the date data of the preceding and succeeding frames. If they are not the same, the process proceeds to step S3, and if they are the same, the process proceeds to step S9. move on.

If it is determined in step S8 that the film is 240 film, in step S11, magnetic data is read from the 240 film, and it is determined whether or not date data is included in the read data. If not, the process proceeds to step S16. If included, the process proceeds to step S9.
In step S16, it is determined whether date data exists in the photographic image data of the frames before and after the frame. If there is no date data, the process proceeds to step S3, and if there is, the process proceeds to step S17.
In step S17, it is determined whether or not the date data read in step S11 is the same date as the date data of the preceding and succeeding frames. If they are not the same, the process proceeds to step S3, and if they are the same, the process proceeds to step S9. move on.

In step S3, the date data is not embedded by electronic watermark, but is output from the output means 74 to the media input / output unit 3 or the printing apparatus 4.
In the step S6, an operator inputs a designated date by operating the keyboard of the operation unit 5 or the like, and the embedding unit 73 embeds the designated date data in a photographic image using an electronic watermark technique. The data is output from the output means 74 to the media input / output unit 3 or the printing apparatus 4.
In step S9, the extracted date data is embedded in a photographic image using an electronic watermark technique, and is output from the output means 74 to the media input / output unit 3 or the printing apparatus 4.

In the above description, the case where the specific information embedded as an electronic watermark is date data has been described. However, the specific information such as “Omedeto”, the frame number of the frame, Specific information generated from the added information such as the file name of the frame image and correction data applied to the frame image may be embedded as an electronic watermark.
When the specific information is extracted from the specific image included in the read photographic image, the specific image may be erased from the photographic image and output.

It is the block diagram which showed the structure of embodiment of the photograph image processing apparatus concerning this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the embedding process of the date data by the electronic watermark in the photographic image processing apparatus of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the process sequence in the photographic image processing apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photo image processing apparatus 2 Scanner part 3 Media input / output part 4 Printing apparatus 5 Operation part 6 Display part 7 Control part 71 Generating means 72 Erasing means 73 Embedding means 74 Output means

Claims (3)

In a photographic image processing apparatus that processes and outputs a photographic image read from a medium on which a photographic image is recorded,
Generation means for generating specific information from the read photographic image or information added to the read photographic image;
An embedding means for embedding the generated specific information in a photographic image with electronic watermark technology,
Output means for outputting a photographic image in which the specific information is embedded as an electronic watermark;
A photographic image processing apparatus comprising: The photographic image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an erasing unit that erases an image related to the specific information included in the read photographic image from the read photographic image. 3. The photograph according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit extracts date information from a date image included in the read photograph image by a character pattern recognition technique and generates the specific information as the specific information. Image processing device.

Images