JP2001024862A - Device and method for image reading and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a time spent for pre-scan shorter and therefore to increase a processing speed of a whole even when the pre-scan is performed by equipping a scanning type image reading means for reading an original image on an original surface by scanning the original surface and a batch image reading means for batch reading virtually whole surface of the original surface at the same time. SOLUTION: An image copying device (a copying machine) equipped with an image reader is provided with plural functions such as a scanner function, a printer function, a network copying function, a facsimile function or a local copying function. In the case of the scanning function which uses a batch image reading part 7, image data read by the batch image reading part 7 are written in an image memory 13 by a CPU 15 through a CPU bus 19. On the other hand, in the case of scanning function which uses a scanning type image reading part 8, image data read by a scanning type image reading part 8 are written in the image memory 13 through an image processing part 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading device used for an image input unit such as a copying machine and a facsimile, a single image reading device for transferring an input image to an external device such as a host computer, or a copying function. Facsimile function,
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus and method, such as an image reading apparatus used for an image input unit of a multifunction peripheral having a plurality of functions such as an image transfer function, and an image forming system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A scanner unit of a conventional copying machine, a scanner unit of a facsimile, a single scanner for sending a read image to a host computer or the like, and a plurality of functions such as a copying function, a facsimile function, and an image sending function are provided. In the scanner unit of the multifunction peripheral, a plurality of image reading elements arranged substantially one-dimensionally are moved relative to the document in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the reading elements to scan the document surface,
A scanning image reading method for reading the entire original image is used. In this method, since it is necessary to sequentially read images while moving the reading element relatively to the document, a certain reading time is required to read the entire image.

On the other hand, in a recent color copying machine, a pre-scan is performed before a main scan at the time of image copying, and at the time of the pre-scan, document size recognition, color document / black and white document recognition, copy prohibited images such as bills, and the like are prohibited. Some of them are performing recognition. In such a color copying machine, two scanning operations of a pre-scan and a main scan are required for one document.

In a single scanner for sending a read image to a host computer, a document is first prescanned at a coarse resolution, the image is preview-displayed on the host computer, and a reading area or the like is displayed based on the displayed image. In many cases, the scan condition is specified, and then the main scan is performed in accordance with the specified scan condition. Also in this case, two scanning operations of a pre-scan and a main scan are required for one document.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As explained above,
In recent color copiers, two scan operations, pre-scan and main scan, are often performed on a single document. In particular, when copying a plurality of documents using a document feeder, factors that slow down the copying speed include: Had become.

In addition, the conventional single scanner has a problem in that when performing a pre-scan for a preview, the same scanning operation as that of a main scan must be performed, so that it takes a relatively long time.

On the other hand, in recent years, digital cameras have become widespread, and those having a number of pixels of about 1000 × 1000 have appeared. These have the feature that two-dimensional regions can be imaged substantially simultaneously and collectively. However, for example, the number of pixels required by the copying machine is A4 size, 40 pixels.
Even in the case of 0 dpi, the number of pixels is 4677 × 3307 pixels. Therefore, when these digital cameras are used as a main image input device in a copying machine, a single scanner or the like, the number of pixels is insufficient.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus and method which can shorten the time required for pre-scanning even when pre-scanning is performed before the main scan, and therefore, has a high overall processing speed, and an image forming method. Is to provide a system.

[0009]

An image reading apparatus according to the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, includes an image reading element arranged substantially one-dimensionally, and is arranged on a document surface in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction. Scanning image reading means for scanning the document surface by relatively moving to read the document image on the document surface, and collective image reading means for simultaneously reading substantially the entire surface of the document surface simultaneously; Is provided.

In one aspect of the present invention, the reading resolution of the batch image reading means is lower than the reading resolution of the scanning image reading means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a means for determining whether the original image is a color image or a monochrome image based on a result of reading by the batch image reading means.

In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a means for judging the size of the document based on the result of reading by the batch image reading means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a means for determining the orientation of the original image based on the result of reading by the collective image reading means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a means for determining a background level of the original image based on a result of reading by the collective image reading means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a means for judging the color balance of the original image based on the result of reading by the collective image reading means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided means for changing a reading condition of the scanning image reading means based on a result of reading by the collective image reading means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a means for determining whether or not the original image is a predetermined image based on a result of reading by the collective image reading means.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises means for substantially inhibiting reading by the scanning image reading means when it is determined that the original image is a predetermined copy-inhibited image.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises means for performing predetermined image processing on the image read by the scanning image reading means when it is determined that the original image is a predetermined copy-inhibited image.

In one aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the original image is a predetermined reading mode instruction image, the image read by the collective image reading means is processed as the predetermined reading mode instruction image. Further comprising means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided means for performing a distortion correction process on the image read by the batch image reading means.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a sending means for sending image data read by one of the collective image reading means and the scanning image reading means to an external device; A reading method acquiring means for receiving an instruction of a reading method as to which of the expression image reading means the image data read by the transmitting means is to be transmitted.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided sending means for sending image data read by one of the batch image reading means and the scanning image reading means to an external device, and image data to be sent by the sending means. Resolution acquisition means for receiving an instruction of the resolution of the image data, wherein the transmission means reads the image data read by the collective image reading means and the scanning image reading in accordance with the resolution instructed through the resolution acquisition means. Any one of the image data read by the means is selected and transmitted.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the image processing apparatus further includes sending means for sending image data read by both the batch image reading means and the scanning image reading means to an external device.

In one aspect of the present invention, the reading characteristics of the batch image reading means and the scanning characteristics are determined based on the results of reading the same document by both the batch image reading means and the scanning image reading means. There is further provided a reading correction unit that approximates the reading characteristics of the expression image reading unit to each other.

Further, in the image reading method according to the present invention, the image reading elements arranged substantially one-dimensionally are moved relative to the document surface in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction thereof, whereby And a batch-type image reading step of simultaneously scanning substantially the entire surface of the document surface by scanning the document surface to read a document image of the document surface.

