JP2006245850A - Full color image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a full color image forming apparatus that particularizes colors which are present on an original in accordance with results of a plurality of color discrimination means, stores once image data to a memory, and thereafter performs switching between output devices depending on kinds of colors included in the original. <P>SOLUTION: The full color image forming apparatus including a plurality of devices for accumulating and storing image data and thereafter outputting the image data is provided with: an input means for reading the image data; a storage means for storing the image data read by the input means; the color discrimination means for carrying out color discrimination as to whether or not the original is a color original in a particular color on the basis of the inputted image data; an image processing means for applying processing to the inputted image data in matching with an output device; an output means for outputting the image data stored in the storage means; and an image data conversion means for converting the form of the image data stored in the storage means, and the full color image forming apparatus performs switching between the output devices and between destinations on the basis of the results of the discrimination by the discrimination means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a full-color image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for automatically discriminating a document using automatic color selection (ACS).

  Conventionally, a function called ACS (Auto Color Select) is known as a function for automatically discriminating a manuscript when copying a mixture of a color manuscript and a monochrome manuscript in a full-color copying machine or a multi-function machine, and improving productivity. It has been.

  Normally, the image forming process of full-color copying is a copying process for four basic colors (or three of CMY) of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). The processes are executed sequentially, and these colors are transferred onto a single recording sheet. That is, for convenience, four copy processes are required.

  On the other hand, when executing a copy process in the monochrome mode, one image is copied in one copy process. Therefore, in this type of copier, the time required for the copying operation varies greatly between the full color mode and the monochrome mode, so the operator needs to pay attention to switching between the full color mode and the monochrome mode. Therefore, an operation for switching the copy mode appropriately must be performed.

  The ACS is used to eliminate the troublesomeness of the mode switching. For example, in the technique of Patent Document 1, it is automatically identified whether the document is color or monochrome, and the copying machine according to the identification result. The operation mode is automatically switched.

  In recent years, full-color multifunction peripherals are equipped with functions such as scanner distribution and FAX distribution of image data using a scanner. The read image data is subjected to color conversion in accordance with the image forming process, and is transferred to a personal computer or the like instead of forming it on transfer paper. This scanner distribution function also has the ACS function described above, and automatically distinguishes between color and monochrome, and in RGB format (for example, TIFF / JPEG) in the case of color, and binary format in the case of monochrome, is optimal for the application. I send a lot of images.

  By the way, these conventional automatic discriminating functions by ACS can discriminate only color originals and monochrome originals, and only select and operate full color output or monochrome output based on the determination result. Therefore, in the case of a document with even one color, it is determined as a color document and a full color output is obtained.

In order to solve this problem, the present applicant has proposed an image forming apparatus using ACS for judging multi-color of RGBCMYK in Patent Document 2. According to this, since not only color / monochrome determination but also determination of each color can be performed, more detailed operation can be defined.
JP 63-107274 A JP 2004-155015 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 04-037953

  However, if there is a mixture of color / monochrome, originals to be output as copies, and originals to be distributed by the scanner, ACS can only function within the output operation of either copy or scanner. There is a problem that it is necessary to perform the ACS operation separately, which causes a decrease in productivity. There is also a problem that it is impossible to distinguish between a document to be copied and a document to be distributed by a scanner or FAX.

  In Patent Document 3, the image forming method is switched when a single color (mono color) is discriminated. However, only a monochrome discrimination method is actually disclosed, and a color other than a real monochrome is identified. Is impossible.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and identifies colors existing in a document according to the results of a plurality of color determination means, stores image data once in a memory, and then stores it in a document. It is an object of the present invention to provide a full-color image forming apparatus that switches an output device according to the type of color included.

  Also, a full color that identifies colors existing in a document according to the results of a plurality of color determination means, stores image data once in a memory, and switches an output destination according to the type of color included in the document. An object is to provide an image forming apparatus.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a full-color image forming apparatus that prevents unnecessary output without performing image formation and distribution operations when the specified color is white.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a full-color image forming apparatus having a plurality of apparatuses that store and store image data and then output the image data. Storage means for accumulating read image data; color determination means for determining whether or not a document is a color document of a specific color based on the input image data; and the input image data Image processing means for processing according to the device that outputs the image data, output means for outputting the image data stored in the storage means, and image data conversion means for converting the format of the image data stored in the storage means Provided, and the output device is switched based on the determination result of the color determination means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a full-color image forming apparatus having a plurality of apparatuses that store and store image data and then output the image data, input means for reading the image data, and image data read by the input means are stored. Processing is performed in accordance with storage means, color determination means for determining whether or not the original is a color original of a specific color based on the input image data, and a device that outputs the input image data. An image processing unit; an output unit that outputs the image data stored in the storage unit; and an image data conversion unit that converts a format of the image data stored in the storage unit, the determination result of the color determination unit The destination to be output is switched based on the above.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the full-color image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, when the color determination result by the color determination unit is white, no output is performed.

