JP2006140709A - Host device and image reading transfer driver program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a host device and an image reading transfer driver program improving the workability of a user when an image read by an image reader is displayed in a preview manner. <P>SOLUTION: The host device 2 has a function connecting the image reader 1 and displaying the image read by the image reader 1 in a preview manner. In the host device 2; the display device 2 has a control means (a control section 1) for receiving either selecting operation of a thumb-nail display mode or one-image display mode, and carrying out either received display mode. In the host device 2, a plurality of the read images by the image reader 1 are displayed together on one screen in the thumb-nail display mode, and the read image read by the image reader 1 is displayed singly and discretely on one screen in one-image display mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a host device and an image reading and transfer driver program stored in the host device.

Conventionally, in order to realize a technique for transferring image data read by an image reading device connected to a host device such as a personal computer to the host device, an image reading and transfer driver program is stored in the host device. And is activated by an application program.
Such an image reading / transferring driver program temporarily reads an image original to be read in order to obtain a desired image before capturing the image data into the host device (hereinafter referred to as “main reading”), and stores the image image in the host. A preview display function is provided, which is displayed on the screen of the apparatus, and allows operation of orientation of read image, resolution adjustment, image reading area designation, and the like.
The following patent document describes a technique related to a preview display function in an image reading system in which an image reading driver program as described above is stored.
JP 2002-330249 A

However, in the above and the conventional techniques, there are the following problems when a plurality of images are provisionally read and it is desired to check and set in advance in a preview display.
For example, even if a plurality of image originals are set on the automatic feeding device, the image reading device only reads one original during temporary reading, and the work of performing the main reading after displaying a preview for each original has occurred. .
Also, unlike the above types, if a plurality of image originals are set on the automatic feeding device, even if the type is a type that temporarily reads all the set originals, it is necessary to check one image at a time to confirm the image to be displayed as a preview. It is necessary to perform display operations in order, and in any case, it is a troublesome work for the user.
Further, although application programs having a thumbnail display function have been known, no image reading / transfer driver program has a thumbnail display function.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a host device and an image reading / transferring driver program that improve user operability when previewing an image read by an image reading device. Is an issue.

  The host device according to claim 1 proposed to achieve the above object is a host device having a function of connecting an image reading device and displaying a preview of an image read by the image reading device. Control means for accepting any selection operation of the image display mode and executing any of the accepted display modes is provided. In the thumbnail display mode, a plurality of read images read by the image reading device are combined on one screen. In the one image display mode, the read images read by the image reading device are individually displayed on a single screen.

  The image reading / transferring driver program according to claim 2 controls the image reading device connected to the host device, and displays the scanned image as a preview in either the thumbnail display mode or the one image display mode. And a second step of executing any one of the received display modes. In the thumbnail display mode, a plurality of read images read by the image reading device are displayed on one screen. In the one image display mode, the read images read by the image reading device are individually displayed on a single screen.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image reading / transferring driver program according to the second aspect, wherein the second step is a predetermined image reading different from the one image display mode if the thumbnail display mode is selected in the first step. A command is transmitted to the image reading apparatus.

According to the host device and the image reading / transferring driver program according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, a thumbnail display mode for displaying a plurality of provisionally read images together on one screen when displaying a read image as a preview. The user can select a single image display mode for individually displaying the scanned image on a single screen and display the preview in the desired mode, so preview in the appropriate mode according to the image to be scanned. Can be displayed.
Also, when reading multiple images, it has a thumbnail display mode, so you can check multiple images on a single screen, which saves you the trouble of user operation and improves operability. it can.
Furthermore, even if the application program does not have a thumbnail display function, the temporarily read image can be displayed as a thumbnail.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. As the image reading / transferring driver program, for example, a TWAIN driver program can be applied.
Here, image reading performed at a low resolution for preview display is referred to as “temporary reading”, and image reading for capturing an image into the host device in accordance with the setting of the reading parameter is referred to as “main reading”.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image reading system in which a host device and an image reading device are combined.
The host device 2 is, for example, a personal computer or the like, and includes at least a control unit 20, a display operation unit 21 including a CRT, a liquid crystal display, a RAM 22, a hard disk 24 in which various programs are stored, and a communication interface 25.

