JP2006237804A - Facsimile machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a facsimile machine capable of automatically determining the readability of the character information contained in the image data to be transmitted. <P>SOLUTION: In this facsimile machine, an OCR processing unit applies character recognition processing to image data 9 acquired by an image reading unit. Then a determining processing unit determines the readability of the character information, on the basis of a result 7 of the character recognizing processing acquired from the OCR processing unit. In this way, this facsimile machine can automatically determine the readability of the character information contained in the image data, by using the result of the character recognizing processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus that acquires and transmits image data.

  The facsimile apparatus reads an image of a document and transmits the acquired image data to another facsimile apparatus through a telephone line or the like. However, in the facsimile apparatus, there are cases where the character information of the document is not clearly read due to a thin character written on the document. In such a case, characters printed out by the facsimile machine on the receiving side are also unclear, and information cannot be transmitted appropriately.

  For this reason, some conventional facsimile apparatuses print out image data on the transmission side so that the sender can confirm the readability of the character information. Such a conventional facsimile apparatus is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-199350

  However, it is a waste of paper and time to print out each transmission in the facsimile apparatus on the transmission side. It is possible to save paper and time by printing out and confirming only when it should be confirmed. However, it is extremely difficult for the user on the transmission side to judge such a case in advance. It was difficult.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a facsimile machine that can automatically determine the readability of character information included in image data to be transmitted.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a facsimile apparatus that acquires and transmits image data, and includes character recognition means for performing character recognition processing on the acquired image data, and character recognition processing. And determining means for determining the readability of characters included in the image data based on the result.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising notification means for notifying a user of the result of the character recognition processing.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the notifying unit notifies when the determining unit determines that reading is difficult.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is the facsimile apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising output means for visually outputting the image data.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the facsimile apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the output means performs visual output when the determination means determines that reading is difficult.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the facsimile apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the character recognition unit extracts an area including characters from the image data, and the characters are included. The character recognition processing is performed on the area.

  According to the first to fourth aspects of the invention, the readability of the character information included in the image data can be automatically determined by using the result of the character recognition process. Therefore, the facsimile apparatus can automatically determine whether or not the character information can be properly transmitted.

  In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the user can determine again whether or not to transmit the image data with reference to the result of the character recognition process.

  In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the user only has to determine whether or not to transmit the image data only when the determination unit determines that reading is difficult. The burden of judgment can be reduced.

  In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the user can determine again whether or not to transmit the image data with reference to the visually output result.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 5, since the user only has to determine whether or not to transmit the image data only when the determination means determines that reading is difficult, the output medium and time can be saved. , The judgment burden on the user can be reduced.

  In particular, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform the character recognition processing only in the region of the image data that includes characters. For this reason, an unnecessary character process is not performed about the area | region which does not contain a character, and an efficient character recognition process can be performed.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. Overall configuration of facsimile machine>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a facsimile machine 1 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the facsimile apparatus 1 includes a main control unit 11, a display unit 12, an operation unit 13, an image reading unit 14, an OCR (Optical Character Reader) processing unit 15, and a determination processing unit 16. The image recording unit 17, the NCU 18, the modem 19, the CODEC (Coder and Decoder) 20, the image memory 21, the ROM 22, and the RAM 23 are electrically connected via the bus line 30. Yes.

  The main controller 11 is composed of a CPU. The main control unit 11 controls each of the above hardware units based on a program stored in the ROM 22 to realize the function of the facsimile machine 1. The display unit 12 is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal display. The display unit 12 displays the operation state of the facsimile apparatus 1 and image data. The operation unit 13 includes various keys such as a character key, a numeric keypad, and a function key, and accepts user operations such as input of commands and data. The user operation received by the operation unit 13 is input to the main control unit 11 as a signal. And the main control part 11 controls operation | movement of each part based on user operation. In addition, the structure which employ | adopts a touch panel for the display part 12, and the display part 12 bears a part or all of the function of the operation part 13 may be sufficient.