  According to the present invention, a specific color is added to a document or a specific color paper is used, and these colors are associated with copy output, scanner distribution, and FAX distribution, and this color is automatically discriminated. By doing so, a necessary output or delivery operation is performed without the user being aware of each application or destination.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment according to a full-color image forming apparatus of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the present embodiment, a full-color image forming apparatus will be described using a full-color copying machine that employs a CMYK storage system, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 1 is an example showing the configuration of a full-color copying machine that employs the CMYK storage method, and is a block diagram illustrating the flow of image data during copying.
First, when reading an original, the original set in the reading unit 1 is read and sent to the scanner correction unit 2 as 600 dpi and 8-bit image data of each color separated into RGB. Here, the scanner image data is 8 bits for each color of 600 dpi, but the present invention is not limited to this.

Next, the scanner correction unit 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
The scanner correction unit 2 performs scanner γ processing, filter processing, color correction processing, and scaling processing.
The 600 dpi 8-bit RGB color signal is converted into a 600 dpi 8-bit CMYK color signal by the edge correction and the pattern portion are smoothed in the filter process, and the color correction process. When the copy mode is the monochrome mode, only K data is useful data.

  In parallel with this, automatic color selection (hereinafter abbreviated as ACS) determination is also performed. For this purpose, the scanner image data before various image processing is used to determine which color is present in the image data. Details of this will be described later.

  The 600 dpi CMYK image data for each color after scaling is converted into 2-bit image data for each color by the fixed-length irreversible compressor 3. The output of the fixed-length irreversible compressor 3 is connected to the general-purpose bus 14, and 600 dpi 2-bit CMYK image data after the irreversible compression is sent to the printer controller 9 of the printer controller unit 200 through the general-purpose bus 14. . When the copy mode is the monochrome mode, only the K data is useful as described above. Therefore, the CMY data may be discarded and only K may be transferred. In that case, the data size at the time of accumulation can be reduced to ¼. The printer controller 9 has an independent semiconductor memory 11 for each color, and stores sent data.

  The printer controller 9 also holds attribute data that stores attribute information of the accumulated image data. For example, information such as image resolution, character / photo, image quality mode such as color / monochrome, paper size, number of printed sheets and the like can be mentioned.

  The accumulated image data and attribute data are written to a hard disk (HDD) 10 which is a large capacity storage device as needed. This is to avoid rereading the original even when the paper is jammed at the time of printout and the output does not end normally, or to perform electronic sorting to rearrange a plurality of original image data. In recent years, in addition to this, there are some which have a function of accumulating read originals and re-outputting them when necessary.

  Here, irreversible compression is applied to CMYK image data. However, if the bandwidth of the general-purpose bus 14 is sufficiently wide and the capacity of the HDD 10 to be stored is large, the data may be handled in an uncompressed state. This can prevent image deterioration due to irreversible compression. In addition, a reversible compression method may be used. In that case, the code length after block compression is not constant, so it is difficult to rotate the image for each block, and in many cases, an external memory for rotation is required. It becomes.

When outputting, 600 dpi 2-bit CMYK compressed image data in the HDD 10 is once expanded in the semiconductor memory 11 and then sent to the plotter engine unit 100 through the general-purpose bus 14.
The data is converted again into 8-bit CMYK image data by the fixed-length irreversible decompressor 6 of the plotter engine unit 100. This data is sent to the printer correction unit 5 shown in FIG. 3. The printer correction unit 5 performs printer γ correction on each color of CMYK, and then intermediates in accordance with the writing unit (GAVD) 7 and the image forming unit 8. The tone is processed and output to the transfer paper.

  FIG. 4 is an example showing the configuration of a full-color copying machine that employs the same CMYK storage system as in FIG. 1, and is a block diagram illustrating the flow of image data during scanner distribution. As can be seen by comparing FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the flow of image data until it is stored in the HDD 10 is the same as the image data processing at the time of normal copying, so the description until it is stored in the HDD 10 is omitted.