One image reading device 1 is a peripheral device having at least an image reading function, such as a scanner, a facsimile device, a facsimile multifunction device, and the like. In the figure, assuming the facsimile multifunction device, a control unit 10 and a telephone line L are connected. In this example, a connected NCU 11, a modem 12, an image reading unit 13, a ROM 14, a RAM 15 for temporarily storing data for various processes, a printer 16, a display operation unit 17, and a communication interface 18 are shown.
The host apparatus 2 is connected to the image reading apparatus 1 through a cable C such as a LAN. In this example, the host apparatus 2 is wired by the cable C. However, the communication interfaces 18 and 25 are configured by a wireless interface, and wireless connection is established. May be.

  The host device 2 stores an image read / transfer driver program (not shown) that accepts instructions such as image read / transfer, resolution adjustment, and image read area designation. When started by a host application program (not shown), The operation input interface is activated, and an operation input screen is displayed on the display operation unit 21 of the host device 2 by this function. Therefore, the user performs a selection operation on the operation input screen, whereby the image reading device 2 is selected. When the host device 2 issues an image reading command to the image reading device 1, the image reading device 1 operates the image reading unit 13 to read an image. The read image is transferred to the host device 2 and taken into the host device 2.

  The host device 2 of the present invention temporarily reads the read image and displays a low-resolution image on the screen of the host device 2 to obtain a desired image before the read image is read. Is provided with a preview display function for adjusting the orientation, resolution, image reading area designation, etc., and accepts a selection operation of either the thumbnail display mode or the single image display mode, and executes any of the accepted display modes (Control unit 20), and the hard disk 24 of the host device 2 accepts a selection operation of either the thumbnail display mode or the single image display mode, and executes any of the accepted display modes. An image reading / transferring driver program to be stored is stored.

  Here, the thumbnail display mode refers to a mode in which a plurality of read images read by the image reading device 1 are displayed together on one screen, and the one image display mode refers to a read image read by the image reading device 1. A mode in which a single screen is displayed individually.

FIG. 2 is an example of an operation input screen displayed on the display operation unit of the host device when the image reading / transferring driver program of the present invention is started.
When the image reading / transferring driver program is started by the upper application program, an operation input screen A as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed. The user can perform a selection operation on the operation input screen A. If the user wants to display a preview before reading the image, the user can select “Thumbnail Display A21” or “Single Image Display” from the preview mode A1 shown in FIG. If any check box A2 of "A22" is clicked and the reading button S1 is operated, provisional reading is started and the image of the read image can be displayed in a desired preview mode.

  On the operation input screen A, in addition to the preview mode setting A1, various settings relating to image reading such as the setting A3 for the number of readings, the setting A4 for the reading start mode, the setting A5 for the resolution, the setting A6 for the document size, and the setting A7 for the image quality A setting function is provided, S1 indicates a reading start button, and S2 indicates a cancel button.

  If it is desired to perform full reading without displaying the preview as described above, the desired reading parameters are set, the check box A2 in the preview mode A1 is unset, and the reading button S1 is operated to perform the main reading. Reading can be performed.

Next, FIG. 3 shows an operation input screen when the preview display is set and temporarily read.
3A shows an operation input screen previewed in the thumbnail display mode, and FIG. 3B shows an operation input screen previewed in the one-image display mode. The display mode is not limited to this example, and for the sake of explanation, display of various operation keys for setting the orientation of the read image, adjusting the resolution, specifying the image reading area, and the like is omitted.

  When the thumbnail display mode is set and temporary reading is performed, as shown in FIG. 3A, a plurality of read image images are displayed together on one screen of the operation input screen A, and read on this screen. Image orientation, resolution adjustment, image reading area designation, etc. can be performed.

  According to this, since a plurality of images can be confirmed on one screen, it is possible to save the user's operation work and improve operability. Even if the application program does not have a thumbnail display function, the temporarily read image can be displayed as a thumbnail.

