1. A method for detecting text in a mixed-content image comprising:
processing said image to identify edge pixels associated with significant intensity changes;
processing said image to identify an intensity gradient direction for each of said edge pixels;
processing said image to identify one of a ridge or a valley pixel having coincident curvature wherein a maximum curvature of an intensity map, centered on a subject pixel occurs at the same location as a minimum curvature of said intensity map;
when said coincident curvature position exists, identifying said subject pixel as one of a ridge or a valley pixel;
measuring the proximity of said one of a ridge or a valley pixel to said edge pixel; and
identifying said edge pixel as a text edge pixel when said proximity conforms to specified proximity criteria.
2. A method for detecting text in a mixed-content image, said method comprising:
identifying an edge associated with a high-contrast intensity change;
identifying an intensity gradient direction for said edge;
identifying a character stroke axis, wherein said axis is an element in the group consisting of a stroke valley or a stroke ridge;
wherein said identifying comprises an analysis of image components until the change in curvature of the intensify curve between two successive image components in a direction substantially parallel to the intensity gradient direction reaches a maximum absolute value at the same position that the change in curvature of the intensity curve in a direction substantially perpendicular to the intensity gradient direction is near zero;
wherein said curvature of the intensity curve is calculated by solving for the eigenvalues of a Hessian matrix;
measuring a distance, in the intensity gradient direction, between said axis and said edge; and
identifying said edge as a text edge when said distance is less than a threshold value.
3. A method for detecting text in a mixed-content image, said method comprising:
identifying an edge associated with a high-contrast intensity change;
identifying an intensity gradient direction for said change;
identifying a character stroke axis, wherein said axis is selected from the group consisting of a stroke valley and a stroke ridge, comprising the acts of: (1) analyzing successive pixels to identify a coincident curvature position wherein a substantial curvature of an intensity map occurs at the same location as a minimal curvature of said intensity map; and (2) measuring a substantially transverse distance between said axis and said edge; and
identifying said edge as a text edge when said substantially transverse distance is less than a threshold value.
4. A method for detecting text in a mixed-content image comprising:
processing said image to identify edge components associated with significant intensity changes;
processing said image to identify an intensity gradient direction for each of said edge components;
processing said image to identify character stroke axes, wherein said stroke axes are one of a stroke valley or a stroke ridge, comprising the step of analyzing successive pixels to identify a coincident curvature position wherein a maximum curvature of an intensity map, said maximum curvature being greater than a threshold value, occurs at the same location as a minimal curvature of said intensity map, said minimal curves being lower than a specified value;
measuring the proximity of said axes to said edge component; and
identifying said edge component as a text edge component when said proximity conforms to specified proximity criteria.
5. A computer readable medium for detecting text in a mixed-content image, said method comprising the acts of:
identifying an image edge component of an edge associated with a high-contrast intensity change in an image;
identifying an intensity gradient direction for said edge component;
identifying a geometric intensity curvature feature consisting of a ridge or a valley, where said identifying a geometric intensity curvature comprises an analysis of image components until the change in curvature of the intensity curve between two successive image components in a direction substantially parallel to the intensity gradient direction reaches a maximum absolute value at the same position that the change in curvature of the intensity curve in a direction substantially perpendicular to the intensity gradient direction is near zero;
measuring the proximity of said feature to said edge; and
identifying said edge component as a text edge component when said proximity conforms to specific proximity criteria.
6. A method for detecting text in a mixed-content image, said method comprising:
identifying an edge associated with a high-contrast intensity change;
identifying an intensity gradient direction for said edge;
identifying a character stroke axis, wherein said axis is selected from the group consisting of a stroke valley or a stroke ridge;
measuring a substantially transverse distance between said axis and said edge;
identifying said edge as a text edge when said substantially transverse distance is less than a threshold value; and
analyzing successive pixels to identify a coincident curvature position wherein a substantial curvature of an intensity map occurs at the same location as a minimal curvature of said intensity map in another direction.