The 600 dpi 2-bit CMYK compressed image data in the HDD 10 is once expanded in the semiconductor memory 11 in the storage format as it is, and the CMYK data compressed by the compression / decompression block 13 is expanded. The compression / decompression block 13 includes a plurality of algorithm decompressors, and the printer controller 9 reads information about the storage format recorded in the HDD 10 and instructs the algorithm to be used to perform data decompression.
As a result, the 600 dpi 2-bit CMYK compressed image data is decoded into 600 dpi 8-bit CMYK image data. If the corresponding algorithm does not exist, an error is returned to the printer controller 9. In this case, the backup data cannot be written back.

  If the compression / decompression block 13 is programmable by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or the like, the degree of freedom is further expanded. You can embed the code in the firmware of the device and use it when you use it, or you can download the code from the network if necessary.

  The expanded 600 dpi 8-bit CMYK image data is output to the image format conversion unit 12 and subjected to various processes. Data is converted from the storage format 600 dpi 8-bit CMYK of the HDD 10 to the image format 200 dpi 8-bit RGB used for distribution.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a block diagram of the image format conversion unit 12 shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 6. A color conversion circuit that performs color space conversion, a resolution conversion circuit that performs image resolution conversion, and a filter The filter processing circuit performs processing, the γ processing circuit performs γ processing, and the halftone processing circuit performs halftone processing.

  The expanded 600 dpi 8-bit CMYK image data is converted into 600 dpi 8-bit RGB data, which is actually a color space in scanner distribution, by a color conversion circuit. The converted 600 dpi RGB image data is subjected to resolution conversion into 200 dpi 8-bit RGB image data, which is the resolution actually set in the scanner distribution by the resolution conversion circuit. Note that the resolution and color space are not limited to the examples shown here (generally, it is desirable that the resolution is low and the file size is small in scanner distribution), and any resolution or sRGB / YUV is desired. -A color space such as gray scale is also acceptable.

  Subsequent filter processing, γ processing, and halftone processing are performed according to user settings. Here, it is set as through without performing any particular processing. In this way, the accumulated 600 dpi 8-bit CMYK data is converted into 200 dpi 8-bit RGB data for scanner delivery.

  The image data converted into 200 dpi 8-bit RGB inside the main body is compressed again according to the output format in the compression / decompression block 13, and once expanded in the semiconductor memory 11, then converted into JPEG, TIFF, and BMP formats. And is distributed to the external device 20 through the NIC (network interface controller) 16.

  FIG. 6 is an example showing the configuration of a full-color copier that employs the same CMYK storage method as in FIGS. 1 and 4, and is a block diagram illustrating the flow of image data during FAX distribution. As can be seen by comparing FIG. 6 with FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the flow of image data until it is stored in the HDD 10 is the same as the image data processing during normal copying. Omitted.

  The 600 dpi 2-bit CMYK compressed image data in the HDD is once expanded in the semiconductor memory 11 in the storage format as it is, and the CMYK data compressed by the compression / expansion block 13 is expanded. The compression / decompression block 13 includes a plurality of algorithm decompressors, and the printer controller 9 reads information about the storage format recorded in the HDD 10 and instructs the algorithm to be used to perform data decompression. As a result, the 600 dpi 2-bit CMYK compressed image data is decoded into 600 dpi 8-bit CMYK image data. If the corresponding algorithm does not exist, an error is returned to the printer controller 9. In this case, the backup data cannot be written back.

  If the compression / decompression block 13 is programmable by a DSP or the like, the degree of freedom is further expanded. You can embed the code in the firmware of the device and use it when you use it, or you can download the code from the network if necessary.

  The expanded 600 dpi 8-bit CMYK image data is output to the image format conversion unit 12 and subjected to various processes. The storage format 600 dpi 8-bit CMYK of the HDD 10 is converted to an image format 200 dpi 1-bit monochrome binary used for FAX distribution.

  The movement of the image format conversion unit 12 will be described with reference to FIG. The expanded 600 dpi 8-bit CMYK image data is converted by the color conversion circuit into 600 dpi 8-bit grayscale image data that is actually a color space in FAX distribution. The converted 600 dpi grayscale image data is subjected to resolution conversion into 200 dpi 8-bit grayscale image data, which is the resolution actually set in the scanner distribution by the resolution conversion circuit. Note that the resolution and color space are not limited to the examples shown here (generally, it is desired that the resolution is reduced and the file size is small in FAX distribution), and any resolution or sRGB / YUV is desired. -A color space such as gray scale is also acceptable.

