JP2007174397A - Device and method for generating image, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain the consumption of toner used for printing a code image onto a medium, such as paper. <P>SOLUTION: A document image input part 10 inputs a document image to transmit the document image to a determination part 20 and an image synthesizer 40. The determination part 20 determines the types of elements for synthesizing the document image to transmit the result to a code image generator 30. The code image generator 30 generates a machine-readable code image based on a result determined by the determination part 20 for transmitting to the image synthesizer 40. The image synthesizer 40 synthesizes the document image received from the document image input part 10, and the code image received from the code image generator 30 for transmitting the synthesized image to an image formation instruction part 50. The image formation instruction part 50 instructs an image-forming device to form the document image having the code image received from the image synthesizer 40 on a medium, such as paper. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image generation apparatus that generates an image in which a machine-readable code image is superimposed on a document image.

  In recent years, characters and pictures are drawn on special paper on which fine dots are printed, and the data written on the paper by the user is transferred to a personal computer or mobile phone. The technology that makes it possible is drawing attention. In this technique, small dots are printed on this special paper at intervals of, for example, about 0.3 mm, and this is configured to draw all different patterns for each grid of a predetermined size, for example. By reading this using a dedicated pen with a built-in digital camera, for example, the position of a character or the like written on this special paper can be specified, and such a character or the like is used as electronic information. It becomes possible.

  Here, as a conventional technique described in the publication, there is a technique of printing an electronically stored document on a paper sheet having a position coding pattern (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this technique, a special paper sheet having a position coding pattern is also used. A document is printed on this paper sheet, and then manually edited using a digital pen equipped with a means for reading a position coding pattern and a pen point for marking the surface of the paper, and the edited result is converted into electronic information. It is configured to be reflected. Further, Patent Document 1 also describes that it is desirable to print document information together with a position coding pattern.

Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2003-528388 (paragraph 63)

By the way, one of the uses of a paper sheet provided with a position coding pattern is to realize a desired function by marking a specific portion with a dedicated pen. For example, when a paper sheet is used for such an application, only marking at a specific location is a meaningful operation, and marking at other locations is not a meaningful operation. In this case, if the position coding pattern is printed at a place where the marking is not a meaningful operation, the toner is wasted.
In addition, when the position coding is embedded in the entire surface of the paper, there is a problem that the image quality of the document is deteriorated. In particular, in recent years, with the enhancement of the functions of image forming apparatuses such as printers, documents incorporating pictures and the like have been frequently printed. In such a case, there is also a demand for giving priority to the image quality for a design or the like unless there is a use for realizing a desired function by marking with a dedicated pen.
Furthermore, there is a case where it is desired to change whether or not the position coding pattern is added to each element constituting the document and the type of the position coding pattern to be added for each document. However, the conventional technique cannot cope with such a case. There was also a problem.

SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to suppress consumption of toner used for printing an image in which a code image is superimposed on a document image.
Another object of the present invention is to prevent deterioration of the image quality of a document image when printing an image in which a code image is superimposed on the document image.
Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to make it possible to freely set a method for superimposing a code image on a document image.

For this purpose, in the present invention, the code image generation method is determined according to the type of elements constituting the document image. That is, the image generation apparatus of the present invention is an image generation apparatus that generates an image in which a machine-readable code image is superimposed on a document image, a determination unit that determines the type of each element constituting the document image, and each element Code image generating means for reflecting the type of each element in the generation of the code image at the position to be superimposed on.
Here, as an example of “reflecting the type of each element in the generation of the code image at the position superimposed on each element”, the presence or absence of the code image at the position superimposed on each element is determined according to the type of each element It is conceivable to determine the type of code image at the position to be superimposed on each element according to the type of each element.
Further, in order to allow the user to freely set a method of “reflecting the type of each element in the generation of the code image at the position where it is superimposed on each element”, the above-described image generation apparatus is provided with respect to the generation of the code image by the code image generation means Generation mode input means for inputting mode information for specifying the type reflection method, and code image generation means for reflecting the type in the generation of the code image according to the reflection method specified by the mode information input by the generation mode input means Generation control means for controlling

  The present invention can also be understood as a method for generating an image in which a machine-readable code image is superimposed on a document image. In this case, the image generation method of the present invention includes a step of determining the type of a specific element constituting the document image, the type of the element constituting the document image, and the generation of the code image at the position superimposed on the element of the type A step of reading information relating to the generation method corresponding to the type of the specific element from the storage means storing the correspondence relationship with the information relating to the method, and a code image at a position superimposed on the specific element according to the read information relating to the generation method Generating.

  On the other hand, the present invention can also be understood as a program for causing a computer to realize a predetermined function. In that case, the program of the present invention is for generating an image in which a machine-readable code image is superimposed on a document image, and having a function of determining a type of a specific element constituting the document image in a computer, Information relating to the generation method corresponding to the type of the specific element from the storage means storing the correspondence between the type of the element constituting the document image and information relating to the generation method of the code image at the position superimposed on the element of the type And a function of generating a code image at a position to be superimposed on a specific element in accordance with the information related to the read generation method.

  According to the present invention, consumption of toner used for printing an image in which a code image is superimposed on a document image can be suppressed.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a system to which the present embodiment is applied. In this system, at least a terminal device 100 that instructs to print an electronic document, a document repository 200 that stores the electronic document, and an image forming apparatus 400 that superimposes a code image on the image of the electronic document and prints the network 900. It is configured by being connected. The system also includes a printed material 500 output from the image forming apparatus 400 and a pen device 600 that records characters or graphics on the printed material 500 and reads the trajectory of the characters or graphics. Further, a terminal device 700 that displays the locus received from the pen device 600 and the electronic document acquired from the document repository 200 in an overlapping manner is also connected to the network 900.

