JP2005275863A - Composite machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a composite machine performing an image process for recognizing the kind of a font and a character code from a character image read by a scanner by use of OCR technology, developing them to a character image and incorporating it into an original position, allowing efficient storage of font data having strong possibility of user's use. <P>SOLUTION: This composite machine 1 has: a memory 3 storing font data received from the outside; an area extraction part 14a extracting a character image area of image data; a character recognition part 14b recognizing the kind of the font and the character code corresponding to the character image of the extracted character image area; and a file production part 14d developing the recognized kinds of the font and character code to the character image by use of the font data X stored in the memory 3, and replacing the developed character image with the character image of the character image area of the image data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  More particularly, the present invention relates to a multifunction machine having at least a copying function and a PC printing function, and more specifically, a character image that has been replaced by a character code using an OCR technique from a character image read by a scanner or the like is developed into a character image. The present invention relates to a multifunction machine having a function of improving the quality of a character image such as a copy original.

  In recent multifunction devices equipped with a copying function for printing image data read by a scanner and a PC printing function for printing image data received together with a print command from a PC (personal computer) in a recording unit, the performance of the scanner and the like is improved. As a result, the manuscript copied using the copying function is much more beautiful than before. However, it is actually inferior to a document printed using the PC print function.

As such a technique for improving the image quality of a copied document, there is a technique using an OCR (Optical Character Reader) technique. This technology analyzes the image data of a document read by a scanner, etc., extracts areas such as characters, charts, and photos, and performs recognition processing according to the respective attributes for each area using OCR (Optical Character Reader) technology. Is what you do. Specifically, this is a technique for recognizing a character code and a font type corresponding to a character image in the extracted character image region, developing this into a character image, and replacing the original character image region (for example, Patent Document 1). reference.). According to this technique, the character image developed based on the character code and the type of font is newly incorporated in the character image area of the document, so that the character image read by the scanner is directly printed without being replaced with the character code. Compared to the case, a much more beautiful copy manuscript is obtained.
JP 2001-319240 A

  However, in order to print a copy original using the same type of font as the character font used in the original, image data of the character font used in the original (hereinafter referred to as “font data”). Must be held in advance by the multifunction device or acquired from the outside during printing. When printing with the PC print function, even if the multifunction device does not have font data, there is no problem because the font data is sent from the PC side. If the user does not have the font data of the character being used, the font cannot be used, and another type of font data must be used. If the type of font used by the user of the multifunction device is limited to one or two, if all of these one or two types of font data are stored in the multifunction device in advance, the copy function can be executed. This can be dealt with by reading it out and using it, but if the type of font used in the original to be copied is not limited to one or two, more types of font data can be stored in the MFP. Therefore, there arises a problem that the storage capacity of the multi-function peripheral must be greatly increased.

  On the other hand, if only the font data frequently used by the user is stored in the multifunction device, the storage capacity does not increase so much, but the type of font used varies greatly depending on the user's convenience and preference. Even if the manufacturer of the multifunction device stores predetermined font data in advance, it is difficult to deal with a wide variety of font types actually used by the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and after recognizing a character code and a font type from a character image of a document read by a scanner or the like using an image recognition technology (OCR), the character image is converted into a character image. An object of the present invention is to provide a multifunction device capable of efficiently accumulating font data that is highly likely to be used by a user in a multifunction device that performs image processing that is expanded into the original position and incorporated into the original position.

  In order to achieve the above object, a multi-function machine according to claim 1 is a storage means for accumulating font data received from outside, an area extracting means for extracting a character image area of image data, and an extracted character image area. A character recognizing unit for recognizing a character code and a font type corresponding to the character image; a developing unit for developing the recognized character code and font type into a character image using font data stored in the storage unit; Means for replacing the developed character image with a character image in the character image region of the image data.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the multi-function device according to the first aspect, the font data received and stored by the storage means from outside is received together with a print command from an external device. .

  The multifunction device according to claim 3 further comprises setting means for accepting and setting designation of a font type to be used in the multifunction device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the font data used by the expanding means is the It is characterized in that it corresponds to the font type set by the setting means.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the font data received and stored from the outside is used as the font data used when expanding the character code and the font type. Font data received and stored from outside is often font data that is often used by users of MFPs, so it is possible to efficiently store only font data that is likely to be used by the user. Thus, it is possible to suppress the consumption of memory for storing font data. Further, the user of the multifunction device does not need to perform troublesome work for installing font data, and font data is automatically accumulated.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the font data received together with the print command from the external device is a font that is likely to be frequently used by the user of the multi-function peripheral, only the font data frequently used by the user is used. Can be efficiently stored, and consumption of memory for storing font data can be suppressed.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform a copying process in which characters on a document are replaced with beautiful characters and further replaced with a font desired by a user.