In one aspect of the present invention, the reading resolution in the batch image reading step is lower than the reading resolution in the scanning image reading step.

In one embodiment of the present invention, it is determined whether the original image is a color image or a monochrome image based on the reading result in the batch image reading step.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the size of the document is determined based on the reading result in the batch image reading step.

In one aspect of the present invention, the orientation of the document image is determined based on the reading result in the batch image reading step.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the background level of the original image is determined based on the reading result in the batch image reading step.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the color balance of the original image is determined based on the reading result in the batch image reading step.

In one aspect of the present invention, the reading conditions in the scanning image reading step are changed based on the reading result in the batch image reading step.

In one aspect of the present invention, it is determined whether or not the original image is a predetermined image based on a result of the reading in the batch image reading step.

In one aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the original image is a predetermined copy-inhibited image, reading in the scanning image reading step is substantially prohibited.

In one aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the original image is a predetermined copy-inhibited image, predetermined image processing is performed on the image read in the scanning image reading step.

In one aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the original image is a predetermined reading mode instruction image, the image read in the batch image reading step is processed as the predetermined reading mode instruction image. .

According to one aspect of the present invention, the image read in the batch image reading step is subjected to distortion correction processing.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the image data read in either the batch image reading step or the scanning image reading step is sent to an external device, and the batch image reading step and the scanning image are read. An instruction of a reading method for determining which of the reading steps the image data read by the sending unit is sent is received.

In one aspect of the present invention, one of the image data read in the batch image reading step and the image data read in the scanning image reading step is selected according to the resolution specified through the resolution obtaining means. And sends it to the external device.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the image data read in both the batch image reading step and the scanning image reading step is sent to an external device.

In one aspect of the present invention, the reading characteristics in the batch image reading step and the reading characteristics in the batch image reading step are determined based on the results of reading the same original in both the batch image reading step and the scanning image reading step. The reading characteristics in the scanning image reading step are approximated to each other.

Further, the image forming system according to the present invention moves the image reading elements arranged substantially one-dimensionally in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction with respect to the document surface, so that the image reading elements are moved. A scanning type image reading unit that scans a document image on the document surface by scanning the document surface, and an image reading device including a batch type image reading unit that simultaneously and substantially simultaneously reads substantially the entire surface of the document surface; And an image forming apparatus for forming an image based on the image read by the image reading means.

In one aspect of the present invention, the reading resolution of the batch image reading means is lower than the reading resolution of the scanning image reading means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided means for changing a reading condition of the scanning image reading means based on a result of reading by the collective image reading means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a means for changing image forming conditions of the image forming apparatus based on a result of reading by the collective image reading means.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus has a color image forming mode as well as an image forming mode dedicated to black and white images, and the image reading apparatus uses the image reading mode by the collective image reading means. On the basis of,
Means for determining whether the original image is a color image or a monochrome image.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus can form an image on a plurality of sizes of paper, and
The image reading device has a unit that determines the size of the document based on a result of reading by the batch image reading unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus has a function of forming an image by rotating image data.
In addition, the image reading device has a unit that determines the orientation of the document image based on a reading result by the batch image reading unit.

In one aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus has a function of forming an image by changing the background level at the time of image formation, and the image reading apparatus reads the image by the collective image reading means. Means for acquiring a background level of the original image based on the image.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus has a function of changing a color balance at the time of forming an image, and the image reading apparatus performs a function based on an image read by the collective image reading means. A means for acquiring a color balance value of the document image;

In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a means for determining whether or not the original image is a predetermined image based on a result of reading by the collective image reading means.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus further includes means for substantially inhibiting image formation by the image forming apparatus when it is determined that the original image is a predetermined copy-inhibited image.

In one embodiment of the present invention, when it is determined that the original image is a predetermined copy-inhibited image, an image obtained by performing predetermined image processing on the image read by the scanning type image reading means is subjected to the image forming. The apparatus further includes means for forming the device.

In one aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the original image is a predetermined copy mode instruction image, the image forming apparatus does not form an image and the image read by the collective image reading means is not read. Means for processing the image as the predetermined copy mode instruction image.

In one embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided image display means for displaying an image read by the batch image reading means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is further provided editing instruction means for allowing an operator to instruct an editing process on the image displayed on the image display means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided means for performing distortion correction processing on the image read by the batch image reading means.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the reading characteristics of the batch image reading means and the scanning characteristics are determined based on the result of reading the same document by both the batch image reading means and the scanning image reading means. There is further provided a reading correction unit that approximates the reading characteristics of the expression image reading unit to each other.

Further, according to the present invention, an image reading element arranged substantially one-dimensionally is moved relative to the original surface in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction to scan the original surface. A computer program for realizing an image reading method comprising: a scanning image reading step of reading a document image on the document surface; and a batch image reading step of simultaneously reading substantially the entire surface of the document surface simultaneously. Including storage media.

[0061]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described according to preferred embodiments.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an image copying apparatus provided with an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

This image copying apparatus has a scanner function, a printer function, a network copying function, a facsimile function,
It has multiple functions such as local copy function (hereinafter referred to as
This is called a “multifunction device”. ).

As shown in the figure, the multifunction device 1 is connected to a host computer 3 (3-1, 3-
2) and each of the other multifunction peripherals 4 (4-1, 4-2).

In the case of the printer function, print data such as PDL data sent from the host computer 3 via the network 2 and the external interface circuit 5 is temporarily sent to the spool area 16-1 in the hard disk 16 by the CPU 15. Is held. Next, the PDL data read from the spool area 16-1 is developed into raster image data and written into the image memory 13. The developed raster image data is read from the image memory 13 and sent to the image forming unit 11 via the image processing unit 9 to form an image. The program area 16-2 in the hard disk 16 is used to hold a program, which is moved to a work memory area in the RAM 17 to execute the program. A part of the work memory area in the RAM 17 and the work memory area 16-3 in the hard disk 16 are also used as a temporary work area. The operation unit 6 is for performing various operations when an operator uses a scan function, a facsimile transmission function, a network copy function, a local copy function, and the like, which will be described later. Reference numeral 19 denotes a CPU bus connecting the respective units.