  Subsequent filter processing, γ processing, and halftone processing are performed suitable for FAX distribution. That is, in order to improve the legibility of characters, a filter that emphasizes edges is applied, the γ characteristics are adjusted, and error diffusion processing is performed by halftone processing. In this way, the accumulated 600 dpi 8-bit CMYK data is converted into 200 dpi 1-bit grayscale data for FAX distribution.

  The image data converted into the 200 dpi 1-bit gray scale is compressed again according to the output format in the compression / decompression block 13 (such as MH / MR / MMR in FAX), and once expanded in the semiconductor memory 11. The image is adjusted to a general-purpose image format to the TIFF format and distributed to the public line through the FAX controller 15.

Next, the ACS determination unit shown in FIG. 2 will be described.
FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of the ACS determination unit according to the present embodiment, and determines the color present in the document. The color to be determined is RGBCMY, but is not limited to this.
The ACS determination unit is a block for detecting RGBCMY. As shown in the figure, the hue division unit, a line memory that stores five lines of output CMYW of the hue division unit, and a color pixel block of input image data are determined. The color determination unit determines RGBCMY.

  The hue division unit separates input RGB image data into RGBCMYK + ACS W signals by hue division, and extracts white pixels for color pixel determination. As an example of hue division, each color boundary is obtained, and the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of RGB is defined as an RGB difference, and is as follows. Here, it is assumed that the RGB data becomes black when the number increases.

Here, the priority order of the above 7-14 gives priority to the smaller number. thw, thy, thm, thc, thr, thg, thb are threshold values determined before the color determination operation.
The RGB difference is a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value between RGB image data in one pixel.

  As an output signal, cmy is combined and output in 3 bits. That is, 3 bits represent 8 colors of CMYRGBKW. Here, the threshold value is changed for each hue because the chromatic range is different for each hue region, and the threshold value needs to be determined according to the hue region. The configuration of the hue division is an example, and the configuration is not limited to this, and other methods may be used.

  The output cmy of the hue division unit is stored in 5 lines in the line memory and input to the color determination unit. FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of the color determination unit shown in FIG. 7, which includes a count unit, a color pixel determination unit, a blocking unit, a density unit, and a continuous count unit for each color of RGBCMY.

  The count unit receives 5 lines of cmy data from the line memory and counts the number of pixels (c, m, y) in a 5 × 5 block (the counted numbers are nc, nm, respectively). , Ny), and sent to the next color pixel determination unit. The color pixel determination unit determines the color of the target pixel under the following conditions.

  Here, the priority of 1-8 is given priority to the smaller number. Note that tha_w, tha_c1, tha_c2, tha_m1, tha_m2, tha_y1, tha_y2, tha_r1, tha_r2, tha_g1, tha_g2, tha_b1, and tha_b2 are preset threshold values before color determination.

  As a result, when it is determined that the color is any one of RGBCMYK, only the determined color is sent to the subsequent block forming unit as High, and otherwise. In addition, when the determination is W, none of the colors is applicable, and all the colors are sent to the blocking unit as Low.

  The blocking unit blocks each determination output of RGBCMYK of the color pixel determination unit. Here, blocking means outputting as a color pixel block when there is one or more color pixels in a 4 × 4 matrix. Therefore, the processing after the blocking unit is output in units of blocks with 4 × 4 as one block.

  The densification unit determines that the active block is active if there are three or more active conditions in the 3 × 3 block and the target block is active in order to remove the isolated block from the output of the blocking unit. The result is output to the continuous count unit for each color of RGBCMYK.

  The RGBCMYK color continuous count unit checks the continuity of the color pixel block for each color and determines whether the document includes each color of RGBCMYK. This result is output to a CPU (not shown).

  Next, an operation for counting the continuity of the color pixel blocks in the continuous counting unit will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of counting the continuity of the color pixel blocks in the continuous counting unit. Here, MS is an array indicating state variables of the current line, SS is an array of state variables of the previous line, I is a pixel block position of main scanning, Thacs is a threshold value for determining continuity, MS [I] and SS [I] indicates a continuous count value. Although there are seven types of circuits, RGBCMYK, all of which operate in the same way, only one color will be described.