  Hereinafter, a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The multi-function device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking a multi-function device having a copy function, a PC print function, a facsimile communication function, an Internet facsimile communication function, etc. as an example. And a multi-function machine having a PC print function.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a multifunction machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, the MFP 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 3, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 4, an image memory 5, a reading unit 6, a codec 7, a modem 8, an NCU 9, and a display unit 10. , An operation unit 11, a recording unit 12, a PDL data conversion unit 13, an image processing unit 14, and a LAN interface 15, and each unit 2 to 15 is connected by a bus 16.

  The CPU 2 functions as a control unit that controls each part of the multifunction device 1 according to a control program stored in the ROM 4. The RAM 3 functions as a main memory and work area for the CPU 2. The RAM 3 stores various font data X for each character code, and font setting information Y for setting the type of font to be used when executing a copy function or the like described later. The content of the font setting information Y is set according to information received through a predetermined operation in the operation unit 11, and a setting that does not specify the type of font to be used or a specific font to be used Settings are made to specify the type of. The ROM 4 stores various control programs. The image memory 5 temporarily stores the image data read by the reading unit 6 and the image data compressed and encoded by the codec 7.

  The reading unit 6 includes a CCD line sensor, an A / D converter, an image processing circuit, and the like, and reads image data of a document. The codec 7 compresses and encodes the image data attached to the image memory 5 by the MH, MR, MMR method, or the like, or decodes the received encoded data.

  The modem 8 is, for example, an ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union) recommendation V.3. Modulates and demodulates transmission / reception data according to the 34 standard or the like, and the NCU 9 controls the telephone line to connect or disconnect the modem 6 and PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). A network control device.

  The display unit 10 includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) arranged in parallel with the operation unit 11 and functions as a display unit that displays various screen information. The operation unit 11 includes an input key for inputting information such as characters, and various operations by the user are performed in the operation unit 11. The recording unit 12 forms an image on the recording paper using the image data rasterized by the PDL data conversion unit 13 or the image data output from the image processing unit 14. The PDL data conversion unit 13 analyzes the received PDL print data, executes a process such as rasterization, and outputs the rasterized image data to the recording unit 12.

  The image processing unit 14 includes a region extraction unit 14a, a character recognition unit 14b, a font recognition unit 14c, and a file creation unit 14d. The area extraction unit 14a analyzes the image data read by the reading unit 6, and extracts a character image area where a character image exists, distinguishing it from other areas where a graphic image or the like exists. The character recognition unit 14b recognizes the character code from each character image in the character image region extracted by the region extraction unit 14a and also recognizes the position information of each character image. The font recognition unit 14c recognizes the font type and font size from each character image in the character image region extracted by the region extraction unit 14a. The file creation unit 14d uses the font data X stored in the RAM 3 with the character code and character position data recognized by the character recognition unit 14b and the font type and font size data recognized by the font recognition unit 14c. The character image is developed and replaced with the character image in the character image region recognized by the region extracting unit 14a in the image data read by the reading unit 6.

  The LAN interface 15 connects the multifunction device 1 and the LAN 17 and enables communication between the multifunction device 1 and the client PC 18, the router 19, and the like.

  Next, in the multi-function device 1 having the above-described configuration and functions, the processing operation of the multi-function device 1 when the print processing and the image data are received from the client PC 18 as an external device by the PC print function is illustrated. This will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that processing operations of the multi-function device 1 described below with reference to the flowcharts are performed according to instructions issued by the CPU 2 as control means based on a control program stored in the ROM 4.

  When the print command, the image data including the font data X ′ and the text code are received from the client PC 18 by executing the PC print function (S1), the received font data X ′ is stored in the RAM 3 (S2). The received image data is developed by the PDL data conversion unit 13 using the acquired font data X ′ or the already stored font data X (S3), and the developed character image is output to the recording unit 12. Then, a printing process is performed (S4).

  Next, the processing operation when the multifunction device 1 executes the copy function using the font data X accumulated with the execution of the PC print function will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the user sets a document on the reading unit 6 and performs an operation for starting a copying process in the operation unit 11 (S51), the image data of the document set by the reading unit 6 is read (S52). The obtained image data is sent to the area extraction unit 14a of the image processing unit 14. The region extraction unit 14a extracts a character image region from the image data read by the reading unit 6 (S53), and sends the extracted image data of the character image region to the character recognition unit 14b and the font recognition unit 14c.

  The character recognizing unit 14b recognizes the character code and the position information of the character image from the individual character images in the character image area extracted by the region extracting unit 14a (S54), and the font recognizing unit 14c is in the individual character image area. The font type and the font size are recognized from the character image (S55).