In the case of the scanning function using the collective image reading section 7, the image data read by the collective image reading section 7 is written into the image memory 13 by the CPU 15 via the CPU bus 19. After that, CP
After performing the distortion correction by U15, the CPU 15
As a result, a document size determination, a document orientation determination, a document background level acquisition, a document color balance value acquisition, a color document / black and white document recognition, a copy prohibited image recognition process for a banknote, etc. are performed as necessary. Next, the image memory 1
3 is sent to the computer 3 via the external interface circuit 5 and the network 2.

On the other hand, in the case of the scanning function using the scanning image reading section 8, the image data read by the scanning image reading section 8 is written to the image memory 13 via the image processing section 9. This is the scanning image reading unit 8
This is because the amount of image data read by is high due to the high resolution, and writing it to the image memory 13 in accordance with the scanning speed cannot be made via the CPU. After that, the image data in the image memory 13 is stored in the external interface circuit 5 and the network 2.
Is sent to the computer 3 via the.

The batch image reading section 7 in this embodiment is, for example, a digital camera having a color area CCD, and has a function of batch reading the entire area of the document as described later. The number of pixels is 1200 pixels × 85
It has about 0 pixels and has the ability to read an A3-size document at about 72 dpi.

On the other hand, the scanning type image reading section 8 in the present embodiment has a color line CCD in which a plurality of reading elements are arranged substantially one-dimensionally, and as will be described later, the line is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction. It has the function of scanning and reading the entire area of the document by physically moving the CCD. The number of pixels is about 4677 pixels (short width of A3 size at 400 dpi).
It has the ability to read at 0 dpi.

In the case of the network copying function, the image data read by the collective image reading unit 7 or the scanning image reading unit 8 is stored in the image memory 1 as in the case of scanning.
The image data is sent to another multifunction device 4 via the network 3 and the network 2, where an image is formed. Alternatively, another MFP 4
The image data read in the same manner as above is received via the network 2, temporarily stored in the image memory 13, and then sent to the image forming unit 11 via the image processing unit 9 to form an image. In the case of the network copying function, image copying is performed between a plurality of MFPs via a network in this manner.

In the case of the facsimile transmission function, the image data read by the batch-type image reading unit 7 or the scanning-type image reading unit 8 is written to the image memory 13 as raster image data 12 as in the case of scanning. Next, the raster image data in the image memory 13 is CP
U15 performs an encoding process using an MR method or the like,
It is written into the image memory 13 again as code data. Next, the code data read from the image memory 13 by the CPU 15 is sent to the modem 20, where it is modulated, and then sent to another facsimile machine via the public line 21.

On the other hand, in the case of the facsimile reception function,
The modulated data sent via the public line 21 is returned to the code data by the modem 20. The code data is temporarily written into the image memory 13, and then the CPU 1
After the decoding process is performed in Step 5, the image is written into the image memory 13 again as a raster image. Next, the raster image data 14 read from the image memory 13 is sent to the image processing unit 9, where the image data is subjected to image processing such as resolution conversion and the like, and then the raster image data 10 is subjected to the image processing. Is sent to the image forming unit 11, where the image is formed.

In the case of the local copying function, only the scanning type image reading section 8 is used for copying an image, and the read image data is sent to the image forming section 11 via the image processing section 9. And an image is formed. At the time of the local copying, as will be described later, the batch reading of the original is performed by the batch image reading unit 7 prior to the scanning image reading for the image copying, and the image forming conditions and scanning are performed in accordance with the reading result. The reading conditions at the time of reading the formula image are changed.

In the case of the local copying function,
A preview editing function described later can be used. The preview image display unit 22 is for displaying an image read by the collective image reading unit 7, and includes, for example,
It is composed of a color liquid crystal display and the like. The mouse 23 is a pointing device for the operator to instruct an editing process while viewing the image displayed on the preview image display unit 22.

The image forming unit according to the present embodiment will be described in detail later. For example, the image forming unit is a color electrophotographic printer, and each pixel has a CMYK 8-bit raster format sent from the image processing unit 9. An image is formed based on the image data 10 of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a reading unit for reading a document in the multifunction machine 1 as viewed from the near side.

The reading unit is separated into a main body section 39 and a document feeding section 40. The document feeding section 40 has a structure in which the front side of the document feeding section 40 is opened upward and the document is placed on the document placing section 41 face down. ing.

First, when a book original such as a book is read by the scanning image reading section 8, the original feeding section 40 is raised and the original is placed on the original placing section 41, and then the original is placed. By lowering the document feeder 40 to hold down the document, the scanning image reading unit 8 is moved by the drive system (not shown) in the direction of arrow 42 to the reading end position 43 to scan the document, thereby performing reading. Do. Image reading unit 8
Each includes a light source (not shown), an image reading element such as a line CCD, and an optical system. Light emitted from the light source passes through a document placing portion 41 made of glass, and And the reflected light is read by an image reading element to read image data.

Next, when the book document is read by the batch image reading unit 7, the entire area of the placed document surface is read substantially at once in the same manner as described above. The collective image reading unit 7 has, for example, a configuration in which a digital camera is built upward, and includes a flash light source (not shown) that illuminates the entire original surface and a color area CCD (not shown) that can simultaneously read the entire original surface. And an optical system (not shown) including a lens and the like. The collective image reading unit 7 can collectively read the range indicated by the reference numeral 48 in the sub-scanning direction (the direction of the arrow 42) of the scanning image reading unit 8, so that there is no need to perform physical scanning. It can read at high speed.

In the present embodiment, in order to shorten the distance between the collective image reading section 7 and the document placing section 41, the optical system of the collective image reading section 7 includes a wide-angle short-focus lens. Use In this case, a distortion occurs in the read image. In the present embodiment, the distortion is corrected by software, that is, by processing by the CPU 15 after reading.

