JP2005086523A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of delivering a color output or a monochromatic output by selecting a monochromatic or color system arbitrarily. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus comprises an image storage unit 25 capable of storing image data, an input image data determination means 23 for determining whether inputted data are color data or monochromatic data, and a determination result adding means 24 for delivering a determination result from the input image data determination means to the image storage unit 25 while adding the result to the image data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a digital color copying machine and a color facsimile apparatus capable of forming an image in full color and monochrome modes.

In general, a digital copying machine reads a document image pixel by pixel using a CCD (charge coupled device) image sensor or the like, and converts an analog electric signal obtained from the output of the image sensor to A / D (analog / digital). The digital signal obtained after conversion is subjected to various kinds of processing, and then the signal is given to the recording device to obtain a copy image.
In particular, in a digital color copying machine, an original to be copied is color-separated into R (red), G (green), and B (blue) and read, and Y (yellow) and M (magenta) are read based on this image data. , C (cyan) and K (black) color materials are reproduced.

  Conventionally, as a color image forming apparatus, a technique using a process in which recording paper is wound around a transfer drum, images corresponding to color materials for a plurality of colors used for recording are sequentially formed on a photosensitive drum, and transferred to the recording paper. Is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this technique, when a color image is reproduced with four colors of YMCK, the image forming process is repeated four times.

If the manuscript to be copied is composed only of black and white like a document manuscript often seen in the office, in principle it can be reproduced only with K, but the operator discriminates the manuscript color one by one and only K It is troublesome to instruct the apparatus whether to make a copy with YMCK or four colors of YMCK.
In addition, in a copying machine equipped with an automatic document feeder (ADF), when copying a document in which black and white and color are mixed, the document is classified into a black and white document and a color document in advance and divided into two times. Therefore, it becomes necessary to set a document.
As a countermeasure against such a problem, in Patent Document 1 described below, a document is pre-scanned (pre-scanned) prior to image formation to identify whether the document is only a monochrome image or a color image. In some cases, a technique has been proposed in which a sequence of copying only with K is executed, and in the case of a color original, copying is performed with four colors of YMCK. However, this method has a disadvantage that the time required for copying becomes longer because the original needs to be scanned once more than for the original image formation.

Also, as a method of solving the problem of reading a document in which a black and white document and a color document are mixed with an automatic document feeder (ADF), an original color is formed simultaneously with image formation with K color in the first document scan. In this case, a technique is proposed in which the copying sequence is aborted only by K when it is identified as a black and white document at the end of the first scan, and the color component image forming sequence is subsequently executed when it is identified as a color document. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).
In this method, since the document is scanned as many times as the number of recording colors, the time required for copying does not increase. In recent years, the ratio of color originals to originals used in offices has increased rapidly. When copying originals containing both black and white originals and color originals, the ASC (automatic color selection, auto color selection) function is available. By using this, it is possible to execute copying of color and black and white originals without manpower.
However, since the ratio of mixed color and black-and-white documents is increasing, even color documents do not need to be copied in full color. For example, even if only two colors of red / black are sufficient, they are copied in full color. The cost is high and the copy time is long. In such a case, copying may be executed in a two-color mode in which the color portion in the document is reproduced with, for example, the specified colors red, blue, green, etc., and the black (achromatic) portion is reproduced with black. desirable.
However, when the two-color mode is selected, all the color / black-and-white mixed documents, including black and white originals, are copied in the two-color mode, resulting in higher costs and longer copy time. was there.

Corresponding to such a problem, it has a function of identifying whether a document is only a monochrome image or includes a color image, and performs image formation by determining whether the document is a monochrome mode or a color mode according to identification data. An image forming apparatus has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 3). In this regard, FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a conventional image forming apparatus.
First, the document data is read by the reading device 11. The read image data is sent to the image processing device 12 of the input unit, where necessary image processing is performed, and whether the image is a monochrome image or a color image is identified. Thereafter, the image data is stored in the image storage device 13.
Next, when outputting image data, the data output from the image storage device 13 is taken out, the image processing device 12 of the output unit performs necessary image processing, and the output data is sent to the writing device 14.