  Next, based on the font setting information Y stored in the predetermined area of the RAM 3, it is determined whether or not the setting for designating the type of font to be used is made (S56), and the setting for designating the font is made. If it is present (S56: YES), it is determined whether or not font data corresponding to the set font type is stored for each recognized character code (S57). If the corresponding font data is accumulated, it is developed into a character image using the accumulated font data (S58). Of the image data read in S52, the character image area recognized in S53. Print image data replaced with the character image is generated (S59). Then, the generated printing image data is sent to the recording unit 12 to perform printing processing (S60).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S56 that the setting for specifying the font type to be used is not made (S56: NO), the recognized character code corresponds to the font type recognized by the font recognition unit 14c. It is determined whether or not font data to be stored is stored (S61). If the corresponding font data is accumulated, it is developed into a character image using the accumulated font data (S58). Of the image data read in S52, the character image area recognized in S53. Print image data replaced with the character image is generated (S59), and the generated print image data is sent to the recording unit 12 to perform print processing (S60).

  When it is determined in S57 that font data corresponding to the font type set for each recognized character code is not stored (S57: NO), and in S61, the font for each recognized character code If it is determined that the font data corresponding to the font type recognized by the recognition unit 14c has not been accumulated (S61: NO), the user is asked whether or not to perform the printing process by replacing with another accumulated font. Inquiry processing, for example, display of a message to that effect and acceptance processing of an affirmative / negative operation for the inquiry, and if an operation to be replaced with another font (positive operation) is performed (S62: YES), the other stored The character data is developed into a character image using the font data (S58), and this is read in S52. Of the image data, print image data replaced with the character image in the character image area recognized in S53 is generated (S59), and the generated print image data is sent to the recording unit 12 to perform print processing (S60). . On the other hand, when the operation to be replaced with another font is not performed (when a negative operation is performed) (S62: NO), the series of copy processing is stopped and the image data read in S52 is erased (S63).

  As described above, according to the MFP 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the font data received and accumulated from the client PC 18 is used as the font data used when expanding the character code and the font type. . Since it can be said that the font used in the PC print is a font that is often used by the user of the multifunction device 1, it is possible to efficiently accumulate only the font data that is highly likely to be used by the user. Consumption of the RAM 3 for storing can be suppressed. Further, since the font data is automatically stored by PC printing, the user of the multifunction device 1 does not need to perform any troublesome work for installing the font data.

  If the font data X necessary for development into a character image is not accumulated, the fact is notified, and the user can select whether to stop or continue the copying process. When the copying process is canceled, the font data can be easily stored in the multi-function device 1 simply by executing PC printing for the font data that has not been stored, and then the same document is copied again. By executing the processing, it is possible to obtain a high-quality copy original using the same font.

  As a modification of the present embodiment, the control program may be changed and the image data generated in S58 may be transferred. That is, the image data generated in S58 may be transmitted to another apparatus by facsimile transmission or Internet facsimile transmission. As a result, the image quality of the character portion of the document data output at the destination is improved.

  The MFP 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a function of actively downloading font data required by the user from the client PC 18 in addition to the above-described functions. Hereinafter, the processing operation of the MFP 1 when executing the function will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The client PC 18 may be another external device.

  When the download utility is activated by a predetermined operation in the user operation unit 11 and the font type to be downloaded is designated by the user operation (S101), the multifunction device 1 corresponds to the designated font type. A search is performed to determine whether the file storing the font data is in the client PC 18 (S102). If a file storing font data corresponding to the designated font type exists in the client PC 18 (S103: YES), the file is read and stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 3 (S104). Then, the fact that the downloading of the font data corresponding to the font type designated by the user has been completed is notified, for example, by displaying a message to that effect on the display unit 10 (S105).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S103 that there is no file storing font data corresponding to the designated font type, the fact that the font data corresponding to the font type designated by the user does not exist in the client PC 18 is determined. For example, the notification is made by displaying a message to that effect on the display unit 10 (S106).

  As described above, according to the multifunction device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to actively specify a font type from the multifunction device 1 side and download necessary font data. It becomes possible to meet the needs.

  The present invention can be applied to a multifunction machine having at least a copying function and a PC printing function.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing operation when the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment of the present invention executes a PC print function. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing operation when the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment of the present invention executes a copying function. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing operation when the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment of the present invention executes a font data download utility.

Explanation of symbols

X, X 'Font data Y Font specification information 1 Multifunction device 2 CPU
3 RAM
4 ROM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Image processing part 14a Area extraction part 14b Character recognition part 14c Font recognition part 14d File creation part 18 Client PC (external device)

Claims (3)

  Storage means for storing font data received from outside, area extraction means for extracting a character image area of image data, and character recognition means for recognizing the character code and font type corresponding to the character image in the extracted character image area A developing means for developing the recognized character code and font type into a character image using the font data stored in the storage means; and replacing the developed character image with a character image in the character image area of the image data. And a multifunction device.   2. The multifunction device according to claim 1, wherein the font data received and stored by the storage means is received together with a print command from an external device.   It further comprises setting means for accepting and setting designation of the type of font to be used, and the font data used by the expansion means corresponds to the font type set by the setting means The multifunction device according to claim 1 or 2.

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