  The image reading unit 14 is a scanner that reads an image on a document with a reading element such as a CCD line sensor. The image reading unit 14 may be a scanner of a type in which a reading element scans the surface of a document placed on a glass table and reads an image. The image reading unit 14 scans the surface of a document conveyed by an ADF (Auto Document Feeder). A scanner of a type that reads by a stationary reading element may be used.

  The OCR processing unit 15 is a processing unit that performs character recognition processing on the image data acquired by the image reading unit 14. The OCR processing unit 15 identifies character information by extracting a region including characters from the image data and collating the characters included in the region with a collation pattern 8 stored in advance. The OCR processing unit 15 also has a function of converting the specified character information into text data. Various known techniques can be applied to the character recognition processing of the OCR processing unit 15.

  The determination processing unit 16 is a processing unit for determining the readability of the image data based on the result of the character recognition processing obtained from the OCR processing unit 15. The results of the character recognition process include, for example, the number of successful character matching, the success rate of character matching, the cumulative value of the matching degree between the character and the matching pattern, and the average value of the matching degree between the character and the matching pattern. Referenced. Then, these numerical values are compared with a reference value 6 stored in advance to determine the readability of the image data. The reference value 6 can be changed by a user operation from the operation unit 13.

  The OCR processing unit 15 and the determination processing unit 16 may be configured as independent hardware as shown in FIG. 1, but the main control unit 11 performs arithmetic processing based on a computer program stored in the ROM 22. The configuration of realizing the functions of the OCR processing unit 15 and the determination processing unit 16 may be employed. In this case, the matching pattern 8 and the reference value 6 may be stored in the RAM 23 or the like.

  The image recording unit 17 is a printer device that records an image on a sheet surface of a recording sheet based on image data. When the facsimile apparatus 1 receives image data, the image recording unit 17 can record the received image data. When the facsimile apparatus 1 transmits image data, the image data to be transmitted can be recorded for confirmation. As the recording method of the image recording unit 17, various methods such as an electrophotographic method and an ink jet method can be adopted.

  The NCU 18 and the modem 19 are processing units for enabling the facsimile apparatus 1 to communicate with the external line 40. The NCU 18 is a hard wafer circuit that performs line closing and opening operations, and connects the modem 19 and the external line 40 under the control of the main control unit 11. The modem 19 modulates and demodulates image data to be transmitted / received. The CODEC 20 is a processing unit that encodes and decodes image data to be transmitted and received by a method such as MH or MR.

  The image memory 21 is a storage device for temporarily storing the image data acquired by the image reading unit 14. The image memory 21 is configured by a memory such as a DRAM capable of reading and writing. The ROM 22 is a read-only storage device that stores programs and data necessary for controlling the facsimile apparatus 1 in advance. The RAM 23 is a storage device that can be read and written, and temporarily stores data generated during arithmetic processing by the main control unit 11. The RAM 23 is configured by SRAM, flash memory, or the like.

  The facsimile apparatus 1 realizes a facsimile transmission / reception function with the above configuration. That is, when performing transmission, the image data read from the image reading unit 14 is encoded by the CODEC 20, temporarily stored in the image memory 21, and then sequentially transmitted to other facsimile apparatuses via the external line 40. When receiving, image data received from another facsimile machine through the external line 40 is temporarily stored in the image memory 21 and printed out in the image recording unit 17 while being sequentially decoded by the CODEC 20.

<2. Processing of Image Reading Unit, OCR Processing Unit, and Judgment Processing Unit>
In the facsimile apparatus 1 described above, in particular, processing in the image reading unit 14, the OCR processing unit 15, and the determination processing unit 16 will be further described. FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually showing the state of processing in the image reading unit 14, the OCR processing unit 15, and the determination processing unit 16.

  The image reading unit 14 reads an image of a document and acquires image data 9. The acquired image data 9 is encoded by the CODEC 20 and temporarily stored in the image memory 21.