JP 63-107274 A JP-A-3-54972 JP 2002-165101 A

  However, in the above-described conventional technique, the output data is determined after the color / monochrome determination is performed on the input data. Therefore, after the read input data is determined to be monochrome, the output data is converted to color. Could not be reprinted.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of arbitrarily selecting and outputting a method regardless of whether input data is monochrome data or color data.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the image storage device capable of storing the image data, the input image data determination means for determining whether the input data is color data or monochrome data, and the determination result by the input image data determination means Provided is an image forming apparatus comprising a determination result adding means for adding to data and sending it to an image storage apparatus.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus in which the setting of the input image data determination means can be set by the user using the input image data determination switching means.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided image output switching means for automatically changing between color output and monochrome output in accordance with the determination result added to the image data when outputting the data stored in the image storage device. An image forming apparatus is provided.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the determination result of the read image data (input data) is added to the image storage device, so that necessary and sufficient data can be stored, resulting in extremely added value. Image forming apparatus with high image quality could be provided.
According to the invention of claim 2, since the user can arbitrarily change the reference value of the determination result of the input data, the degree of freedom of image formation can be extremely widened.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine the data to be output according to the information of the determination result of the input data added to the image storage device, and whether the input data is determined to be monochrome data or color data. Regardless, the output format can be selected arbitrarily.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. The image forming apparatus includes a reading device 21 that reads a document, an image processing device 22, an input image data determination unit 23 that determines whether input data is color data or monochrome data, and adds a determination result to the image data. The determination result adding means 24 to be sent to the image storage device 25, the output data determination device 26, and the writing device 27.

First, the document data is read by the reading device 21. The read image data is sent to the image processing device 22 of the input unit, and necessary image processing is performed. Next, the input image data determination unit 23 determines whether the data is monochrome data or color data.
For example, when data is input in CMYK, it is possible to determine whether the data is monochrome data or color data by examining the ratio of K data to CMY data. Then, the determination result adding means 24 adds the determination result to the input data and stores the data in the image storage device 25. That is, if it is determined that the data is monochrome data, only K data can be stored, and if it is determined that the data is color data, all CMYK data can be stored.

The input image data determination means 23 determines whether the read image data is monochrome data or color data as described above, and the input image data determination switching that allows the user to freely set this. Means (not shown) may be provided.
A detailed block diagram of the input image data determination means 23 is shown in FIG.
First, input data CMYK is input to the input data calculators 31-34. In the input data calculators 31 to 34, the density of each color data is calculated.
Subsequently, all the calculation results of the CMY color input data are sent to the color data calculator 35. On the other hand, the calculation result of K data is used as monochrome data.
In the color calculator 35, the sum of the CMY color data is obtained, whereby the preparation for obtaining the ratio between the color data and the monochrome data is completed.
Next, the CMY data and K data are sent to the determination device 36, where the ratio between color and monochrome is determined, an input data determination reference value is obtained, and it is determined whether it is monochrome data or color data. Result information is obtained.
At this time, the user can handle all input data as monochrome data or color data according to a desired output form. For example, in the input image data determination switching means 40 operated by the user as shown in FIG. 4, by setting the monochrome determination criterion to an arbitrary value of 0 to 100%, the input data can be converted into monochrome, colorized, It can be adjusted freely.

Image data (K data, CMY data) stored in the image storage device 25 is sent to the output data determination device 26.
The output data determination device 26 can include an image output switching unit 28 having a function of automatically changing between color output and monochrome output, and desired image data can be obtained by operating the image output switching unit. Output is done.
For example, when the determination result information obtained by the input image data determination unit 23 shown in FIG. 3 is monochrome, if it is desired to form a monochrome image, only K data may be output. If it is desired to form the data, if the CMY data is also stored in the image storage device 25 in advance, it can be output as color data by outputting all the CMYK data.
Subsequently, the image processing device 22 of the output unit performs necessary image processing, sends output data to the writing device 14, and performs predetermined image formation.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to accumulate and output necessary and sufficient data by adding the determination result of the read image data (input data) and accumulating the data. Thus, an image forming apparatus with extremely high added value can be provided.
In addition, since the user can arbitrarily change the reference value of the determination result of the input data, the degree of freedom of image formation is expanded. Furthermore, the output format can be arbitrarily selected regardless of whether the input data is determined as monochrome data or color data.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional image forming apparatus. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. The detailed block diagram of an input image data determination means is shown. The schematic of an input image data determination switching means is shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Reading apparatus 12 Image processing apparatus 13 Image storage apparatus 14 Writing apparatus 21 Reading apparatus 22 Image processing apparatus 23 Input image data determination means 24 Determination result addition means 25 Image storage apparatus 26 Output data determination apparatus 27 Writing apparatus 28 Image output switching means 31 34 Input data calculator 35 Color data calculator 36 Judgment device 40 Input image data judgment switching means

Claims (3)

An image storage device capable of storing image data;
Input image data determination means for determining whether the input data is color data or monochrome data;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a determination result adding unit that adds a determination result by the input image data determination unit to image data and sends the image data to the image storage device.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting of the input image data determination unit can be set by a user using the input image data determination switching unit. An output data determination device for outputting data stored in the image storage device;
2. The image according to claim 1, wherein the output data determination device includes an image output switching unit having a function of arbitrarily changing between color output and monochrome output according to the determination result. Forming equipment.

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