7. A method for detecting text in a mixed-content image comprising:
processing said image to identify edge components associated with significant intensity changes;
processing said image to identify an intensity gradient direction for each of said edge components;
processing said image to identify character stroke axes, wherein said axes are one of a stroke valley or a stroke ridge;
measuring the proximity of said axes to said edge component;
identifying said edge component as a text edge component when said proximity conforms to specified proximity criteria; and
analyzing successive pixels to identify a coincident curvature position wherein a maximum curvature of an intensity map, said maximum curvature being greater than a threshold value, occurs at the same location as a minimal curvature of said intensity map, said minimal curvature being lower than a specified value and being in a direction approximately perpendicular to said maximum curvature.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A system, comprising:
a computing device that includes one or more components each configured to perform a function in response to an input from an associated external device; and
an inputoutput module configured for installation within a housing of the computing device, the inputoutput module including one or more inputoutput connectors configured to interface one or more associated external devices with the one or more components in the computing device, the inputoutput module further configured to pass one or more unmodified signals between the one or more components and the one or more associated external devices.
2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the computing device includes a second component configured to perform a second function in response to an input from a second external device, the system further comprising:
a second inputoutput module configured to be interchangeable with the inputoutput module and including at least one inputoutput connector configured to interface the second external device with the second component, the inputoutput modules having at least one different connector; and
wherein the second inputoutput module is configured to pass one or more unmodified signals between the second external device and the second component.
3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the computing device includes a second component configured to perform a second function in response to an input from a second external device, the system further comprising:
a second inputoutput module configured to be interchangeable with the inputoutput module and including at least first and second inputoutput connectors to interface both external devices with the computing device; and
wherein the second inputoutput module is configured to pass one or more unmodified signals between the one or more components and the one or more associated external devices.
4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein:
the inputoutput module includes multiple inputoutput connectors each configured to interface an external device with the computing device, the inputoutput module further configured to pass at least one input from an external device unmodified to a component in the computing device; and
the inputoutput module includes a signal processing component to process an input from an external device, the inputoutput module further configured to pass at least one processed input from the inputoutput module to the computing device.
5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the inputoutput module comprises one or more of:
a CRTDVI (digital video input) inputoutput connector;
a parallel inputoutput connector;
a serial inputoutput connector;
a USB (universal serial bus) inputoutput connector; and
a PS2 (personal system) inputoutput connector.
6. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the inputoutput module comprises one or more of:
a CRTDVI (digital video input) inputoutput connector;
an IEEE 1394 inputoutput connector;
a TV-out connector;
an S-Video out connector; and
at least one USB (universal serial bus) inputoutput connector.
7. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein:
the inputoutput module comprises one or more of:
a CRTDVI (digital video input) inputoutput connector;
a parallel inputoutput connector;
a serial inputoutput connector;
a USB (universal serial bus) inputoutput connector;
a PS2 (personal system) inputoutput connector;
the system further comprises a second inputoutput module configured to be interchangeable with the inputoutput module, the second inputoutput module comprising one or more of:
a CRTDVI (digital video input) inputoutput connector;
an IEEE 1394 inputoutput connector;
a TV-out connector;
an S-Video out connector; and
at least one USB (universal serial bus) inputoutput connector.
8. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the computing device does not allocate system resources for the one or more components that can not be interfaced with an external device via the inputoutput module.
9. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to reserve system resources that would otherwise be allocated to interface the one or more components with an associated external device via the inputoutput module if the inputoutput module does not have an inputoutput connector for the external device.
10. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the inputoutput module includes an inputoutput connector configuration that the computing device can obtain from the inputoutput module.
11. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the inputoutput module includes a memory device to store an inputoutput connector configuration, and wherein the computing device can obtain the inputoutput connector configuration stored in the memory device.
12. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the inputoutput module includes a module connector having a pin configuration that can be decoded by the computing device to determine an inputoutput connector configuration on the inputoutput module.
13. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the computing device de-allocates system resources from the one or more components that can not be interfaced with an external device via the inputoutput module.
14. At least one interchangeable inputoutput module configured for installation within a computer, the interchangeable inputoutput module comprising one or more inputoutput connectors supported by a module housing, each of which are configured to interface an external device with a component in the computer, at least one of the inputoutput connectors being configured to pass unmodified signals between its associated external device and its associated component.
15. At least one interchangeable inputoutput module as recited in claim 14, wherein the module housing is configured to be removably attached to the computer.
16. At least one interchangeable inputoutput module as recited in claim 14, further comprising:
multiple inputoutput connectors each configured to interface an external device with a component in the computer; and
a signal processing component to process an input from an external device, the interchangeable inputoutput module further configured to pass at least one unmodified input from an external device to an associated component in the computer, and further configured to pass at least one processed input from an external device to an associated component in the computer.
17. At least one interchangeable inputoutput module as recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more inputoutput connectors comprise one or more of:
a CRTDVI (digital video input) inputoutput connector;
a parallel inputoutput connector;
a serial inputoutput connector;
a USB (universal serial bus) inputoutput connector; and
a PS2 (personal system) inputoutput connector.
18. At least one interchangeable inputoutput module as recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more inputoutput connectors comprise one or more of:
a CRTDVI (digital video input) inputoutput connector;
an IEEE 1394 inputoutput connector;
a TV-out connector;
an S-Video out connector; and
at least one USB (universal serial bus) inputoutput connector.
19. At least one interchangeable inputoutput module as recited in claim 14, further comprising an inputoutput connector configuration identifier from which the computer can obtain an inputoutput connector configuration of the inputoutput module.
20. At least one interchangeable inputoutput module as recited in claim 19, wherein the inputoutput connector configuration identifier comprises a memory storage device configured to store the inputoutput connector configuration and communicate the inputoutput connector configuration to the computer.
21. At least one interchangeable inputoutput module as recited in claim 19, wherein the inputoutput connector configuration identifier is decoded from a pin configuration in the inputoutput module.
22. A method, comprising:
providing an inputoutput module configured for installation within a housing of a computer that contains multiple components each of which interface with different external devices; and
providing multiple different inputoutput connectors supported by the inputoutput module, at least some of the inputoutput connectors being configured to couple an external device and an associated component in the computer and pass signals in an unmodified form between the external device and its associated component.
23. A method as recited in claim 22, further comprising establishing a connection between the inputoutput module and the computer that contains at least one component that can be interfaced through the inputoutput module to an associated external device.
24. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the inputoutput connectors comprise one or more of the following:
a CRTDVI (digital video input) inputoutput connector;
a parallel inputoutput connector;
a serial inputoutput connector;
a USB (universal serial bus) inputoutput connector; and
a PS2 (personal system) inputoutput connector.
25. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the inputoutput connectors comprise one or more of the following:
a CRTDVI (digital video input) inputoutput connector;
an IEEE 1394 inputoutput connector;
a TV-out connector;
an S-Video out connector; and
at least one USB (universal serial bus) inputoutput connector.
26. A method, comprising:
receiving an input from an external device via an inputoutput connector on an interchangeable inputoutput module that is installed within a housing of a computing device; and
passing the input in an unmodified form through the inputoutput module to a component in the computing device.
27. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising:
receiving a second input from a second external device with a second inputoutput connector on the interchangeable inputoutput module;
processing the second input with a signal processing component in the interchangeable inputoutput module to generate a processed input;
passing the processed input from the signal processing component in the inputoutput module to a component in the computing device.
28. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising communicating an inputoutput connector configuration on the interchangeable inputoutput module to the computing device.
29. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising reserving system resources that would otherwise be allocated to interface a computing device component with an external device via the interchangeable inputoutput module if the interchangeable inputoutput module does not have an inputoutput connector for the external device.