Next, when reading a sheet document, first, one or more documents are placed on the document feeder mounting portion 31.
The original placed on the original feeding tray 31 includes a roller 32, a guide 33, a roller 34, and a sheet-like roller 35.
As a result, the uppermost document is fed to the document placing portion 41,
There, reading is performed. The document that has been read is discharged to a document discharge unit 38 by a sheet-like roller 35, a guide 36, and a roller 37. This is repeated for all the originals on the original feeding section 31.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the MFP 1 including the color image forming section 11.

When the forming operation of the color image forming unit 11 is started and the image formation is started, the raster image data sent from the scanning image reading unit 8 or the image memory 13 enters the image processing unit 9 in accordance with the start. The raster image data 10 that has been subjected to various image processing such as background level correction, color balance correction, and trimming correction by the image processing unit 9 is passed to a laser driving unit 51, and a laser beam is modulated based on the data. . The modulated laser light is irradiated so as to scan on the photosensitive drum 52 to form a latent image, and the latent image is developed by a toner developing device (not shown) to become a toner image. On the other hand, in parallel with this, the upper cassette 53
Alternatively, the sheet fed from the lower cassette 54 is conveyed to the transfer drum 55 and wrapped around the transfer drum 55, where the toner image on the photosensitive drum 52 is transferred onto the sheet. The laser beam irradiation, development, and transfer are repeated for each color of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, so that toner images of these four colors are transferred to the paper on the transfer drum 55. The paper to which the four color toner images have been transferred is fused and fixed by the fixing device 56. The fixed paper is supplied to the staple sorter unit 57.
And is normally discharged onto the uppermost discharge tray 59-1.

Although the above process is for forming a color image, the color image forming section 1 of this embodiment
1 also has an image forming mode dedicated to black and white images. In the case of the image forming mode exclusively for black-and-white images, the preceding laser beam irradiation, development and transfer are performed only for black, so that the printing time is shorter and the cost is lower than in color image formation. . In the present embodiment, as described later, before the main scan by the scanning image reading unit 8 at the time of image copying, the collective image reading unit 7
Is performed at a high speed, and it is determined whether the document is a color document or a monochrome document by the prescan. In the case of a monochrome document, an image forming mode dedicated to a monochrome image is used.

In the case of a sort print of a plurality of pages and a plurality of copies, the number of copies sent to the staple sorter unit 57 is
The copy is discharged to the paper discharge tray 59-1, the second copy is discharged to the discharge tray 59-2, and the third copy is the discharge tray 59-3.
Each part is distributed to each paper discharge tray and discharged. In short, one copy of each page is discharged and stacked on each discharge tray. Note that FIG.
Here, for simplicity, only three paper output trays are shown, but actually, the paper output tray is composed of ten or twenty-five.

Further, the staple sorter unit 57 is provided with a staple unit 58, which has a function of stapling the sheets stacked on the respective discharge trays. Usually, since this function is used in combination with the sort print function, the functions are collectively called a staple sort print function. By the staple sort print function, when the copying of all the pages is completed, a plurality of pages of the copy originals stacked on each paper output tray are stapled together, and a plurality of copies are obtained.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a preview display and an editing instruction.

When a preview start key (not shown) of the operation unit 6 in FIG. 1 is pressed, reading is performed by the collective image reading unit 7, and the read image is displayed on the preview image display unit 22, for example, as shown in FIG. It is displayed as 1).
The operator instructs, for example, the area 61 with the mouse 23 while viewing the displayed image, and instructs the operation unit 6 or the mouse 23 to trim this area. After the editing instruction is given while viewing the actual image, the copy operation is started by pressing the copy start key. In the copying operation, the image read by the scanning image reading unit 8 is passed to the image processing unit 9, and the image processing unit 9
Then, the designated editing process is performed, and the edited image data is sent to the image forming unit 11 to form an image.
In the example of the preview editing performed in FIG. 4A, the editing instruction causes the original 62 to be edited as shown in FIG.
Is trimmed to form an image 63.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the document orientation recognizing function and the image rotation forming function.

The multifunction device 1 according to the present embodiment has a staple function.
Only the position indicated by reference numeral 64 in (1). When an image of a document placed on the platen is formed without rotating it,
When the obtained image is formed in the orientation as shown in FIG. 5 (2) or FIG. 5 (4), there is no particular problem even when stapling at the position of reference numeral 64. However, when an image is formed in the direction opposite to that shown in FIG. 5A or FIG. 5C, if the stapling is performed at the position of reference numeral 64, the operator's intention Will be different. Therefore,
In the multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment, the direction of an image is detected at the time of copying, and if the image is formed as it is, the image shown in FIG.
When the image is formed in the orientation as shown in FIG. 5, the read image is written into the image memory 13, and then the image is rotated by 180 degrees to make the orientation as shown in FIG. 5 (2) or FIG. 5 (4). To form an image. When such a rotation process is not performed, there is no need to pass through the image memory 13, so that the copy speed is high. On the other hand, when performing the rotation process, it is necessary to pass through the image memory 13 and furthermore, the rotation process must be performed, so that it takes time. For this reason,
In the present embodiment, a pre-scan is performed by the collective image reading unit 7 before the main scan at the time of copying to detect whether or not a rotation process is necessary. The image read by scanning is rotated through the image memory 13.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a control flow of a copy task for controlling the local copy function and the network copy function of the multifunction device 1.

First, in step S11, the operation unit 6
Determine whether the preview key inside is pressed,
If the button has been pressed, in step S12, the batch-type image reading unit 7 reads the document surface in a batch, further corrects the distortion, and previews the read image in the next step S13. The image is displayed on the image display unit 22. Next, in step S14, an editing instruction such as an instruction for a trimming area is received by the mouse 23, and a copy mode is set based on the editing instruction.

If it is determined in step S11 that the preview key has not been pressed, it is determined in step S15 whether the copy key has been pressed. If the copy key has not been pressed, the process returns to step S11. If the copy key has been pressed, the copying operation from the next step S16 to step S22 is performed.