  If, for example, “Document 1” shown in FIG. 3A is designated after thumbnail display as shown in the figure, the designated document (image) is enlarged and displayed on one screen, and the orientation and resolution of the read image for each image are displayed. It may be configured to perform adjustment, image reading area designation, and the like.

  Next, when the one-image display mode is set and provisional reading is performed, one image is displayed on the operation input screen A on one screen as shown in FIG. 3B, and the read image is displayed on this screen. Orientation, resolution adjustment, image reading area designation, etc. can be performed. When a plurality of images are temporarily read, the image images temporarily read in the page mode can be displayed as a preview. When the operation key A8 is operated, different image images are displayed individually and individually on one screen. The

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the basic operation of the present invention, showing the basic operation (200 to 202) of the image reading apparatus that is driven and controlled in conjunction with the basic operation (100 to 110) of the host device.
First, an application program installed in the host device 2 is activated (100). When the image reading / transferring driver program is activated (101), an operation input screen A is displayed (102). In this operation input screen A, various modes and reading parameters can be set. When any one of the preview modes A1 is set, the image reading / transferring driver program sends a temporary reading command (image reading) to the image reading device 1. Command) is transmitted (105, 108).

If the thumbnail display mode is selected, the temporary reading command sent from the host device 2 to the image reading device 1 is transmitted to the image reading device 1 as a predetermined temporary reading command different from the one image display mode. The image reading apparatus 1 that has received the temporary reading command starts temporary reading (200), and sequentially transfers the image data to the host apparatus 2 (201).
The host device 2 that has received the image data executes the thumbnail display when the thumbnail display mode is set and transmits the temporary reading command (107), and is set to the one image display mode and transmits the temporary reading command. Executes one image display (110).

The temporary reading command is characterized in that if a thumbnail display mode is selected, a predetermined image reading command different from the one image display mode is transmitted to the image reading apparatus.
That is, while the temporary reading command in the one image display mode is a reading command in which the resolution is variably designated by the user or the like, in the thumbnail display mode, a temporary reading command dedicated to the thumbnail display mode is transmitted, and the predetermined resolution is set. It is different from the reading command to be specified. According to this, the thinned-out state of the read image image is different between the case of the thumbnail display and the case of the single image display, and the thumbnail display is read at a lower resolution than the single image display. Is faster than the one-image display mode, and the volume of image data can be reduced, so that the transmission burden between the image reading apparatus 1 and the host apparatus 2 can be reduced. Note that the temporary reading command in the thumbnail display mode is not limited to the configuration different from the one-screen display mode as described above. The temporary reading command is the same as that in the single-screen display mode except that the designation of resolution is different. It is good.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image reading system in which a host device and an image reading device are combined. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation input screen displayed on the display operation part of a host apparatus. (A) is an operation input screen previewed in the thumbnail display mode, and (b) is a diagram showing an operation input screen previewed in the one-image display mode. It is a flowchart which shows the basic operation | movement of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Image reading device 2 Host device A Operation input screen

Claims (3)

In a host device having a function of connecting an image reading device and displaying a preview of an image read by the image reading device,
A control means for accepting a selection operation of either the thumbnail display mode or the one-image display mode and executing any of the accepted display modes;
In the thumbnail display mode, a plurality of read images read by the image reading device are displayed together on one screen. In the one image display mode, the read images read by the image reading device are displayed on a single screen. Host devices that are individually displayed on In an image reading and transferring driver program that controls an image reading device connected to a host device and displays a preview of a read image,
A first step of accepting a selection of either a thumbnail display mode or a single image display mode;
A second step of executing any of the accepted display modes,
In the thumbnail display mode, a plurality of read images read by the image reading device are displayed together on one screen. In the one image display mode, the read images read by the image reading device are displayed on a single screen. An image reading / transferring driver program characterized by being individually displayed on the screen. In claim 2,
In the second step, if the thumbnail display mode is selected in the first step, a predetermined image reading command different from the one image display mode is transmitted to the image reading device. program.

Images