First, when the pixel block of interest is not a color pixel block (NO in step S100), MS [I] = 0 is set (step S112), I = I + 1 is set (step S105), and the continuous count value in the next pixel block is detected. Done.
On the other hand, if MS [I] = Thacs (YES in step S101), it is determined as a color original (step S113).

If MS [I] = Thacs is not satisfied (NO in step S101), if it is determined that MS [I] ≦ SS [I + 1] (upper right block) (YES in step S102), the process proceeds to step S107. Transition.
On the other hand, when it is determined that MS [I] ≦ SS [I + 1] is not satisfied (NO in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103.

If SS [I] (upper block) is not 0 (NO in step S107), MS [I] = SS [I + 1] is set, and the continuous count value of the pixel block of interest is set as the continuous count value of the upper right pixel block. Set (step S108), the process proceeds to step S103.
On the other hand, if SS [I] = 0 (YES in step S107) and SS [I-1] (upper left block) is not 0 (NO in step S109), the process proceeds to step S108 in the same manner.

Further, when SS [I-1] = 0 (YES in step S109), if MS [I-1] (left block) = 0 (YES in step S110), MS [I] = As SS [I + 1] +1, the continuous count value of the pixel block of interest is set to the continuous count value + 1 of the upper right pixel block (step S111), and the process proceeds to step S103.
On the other hand, if MS [I-1] = 0 is not satisfied (NO in step S110), the process proceeds to step S108.

MS [I-1] (left block) = MAX (MS [I-1], S [I-1], S [I]), and the maximum of the pixel blocks on the left, upper left, and upper of the target pixel block Is set as the continuous count value in the left pixel block of the pixel block of interest (step S103).
Subsequently, MS [I] ≦ MS [I−1], that is, if the continuous count value of the pixel block of interest is equal to or less than the continuous count value of the left pixel block (YES in step S104), MS [I] = MS [I-1] +1 (step S106), and the process proceeds to step S105.
On the other hand, when it is determined that MS [I] ≦ MS [I−1] is not satisfied (NO in step S104), I = I + 1 is set (step S105), and the continuous count value in the next pixel block is detected. .

  In FIG. 9 described above, when the pixel block of interest is a color pixel block, if the continuous count values of the left, upper, and upper left pixel blocks are all 0, the continuous count value of the upper right pixel block is incremented by one, and counted. On the other hand, when the pixel block of interest is a color pixel block, if the continuous count value of the left / upper / upper left pixel block is any other than 0, the continuous count value of the upper right pixel block is held as it is.

  Then, the maximum continuous count value of the adjacent pixel block (peripheral left, upper, upper left, and upper right) is set as the continuous count value of the pixel block of interest (current pixel block). However, if the target pixel block is not a color pixel block, the continuous count value is cleared to zero. That is, the continuous count value is substantially the sum of the vertical and horizontal line segments. When the continuous count value reaches a certain threshold value (Thacs), it is determined that the document is a specific color document. The reason why the continuous count value of the upper right pixel block is treated differently is to prevent double counting.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the continuous count unit of each color refers to the continuous count value of the color pixel block in the pixel block one line before (the pixel block on the upper left, upper, and upper right with respect to the target pixel block). Thus, the continuous count value of the color pixel block in the target pixel block is calculated, and when the calculated continuous count value of the color pixel block in the target pixel block is equal to or greater than the threshold, it is determined that the document uses a specific color. It is possible to accurately determine whether the document is a specific color. In addition, even if an erroneous determination is made in a small area, it can be accurately determined whether or not the document has a specific color.

  Further, in the conventional ACS, only monochrome or color can be determined, but in order to determine whether the original is a color original independently of RGBCMYK, it is possible to determine “how many colors are used?” It becomes.

  In this embodiment, the configuration example for the RGB data is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to the RGB data. For example, the hue determination may be performed on a luminance color difference system (Lab color space).

  The RGB CMYK color determination results determined by the ACS determination unit switch the device and the destination to be output by each color. An example is shown below.

  If a plurality of colors 1 to 6 described above are detected as the ACS determination result, or a K plate of 7 is detected, a copy output is made. Conversely, if any one of RGBCMYK is detected, FAX or scanner distribution is performed to each destination.

  The above is the case where the RGBCMYK color determination result is determined to be any of the RGBCMY color originals. If it is determined that the color is not any color, it is determined to be blank, and the output operation and the distribution operation are performed. Not performed.