First, in step S16, the document surface is read at once by the batch image reading unit 7, and the read image data is corrected for distortion, and then written into the image memory 13. Next, in step S17, the size of the document and the orientation of the document are determined by examining the image data in the image memory 13 on which the distortion has been corrected. At this time, the document size can be determined by examining a non-black area since the document pressing surface of the document feeder 40 is black. The paper cassette to be used is selected based on the document size. For example, when the original size is A4 size and the same size copy is separately instructed on the operation unit 6, a cassette containing A4 paper is selected as a paper cassette used for image formation. In step S21 described later, the scanning image reading unit 8 scans only the area of the document size determined here. Next, the orientation of the original is determined from the orientation of the characters in the original. Based on the orientation of the document determined here, it is determined whether or not to form an image by rotating it, as described with reference to FIG. If the document size or orientation cannot be determined, default values are used, respectively.

In the next step S18, the background level and color balance of the document are determined. The background level of the document may be referred to as the background color of the document. The determination of the background level is, for example, when copying a newspaper or the like as it is,
Since it is difficult to read if the background dark color is reproduced as it is, the image processing unit 9 converts the background level to white and then uses it to perform a so-called background removal process of forming an image. next,
The determination of the color balance is to measure the color balance in the original. In particular, when copying a photographic film, the color balance of a reddish film or a pale film is appropriately corrected by the image processing unit 9. This is used to perform a color balance correction process for forming an image from the image.

In the next step S19, it is determined whether the original is a color original or a monochrome original. This is for performing an image forming process dedicated to a black-and-white image with a high processing speed in the case of a black-and-white document.
However, this is because it is necessary to know whether to form a color image or to form an image exclusively for a black-and-white image before starting the image forming operation.

In the next step S20, it is determined whether or not the original is a copy prohibited image such as a bill. Various methods have been proposed for determining whether or not the image is a copy-inhibited image, with respect to the scanning image reading method even in a current color copying machine. These methods are applicable to the batch image reading method, although the accuracy is low because the resolution is low. If it is determined that the image is a copy-inhibited image without fail, in step S21 to be described later, the copying operation is not performed, or the portion determined as the copy-inhibited image is painted black to form an image.
In the case of an image suspected of being a copy-prohibited image, the image processing unit 9 performs a forgery prevention process such as performing a smoothing process or deliberately deteriorating the image to form an image.

In the next step S21, the previous step S
Based on the copy mode determined in step S14 and the original size, original orientation, original background level, original color balance, and color original / black and white original determined in steps S17 to S20, the original scan area and the cassette to be used are determined. Determining image reading conditions and image forming conditions such as image rotation mode, background removal processing, color balance correction processing, color image formation / black and white image formation, forgery prevention processing,
The image is read by the scanning image reading unit 8 according to those conditions, and the image is formed by the image forming unit 11 to obtain a copied image. At this time, in the case of the local copying function, an image is formed by the image forming unit 11 of the own apparatus, while in the case of the network copying function, the image data is sent to another multifunction device 4, where the image is sent. Let it form.

Next, in the case of a plurality of originals using the automatic original feeder, it is determined in the next step S22 whether or not there is a subsequent original. Are exchanged, and the processing from step S16 to step S21 is performed on a new document. On the other hand, when there is no subsequent document, and when one document is placed on the platen,
It returns to step S11.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a control flow of a scan task for controlling the scan function of the multifunction device 1.

First, in step S31, the resolution and resolution are sent from the host computer 3 which is the destination of the image data.
A reading mode such as a reading method is received. There are three types of reading modes: reading by the batch image reading unit 7, reading by the scanning image reading unit 8, and automatic mode.

Next, in step S32, it is determined whether or not the reading mode is the automatic mode. If the reading mode is not the automatic mode, then in step S33, the reading method is
It is determined whether or not reading has been instructed by the batch image reading unit 7, and if yes, the process proceeds to step S
At 34, the document surface is read at once by the batch image reading unit 7, and the read image data is subjected to distortion correction and then written to the image memory 13.

Next, in step S35, as in step S17 of FIG. 6, the size of the original and the orientation of the original are determined. Next, in step S36, as in step S18 in FIG. 6, the background level and color balance of the document are determined. Next, in step S37, similarly to step S19 in FIG. 6, it is determined whether the original is a color original or a monochrome original. Next, in step S38, similarly to step S20 in FIG. 6, it is determined whether the document is a copy-inhibited image such as a bill. Next, in step S51, the image data read in step S34 and subjected to distortion correction is sent to the host computer 3, and at this time, the results determined in steps S35 to S38 are also sent together. . In the present embodiment, the collective image reading unit 7
Is low, the read image is sent as it is in step S51 and only the determined result is sent to the host computer 3 in step S51, even if it is determined that the image is a copy prohibited image in step S38. If it is determined, the read image may not be sent.

If the determination in step S33 is NO, that is, if the reading method instructs reading by the scanning image reading unit 8, first, step S39 is performed.
Then, similarly to step S34 described above, the document surface is read at once by the collective image reading unit 7, and further,
After performing distortion correction on the read image data,
Write to the image memory 13.

Next, in step S40, similarly to steps S35 to S38 described above, the original size, the orientation of the original, the background level of the original, the color balance, whether the original is a color original or a black-and-white original, and whether the original is a copy. It is determined whether the image is a prohibited image. Next, in step S41,
The scanning image reading unit 8 scans and reads the area of the image size detected in step S40 first, and sends the read image to the host computer 3 in next step S51. At this time, each result determined in step S40 is also sent. However, when the original is determined to be a copy-inhibited image, the image read by the scanning image reading unit 8 is not sent, or the corresponding portion is painted black and sent. If it is determined that the document is suspected of being a copy-inhibited image, the image is sent after performing a smoothing process or the like to deteriorate the image. Alternatively, instead of deteriorating the image read by the scanning image reading unit 8, a low-resolution image read by the collective image reading unit 7 in step S39 may be sent.