  The OCR processing unit 15 takes out the image data 9 stored in the image memory 21. Then, an area 9 a including characters is extracted from the image data 9. For the extraction of the region 9a, various known methods can be used, for example, by specifying the rectangular region 9a by detecting the space between characters and the line.

  The OCR processing unit 15 stores information on character shapes and character string arrangement (words) in advance as a collation pattern 8. The OCR processing unit 15 identifies character information in the region 9a by collating characters and character strings included in the region 9a with the collation pattern 8.

  As described above, the OCR processing unit 15 performs the character recognition process only in the region 9a including the character in the image data 9. For this reason, useless collation processing is not performed for an area that does not include characters, and efficient character recognition processing can be performed.

  As a result 7 of the character recognition process, the OCR processing unit 15 obtains the number of successful character matching 7a, the successful character matching rate 7b, the cumulative value 7c of the matching degree between the character and the matching pattern, and the character and the matching pattern. An average value 7d of the degree of coincidence can be obtained. The determination processing unit 16 acquires the result 7 of such character recognition processing from the OCR processing unit 15. The readability of the image data 9 is determined by comparing these numerical values with a reference value 6 stored in advance. For example, when judging based on the collation success rate 7b, if the collation success rate 7b is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value 6, it is determined that the character information included in the image data 9 can be read, and the collation success rate 7b is predetermined. If it is less than the reference value 6, it is determined that the character information included in the image data 9 is difficult to read.

<3. Operation during transmission of facsimile machine>
Next, an operation at the time of transmission in the facsimile apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure at the time of transmission of the facsimile apparatus 1.

  When transmitting image data in the facsimile apparatus 1, the user first sets a document on the image reading unit 14. Then, the operation unit 13 is operated to input a transmission destination designation and a transmission instruction. Then, the image reading unit 14 reads an image of the document with the reading element and acquires image data (step S1). The acquired image data is encoded by the CODEC 20 and temporarily stored in the image memory 21.

  Next, the OCR processing unit 15 performs a character recognition process on the image data stored in the image memory 21 (step S2). As described above, the character recognition process is performed on an area of the image data 9 that includes a character, and is performed by collating the character included in that area with a collation pattern.

  Then, the determination processing unit 16 determines the readability of the character string included in the image data with reference to the result of the character recognition processing by the OCR processing unit 15 (step S3). As described above, the readability determination process is executed by comparing various numerical values obtained as a result of the character recognition process with a predetermined reference value. If it is determined by the determination processing unit 16 that it can be read, the facsimile apparatus 1 transmits the image data (step S4).

  On the other hand, if the determination processing unit 16 determines that reading is difficult, the fact and the result of the character recognition processing are displayed on the display unit 12 (step S5). Then, the user is prompted to select whether to print out the image data for confirmation via the display unit 12. The user operates the operation unit 13 to instruct whether to print out the image data (step S6).

  When the facsimile apparatus 1 receives an instruction to print out from the user, the image recording unit 17 prints out the image data (step S7). The user can confirm the printout result and determine the readability of the character information again.

  When the facsimile apparatus 1 receives an instruction not to print out in step S6 or when the printout in step S7 is completed, the facsimile apparatus 1 determines whether or not to transmit image data next through the display unit 12. Encourage selection. The user refers to the result of the character recognition process and the result of the printout displayed on the display unit 12 to determine whether to transmit image data. The user operates the operation unit 13 to It is instructed whether to transmit data (step S8).

  When the facsimile apparatus 1 receives an instruction to transmit, the facsimile apparatus 1 transmits image data (step S4). On the other hand, when the facsimile apparatus 1 receives an instruction from the user not to transmit, the facsimile apparatus 1 stops the transmission process (step S9).

  As described above, in the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, the readability of the character information included in the image data can be automatically determined by using the result of the character recognition process. Therefore, the facsimile apparatus 1 can automatically determine whether or not the character information can be properly transmitted.

  Further, the user can determine again whether or not to transmit the image data with reference to the result of the character recognition process and the result of the printout. In addition, since such a determination by the user may be performed only when it is determined that the determination processing unit 16 determines that the reading is difficult, paper and time can be saved, and the determination burden on the user can be reduced.