  Note that the output device and destination described here are not limited to this, and the user can arbitrarily set them.

  For example, assume that the user has prepared the following document.

(1) A document for FAX distribution using an R-colored mark or an R-colored paper for ACS determination.
(2) Documents for scanner distribution using M-color indicia added or M-color paper for ACS determination.
(3) A document to be copied in full color.
(4) A document to be copied in monochrome.

When these are read in the ACS mode of the multifunction device, the ACS determination circuit recognizes the color of R, and is distributed to the telephone number of A as FAX distribution. In (2), the color of M is recognized and delivered to the mail address or IP address of B as scanner delivery. In (3), since the ACS determination circuit determines a plurality of colors, it is copied and output as a full-color copy. In (4), the color of K is determined, and a copy is output as a monochrome copy.
In this way, by associating the output destination and further the delivery destination with colors in advance, it is possible to output to different places even when the originals are mixed.

As described above, the configuration example of the full-color multifunction peripheral that employs the CMYK storage method has been described. However, the RGB storage method can be similarly configured.
10, 13, and 14 are examples showing the configuration of a full-color multi-function peripheral that employs an RGB storage method, and copying in a full-color multi-function peripheral when storing in RGB instead of the CMYK image storage described so far. It is a block diagram explaining the flow of image data at the time of time, scanner distribution, and FAX distribution.

  The basic operation is the same as that shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6, which is a configuration example employing the CMYK storage method. The difference is that the color correction circuit in the scanner correction circuit of FIG. 2 has moved to the printer correction circuit due to the change from CMYK storage to RGB storage (FIGS. 11 and 12). The other operations are the same as those shown in FIGS.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic block showing a configuration of a full-color digital multifunction peripheral that performs CMYK accumulation and a flow of image data during copying. It is an example of the block diagram of a scanner correction | amendment part. It is an example of a block diagram of a printer correction unit. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic block showing a configuration of a full-color digital multi-function peripheral that performs CMYK accumulation and a flow of image data during scanner distribution. It is an example of the block diagram of an image format conversion part. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic block showing a configuration of a full-color digital multifunction peripheral that performs CMYK accumulation and a flow of image data at the time of FAX distribution. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structural example of an ACS determination part. It is a block diagram which shows the example of an internal structure of a color determination part. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process which counts the continuity of a color pixel block. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic block showing a configuration of a full-color digital multi-function peripheral that performs RGB storage and a flow of image data at the time of copying. It is an example of the block diagram of a scanner correction | amendment part. It is an example of a block diagram of a printer correction unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic block showing a configuration of a full-color digital multi-function peripheral that performs RGB accumulation and a flow of image data during scanner distribution. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic block showing a configuration of a full-color digital multi-function peripheral that performs RGB storage and a flow of image data during FAX distribution.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Reading unit, 2 ... Scanner correction | amendment part, 3 ... Fixed length irreversible compressor, 4 ... Engine controller, 5 ... Printer correction | amendment part, 6 ... Non-reversible decompressor, 7 ... Writing unit (GAVD), 8 ... Production Image unit, 9 ... printer controller, 10 ... HDD, 11 ... (semiconductor) memory, 12 ... image format conversion unit, 13 ... compression / decompression block, 14 ... general purpose bus, 15 ... FAX controller, 16 ... NIC, 20 ... external device , 100: Plotter engine unit, 200: Printer controller unit.

Claims (3)

  In a full-color image forming apparatus having a plurality of devices that store and store image data and then output the image data, input means for reading the image data, storage means for storing the image data read by the input means, and the input image Color determining means for determining whether or not the original is a color original of a specific color based on the data, image processing means for processing according to a device that outputs the input image data, and the storage means An output means for outputting the image data stored in the storage means, and an image data conversion means for converting the format of the image data stored in the storage means, and switches the output device based on the determination result of the color determination means A full-color image forming apparatus.   In a full-color image forming apparatus having a plurality of devices that store and store image data and then output the image data, input means for reading the image data, storage means for storing the image data read by the input means, and the input image A color determination unit that performs color determination based on data to determine whether the document is a color document of a specific color, an image processing unit that processes the input image data according to a device that outputs the image data, and a storage unit An output unit that outputs the stored image data; and an image data conversion unit that converts a format of the image data stored in the storage unit, and switches an output destination based on a determination result of the color determination unit. A full-color image forming apparatus.   3. The full-color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the color determination result by the color determination unit is white, no output is performed.