If the automatic mode is selected in step S32, then in step S42, the designated resolution is set to 7
It is determined whether it is 2 dpi or less. In the case of the automatic mode, the host computer 3 does not need to specify the reading method to be used, and the reading apparatus automatically selects a reading method most suitable for the requested reading condition.
In the present embodiment, if the designated resolution is 72 dpi or less, then in step S43, the above-described step S43 is performed.
As in the case of 34, the document surface is read at once by the batch image reading unit 7, the read image data is subjected to distortion correction, and then written to the image memory 13. Next, in steps S44 to S47, the same processing as in steps S35 to S38 described above is performed, and in the next step S51, the image data that has been read and distortion-corrected in step S43 first is converted into step S43.
From 44 to each result determined in step S47,
It is sent to the host computer 3. This means that the resolution is 7
In the case of 2 dpi or less, reading by the collective image reading unit 7 is sufficient, and reading by the collective image reading unit 7 is faster.

If the designated resolution is not equal to or less than 72 dpi in the above step S42, the scanning image reading method is used. However, even in this case, first, in step S48, as in step S39 described above, the batch type image reading unit 7 collectively reads the document surface, and further performs distortion correction on the read image data. Thereafter, the data is written to the image memory 13. Next, in step S49, similarly to step S40 described above, the document size, document orientation, document background level, color balance,
It is determined whether the original is a color original or a black-and-white original, and whether the original is a copy-inhibited image. Next, step S5
0, the scanning image reading unit 8 scans and reads the area of the image size detected in step S49 earlier,
In the next step S51, the read image is sent to the host computer 3. At this time, the previous step S49
The results determined in the above are also sent together.

Although the flowchart of FIG. 7 is for the scan function, the same applies to the case of the facsimile transmission function. At this time, if the facsimile of the transmission destination or the operation unit 6 of the own machine instructs which reading method to use, the scanning image reading unit 8 or the collective image reading unit 7 responds accordingly. Is read, and the read image is transmitted by facsimile. On the other hand, when the reading method is the automatic mode, the reading method is automatically selected according to the reading resolution, and the image read by the selected reading method is transmitted by facsimile.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in a calibration function, a method of obtaining a reading mode such as resolution, an operation instruction sheet function, and the like. For this reason, similar components will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the like, and description thereof will be omitted. Only different portions will be described.

The first embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the reading characteristics of the batch image reader 7 and the scanning image It has a calibration function for approximating the reading characteristics of the reading unit 8 to each other. This function is for reducing the difference between the image data read by both.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the calibration function of the multifunction peripheral 1.

When a calibration start key (not shown) of the operation section 6 is pressed, first, in step S61, the operator is requested to place a calibration document on the document placing section. Next, in step S62, the calibration document is read by the batch-type image reading unit 7,
Write to the image memory 13. Next, in step S63,
The scanning original is read by the scanning image reading unit 8 and written into the image memory 13. Next, in step S64, brightness characteristic correction data for batch image reading is created from the two read images so that the characteristics of the read brightness match. By performing such a calibration, it is possible to make the reading characteristics of both read luminances coincide with or close to each other.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a control flow of a scan task for controlling the scan function of the multifunction peripheral 1 according to the second embodiment.

In the above-described first embodiment, the reading mode at the time of the scan function is received from the host computer 3 which is the recipient of the image. In the second embodiment, however, in step S71, the resolution is set at step S71. The operator inputs a reading mode from the operation unit 6. Next, in step S72, batch image reading is performed by the batch image reading unit 7, and the read image is stored in the image memory 1
After writing the data in No. 3, distortion correction is performed, and further, the read image data is corrected based on the correction data of the read luminance of the collective image reading unit 7 obtained by the calibration task of FIG. Next, in step S73,
The CPU 15 checks the image data in the image memory 13 to determine whether the read image is an operation instruction sheet. If the read image is not an operation instruction sheet, then in step S74, the first embodiment is executed. In the same manner as in step S40 in FIG. 7, the document size, document orientation, background level of the document, color balance, whether the document is a color document or a black and white document, and whether the document is a copy-inhibited image are respectively determined. judge. Next, in step S75, an area having the image size detected in step S74 is scanned and read by the scanning image reading unit 8, and then, in step S7.
At 6, the image is sent to the host computer 3. At this time, each result determined in step S74 is also sent. In the first embodiment, the image data to be sent to the host computer 3 includes the low-resolution image data read by the batch image reading unit 7 and the high-resolution image data read by the scanning image reading unit 8. Although only one of the data is sent, in the second embodiment both are sent. As a result, the host computer 3 can selectively use, for example, low-resolution data for editing and thumbnail display, and use high-resolution data as it is for printing. In this case, it is not necessary to newly create low-resolution data from high-resolution image data, and it is not necessary to perform time-consuming scanning twice.

Next, in the case of a plurality of originals using the automatic original feeder, it is determined in a next step S78 whether or not there is a subsequent original. Are exchanged, and the processing from step S72 to step S77 is performed on the new document. On the other hand, when there is no subsequent document, and when one document is placed on the platen,
It returns to step S71.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S73 that the sheet is the operation instruction sheet, then in step S77
Then, the reading mode is reset based on the contents of the operation instruction sheet read in step S72. And
The image of the operation instruction sheet itself is not transmitted to the host computer, and the process of step S78 is performed next.

As described above, by determining whether or not the operation instruction sheet is the operation instruction sheet by reading in the collective image reading section 7, the time required to read the operation instruction sheet by the scanning image reading section 8 can be saved. Since the operation instruction sheet is usually constituted by a mark sheet or the like, low-resolution batch reading is sufficient. Further, by inserting an operation instruction sheet describing the reading operation mode on the first sheet of the bundle of documents, it is not necessary to give various operation instructions using the operation unit 6.

Although the flowchart of FIG. 9 is for the scan function, the facsimile transmission function,
The same applies to the local copy function and the network copy function. Even in the case of these functions, it is necessary to write various operation instructions on the operation instruction sheet by reading the operation instructions on the operation instruction sheet before the main scan by the collective image reading unit 7. The operation instruction sheet can be read at high speed.