<4. Modification>
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said example. For example, in the above example, as the result 7 of the character recognition process, the number of successful character matching 7a, the successful character matching rate 7b, the cumulative value 7c of the matching degree between the character and the matching pattern, the character and the matching pattern, Although the average value 7d of the degree of coincidence is given, other numerical values may be referred to. For example, the number of characters having a matching degree between a character and a collation pattern higher than a predetermined value may be referred to.

  In the above example, the character recognition process (step S2) and the readability determination process (step S3) are performed before the transmission of the image data. However, these processes may be performed after the transmission of the image data. Further, it may be set via the operation unit 13 whether these processes are performed before transmission of image data or after transmission.

  Further, regardless of the determination result in the readability determination process (step S3), the determination result and the result of the character recognition process may be displayed (step S5). That is, the process may be performed in the procedure as shown in FIG. In this case, the facsimile machine 1 executes the readability determination process (step S3), and always notifies the user of the result and the result of the character recognition process (step S5). The user refers to the displayed result, further prints out for confirmation as necessary (steps S6 and S7), and determines again whether or not to transmit the image data (step S8). In this way, the final determination can always be made by the user while using the result of the character recognition process and the determination result by the determination processing unit 16. It may be set via the operation unit 13 which procedure of FIG. 3 and FIG.

  Further, the character information specified in the OCR processing unit 15 may be converted into text data, and new image data in which the text data is developed into an image with reference to font data may be replaced with existing image data. In this way, image data with higher readability can be transmitted. In step S6, the new image data may be printed out instead of the existing image data. Alternatively, both existing image data and new image data may be printed out. However, in step S6, it is preferable to print out the image data to be actually transmitted. For example, when transmitting existing image data, it is desirable to print out the existing image data.

  In step S6, the image data is printed out for confirmation. However, the image data may be displayed on the display unit 12. That is, the image data may be visually output by some means.

  The target of the visible output in step S6 may be the entire image data, or may be a part of the image data including the character portion determined to be difficult to read. If it is a part of the image data, it is possible to save recording material (for example, toner) in the case of printout, and in the case of display output, it is possible to make the user easily recognize even a small display screen.

  The facsimile apparatus 1 may be provided with a copy function and a PC print function in addition to the facsimile function.

  The facsimile apparatus 1 may be a so-called facsimile OCR system configured to perform character recognition processing on image data such as an order slip received by the facsimile apparatus. In the case of a facsimile OCR system, an OCR processing unit originally provided for reception can be used for the character recognition processing of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a facsimile machine. It is the figure which showed notionally the mode of the process in an image reading part, an OCR process part, and a judgment process part. It is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement procedure at the time of transmission of a facsimile apparatus. It is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement procedure at the time of transmission of a facsimile apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Facsimile apparatus 6 Reference value 7 Result of character recognition process 8 Collation pattern 9 Image data 9a Area including characters 11 Main control unit 12 Display unit 13 Operation unit 14 Image reading unit 15 OCR processing unit 16 Judgment processing unit 17 Image recording unit 18 NCU
19 Modem 20 CODEC
21 Image memory 22 ROM
23 RAM

Claims (6)

A facsimile machine that acquires and transmits image data,
Character recognition means for performing character recognition processing on the acquired image data;
Determination means for determining the readability of characters included in the image data based on the result of the character recognition processing;
A facsimile apparatus comprising: The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1,
A facsimile apparatus further comprising notification means for notifying a user of a result of the character recognition processing. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 2,
2. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the determination means determines that reading is difficult, the notification means notifies. A facsimile apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A facsimile apparatus further comprising output means for visually outputting the image data. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 4,
2. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said output means performs visual output when said determination means determines that reading is difficult. A facsimile apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The facsimile apparatus, wherein the character recognition means extracts a region including characters from the image data, and performs the character recognition processing for the region including the characters.

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