As described above, the present invention has been described in accordance with the preferred embodiments. However, the above-described embodiments do not limit the present invention. For example, in each of the above embodiments,
The batch-type image reading unit 7 and the scanning-type image reading unit 8 are both color image reading units.
One or both may be black and white dedicated image reading units. Further, the image forming unit 11 may be dedicated to black and white. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the image forming unit 11 is configured integrally with the image reading unit, but they may be separate from each other.

Note that the program code itself of a computer that operates the respective units so as to realize the functions of the above-described embodiments and means for supplying the program code to the computer, for example, a storage medium storing such a program are: , Belongs to the category of the present invention. As a storage medium for storing such a program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, or the like can be used.

The functions of each embodiment can be realized not only by the computer executing the supplied program code, but also by the operating system (OS) or the operating system running on the computer. Such a program code is also included in the present invention when the functions of the embodiments are realized in cooperation with other application software.

Further, after the supplied program code is stored in the memory provided in the function expansion board of the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion board or the function is stored based on the instruction of the program code. The present invention also includes a system in which a CPU or the like provided in the extension unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the embodiments.

[0124]

According to the present invention, both a scanning type image reading means capable of reading at a high resolution and a collective type image reading means capable of reading at a high speed are provided. Therefore, for example, it is possible to selectively use the main scan and the pre-scan, so that it is possible to provide an image reading apparatus and method with a short waiting time, a high processing speed, and an image forming system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating a configuration of a reading unit of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming unit of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a preview editing function of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a document direction determination function of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow of a copy task of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a control flow of a scan task of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a calibration operation of the multifunction peripheral according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow of a scan task of the multifunction peripheral according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Multifunction machine 2: Network 3: Host computer 4: Other multifunction machine 5: External interface circuit 6: Operation unit 7: Batch image reading unit 8: Scanning image reading unit 9: Image processing unit 11: Image forming unit 13: Image Memory 15: CPU 16: Hard Disk 17: RAM 19: CPU Bus 20: Modem 21: Public Line 22: Preview Image Display 23: Mouse 31: Document Feeding Placement 32, 34, 37: Roller 33 , 36: guide 35: sheet-like roller 38: document discharge section 39: body section 40: document feed section 41: document placement section 51: laser driving section 52: photosensitive drum 53: upper cassette 54: lower cassette 55: Transfer drum 56: Fixing unit 57: Staple sorter unit 58: Staple unit 59: Discharge tray

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat II (Reference) H04N 1/48 F term (Reference) 5B047 AA01 AB01 AB04 BA02 BB02 BB04 BC15 CA14 CB05 CB10 CB12 5C072 AA01 BA03 BA10 BA16 BA17 BA19 EA05 EA08 LA02 NA01 RA01 RA06 RA10 UA11 UA18 WA04 XA01 5C077 LL02 LL14 LL18 MM03 MM20 MP08 PP05 PP19 PP22 PP25 PP37 PP55 PP59 PP60 PP65 PQ08 PQ22 SS01 SS05 SS06 TT06 5C079 HA13 JA00 JA04 JA23 LA05 LA07 LA01 LA01

Claims (52)

[Claims] An image reading device arranged substantially one-dimensionally is moved relative to the original surface in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction, thereby scanning the original surface and scanning the original surface. An image reading apparatus comprising: a scanning image reading unit that reads a document image; and a batch image reading unit that reads substantially the entire surface of the document at a time. 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a reading resolution of said batch image reading means is lower than a reading resolution of said scanning image reading means. 3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a unit that determines whether the original image is a color image or a monochrome image based on a result of reading by the batch image reading unit. . 4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a unit that determines a size of the document based on a result of reading by the batch image reading unit. 5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a unit that determines the orientation of the document image based on a result of reading by the batch image reading unit. 6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: means for determining a background level of the document image based on a result of reading by the batch image reading means. 7. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: means for determining a color balance of the document image based on a result of reading by the batch image reading means. 8. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: means for changing a reading condition of the scanning image reading means based on a result of reading by the batch image reading means. 9. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising means for determining whether or not the document image is a predetermined image based on a result of reading by the batch image reading means. 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for substantially inhibiting reading by said scanning image reading means when it is determined that said document image is a predetermined copy-inhibited image. The image reading device according to claim 1. 11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit configured to perform predetermined image processing on the image read by the scanning image reading unit when it is determined that the document image is a predetermined copy prohibited image. Item 10. The image reading device according to Item 9. 12. When the document image is determined to be a predetermined reading mode instruction image, the image processing apparatus further includes means for processing the image read by the batch image reading means as the predetermined reading mode instruction image. The image reading device according to claim 9, wherein: 13. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit configured to perform a distortion correction process on the image read by the batch image reading unit. 14. A transmitting means for transmitting image data read by one of the collective image reading means and the scanning type image reading means to an external device, and a transmitting means for the collective image reading means and the scanning type image reading means. 14. The image according to claim 1, further comprising: a reading mode acquisition unit that receives an instruction of a reading mode for determining which of the read image data is transmitted by the transmission unit. Reader. 15. A sending means for sending image data read by one of the batch-type image reading means and the scanning-type image reading means to an external device, and an instruction for a resolution of the image data to be sent by the sending means. Further comprising: a resolution obtaining unit that receives the image data read by the batch image reading unit and the image read by the scanning image reading unit according to the resolution instructed through the resolution obtaining unit. 14. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein one of the data is selected and transmitted. 16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sending unit that sends image data read by both said batch image reading unit and said scanning image reading unit to an external device. 2. The image reading device according to claim 1. 17. The reading characteristics of the batch image reading unit and the scanning characteristics of the scanning image reading unit based on the result of reading the same document by both the batch image reading unit and the scanning image reading unit. 17. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reading correction unit that approximates reading characteristics to each other. 18. An image reading element arranged substantially one-dimensionally is moved relative to the original surface in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction, thereby scanning the original surface and scanning the original surface. An image reading method, comprising: a scanning image reading step of reading a document image; and a batch image reading step of reading substantially the entire surface of the document simultaneously at a time. 19. The image reading method according to claim 18, wherein a reading resolution in the batch image reading step is lower than a reading resolution in the scanning image reading step. 20. The image processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein it is determined whether the original image is a color image or a monochrome image based on a result of the reading in the batch image reading step.
2. The image reading method according to 1. 21. The image reading method according to claim 19, wherein the size of the document is determined based on a reading result in the batch image reading step. 22. The image reading method according to claim 19, wherein the direction of the document image is determined based on a reading result in the batch image reading step. 23. The image reading apparatus according to claim 19, wherein a background level of said document image is determined based on a reading result in said batch image reading step. 24. The image reading method according to claim 19, wherein the color balance of the document image is determined based on a reading result in the batch image reading step. 25. The image reading method according to claim 19, wherein a reading condition in the scanning image reading step is changed based on a reading result in the batch image reading step. 26. The image reading method according to claim 19, wherein it is determined whether the document image is a predetermined image based on a reading result in the batch image reading step. 27. When the document image is determined to be a predetermined copy-inhibited image, reading in the scanning image reading step is substantially prohibited.
The image reading method according to claim 26. 28. The image processing apparatus according to claim 26, wherein when it is determined that the original image is a predetermined copy-inhibited image, predetermined image processing is performed on the image read in the scanning image reading step. Image reading method. 29. An image read in the batch image reading step is processed as the predetermined reading mode instruction image when it is determined that the document image is a predetermined reading mode instruction image. An image reading method according to claim 26. 30. The image reading method according to claim 18, wherein a distortion correction process is performed on the image read in the batch image reading step. 31. The image data read in one of the batch image reading step and the scanning image reading step is sent to an external device, and the image data is sent in any of the batch image reading step and the scanning image reading step. The image reading method according to any one of claims 18 to 30, wherein an instruction of a reading method as to whether the sending means sends the read image data is received. 32. An external device which selects one of image data read in said batch image reading step and image data read in said scanning image reading step in accordance with a resolution instructed through resolution obtaining means and sends it to an external device. 31. The image reading method according to claim 19, wherein the image is sent. 33. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein image data read in both the batch image reading step and the scanning image reading step is sent to an external device. Image reading method. 34. A reading characteristic in the batch image reading step and the scanning image reading step based on a result of reading the same document in both the batch image reading step and the scanning image reading step. The image reading method according to any one of claims 18 to 33, wherein reading characteristics of the images are approximated to each other. 35. An image reading element arranged substantially one-dimensionally is moved relative to the original surface in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction, thereby scanning the original surface and scanning the original surface. A scanning image reading device for reading a document image, an image reading device including a batch image reading device for simultaneously reading substantially the entire surface of the document at once, and an image read by the scanning image reading device. An image forming system comprising: an image forming apparatus that forms an image based on the image forming apparatus. 36. The image forming system according to claim 35, wherein a reading resolution of said batch image reading means is lower than a reading resolution of said scanning image reading means. 37. The image forming system according to claim 36, further comprising means for changing a reading condition of said scanning image reading means based on a result of reading by said batch image reading means. 38. The image forming system according to claim 36, further comprising means for changing image forming conditions of the image forming apparatus based on a result of reading by the batch image reading means. 39. The image forming apparatus has a color image forming mode and an image forming mode dedicated to a black and white image,
37. The image forming apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the image reading device has a unit configured to determine whether the document image is a color image or a monochrome image based on a result of reading by the batch image reading unit. Image forming system. 40. The image forming apparatus is capable of forming an image on a sheet of a plurality of sizes, and the image reading device determines the size of the document based on a result of reading by the collective image reading means. 37. The image forming system according to claim 36, further comprising: means for performing: 41. The image forming apparatus has a function of rotating an image data to form an image, and the image reading device is configured to perform image rotation of the document image based on a result of reading by the collective image reading means. 37. The image forming system according to claim 36, further comprising means for determining a direction. 42. The image forming apparatus has a function of forming an image by changing a background level at the time of image formation, and
37. The image forming system according to claim 36, wherein the image reading device has a unit that acquires a background level of the document image based on the image read by the batch image reading unit. 43. The image forming apparatus has a function of changing a color balance at the time of forming an image, and the image reading device performs color changing of the original image based on an image read by the collective image reading means. 37. The image forming system according to claim 36, further comprising: means for acquiring a balance value. 44. A system according to claim 3, further comprising means for judging whether said document image is a predetermined image based on a result of reading by said batch image reading means.
7. The image forming system according to 6. 45. The apparatus according to claim 44, further comprising means for substantially prohibiting image formation by said image forming apparatus when it is determined that said document image is a predetermined copy prohibition image. Image forming system. 46. A means for causing the image forming apparatus to form an image obtained by performing predetermined image processing on an image read by the scanning image reading means when it is determined that the document image is a predetermined copy prohibited image. The image forming system according to claim 44, further comprising: 47. When it is determined that the original image is a predetermined copy mode instruction image, the image forming apparatus does not form an image, and the image read by the collective image reading unit is replaced with the predetermined copy mode instruction image. 45. The apparatus according to claim 44, further comprising means for processing as a mode instruction image.
3. The image forming system according to 1. 48. The image forming system according to claim 36, further comprising image display means for displaying an image read by said collective image reading means. 49. The image forming system according to claim 48, further comprising editing instruction means for allowing an operator to instruct an editing process on the image displayed on said image display means. 50. The image forming system according to claim 35, further comprising means for performing distortion correction processing on an image read by said batch image reading means. 51. A reading characteristic of the batch-type image reading unit and a reading characteristic of the scanning-type image reading unit based on a result of reading the same document by both the batch-type image reading unit and the scanning-type image reading unit. The image forming system according to any one of claims 35 to 50, further comprising a reading correction unit that approximates reading characteristics to each other. 52. An image reading element arranged substantially one-dimensionally is moved relative to the original surface in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction, thereby scanning the original surface and scanning the original surface. A storage medium storing a computer program for implementing an image reading method, comprising: a scanning image reading step of reading a document image; and a batch image reading step of reading substantially the entire surface of the document simultaneously at a time.