The outline of the operation of this system will be described below.
First, the terminal device 100 acquires an electronic document to be printed from the document repository 200 (A). Then, it instructs the image forming apparatus 400 to print this electronic document (B). At this time, the terminal device 100 designates a printing attribute that is a parameter related to printing. The print attributes include paper size, orientation, double-sided printing, and the like as in normal printing. In addition, regarding the code image, designation of an area in which the code image is to be printed may be included.
When receiving the instruction to print the electronic document, the image forming apparatus 400 prints an image obtained by superimposing the code image on the image of the electronic document on a medium such as paper, and outputs a printed matter 500 (C). In this case, the code image is an image of the identification code corresponding to the identification information and the position code corresponding to the position information. Alternatively, it may be an image including additional information which is other information. Note that the process of superimposing the image of the electronic document and the code image may be performed by the terminal device 100 or the image forming apparatus 400.

Here, as the identification information, information for uniquely identifying each medium can be adopted. For example, it may be information obtained by combining the identification number of the image forming apparatus 400 and the serial number of printing of the medium in the image forming apparatus 400 or the date and time of printing. It may be managed information. Alternatively, information that uniquely identifies an electronic document printed on a medium may be adopted as identification information instead of information that uniquely identifies each medium.
The position information is information for specifying the coordinate position (X coordinate, Y coordinate) on each medium. For example, it is conceivable to express coordinates in a coordinate system set by taking the upper left point of the medium as the origin, taking the X axis in the right direction of the medium and the Y axis in the lower direction.
Further, the additional information includes the identification information of the user who issued the print instruction, information about whether copying is prohibited, or the like.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 400 forms the code image as an invisible image using an invisible toner whose infrared light absorption rate is equal to or higher than a certain reference. On the other hand, it is preferable that the document image of the electronic document is formed as a visible image using a visible toner having an infrared light absorption rate which is equal to or lower than a certain reference. The difference in the absorption rate of infrared light between the toner used for forming the code image and the toner used for forming the document image is that the reading accuracy when reading the code image by irradiating the infrared light is increased. This is to ensure. In this specification, the description is based on the premise that the code image is read by infrared light irradiation, but the code image may be read by ultraviolet light.

Thereafter, it is assumed that the user has written characters or figures on the printed material 500 using the pen device 600 (D). Thereby, the pen device 600 inputs a code image by irradiating the printed matter 500 with infrared light and detecting the reflected light. Then, information is acquired or generated from the code image, and the information is transmitted to the terminal device 700 via wired communication or wireless communication (E). The information transmitted here includes, for example, identification information of the printed matter 500 and position information of characters or figures written on the printed matter 500. Alternatively, the position information may be transmitted as trajectory information obtained by connecting the position information of characters or figures at a certain time.
Thereafter, based on the identification information received from the pen device 600, the terminal device 700 acquires an electronic document that is a source of the document image printed on the printed material 500 from the document repository 200 (F). Then, the electronic document acquired from the document repository 200 and the information acquired from the pen device 600 are superimposed and displayed.

By the way, when the identification information received from the pen device 600 is information that uniquely identifies each medium, in order to be able to acquire an electronic document based on this identification information, the identification information and the electronic document It is necessary to manage the correspondence. In FIG. 1, it is not clearly shown where to manage this correspondence, but it may be managed where it can be accessed from the terminal device 700. For example, the document repository 200 or the image forming apparatus 400 may be used. When the identification information received from the pen device 600 is information that uniquely identifies the electronic document printed on the medium, the electronic document can be acquired without referring to such correspondence.
Further, when the trajectory information is received from the pen device 600, the trajectory information is displayed superimposed on the position on the electronic document corresponding to the writing position on the printed matter 500. This is because the code image read by the pen device 600 includes writing position information, and the corresponding position in the display image of the electronic document can be specified from the information.

Although the system to which the present embodiment is applied has been described above, such a configuration is merely an example. For example, the process of superimposing the image of the electronic document and the code image may be performed by a server computer or the like that relays a print instruction from the terminal apparatus 100 to the image forming apparatus 400. Further, the document repository 200 may be in the terminal device 100. Furthermore, the terminal device 100 and the terminal device 700 may be the same terminal device.
In this specification, the term “electronic document” is used, but this does not mean only data obtained by digitizing a “document” including text. For example, “electronic document” includes image data such as pictures, photographs, figures, etc. (regardless of raster data or vector data) and other printable electronic data.

By the way, in this embodiment, when generating a superimposed image in which a document image and a code image are superimposed in such a system, a code image to be superimposed on each element constituting the document image is determined according to the type of the element. To do.
Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of an image generation apparatus that generates such a superimposed image will be described.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the image generation apparatus according to the first embodiment.
As shown in the figure, the image generation apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a document image input unit 10, a determination unit 20, a code image generation unit 30, an image composition unit 40, and an image formation instruction unit 50. . Here, specific hardware for realizing the image generation apparatus is not explicitly shown, but for example, it may be realized by a printer driver or the like in the terminal apparatus 100, or may be included in the image forming apparatus 400. It may be realized by IPS (Image Processing System).

Hereinafter, each function of FIG. 2 will be described in detail.
The document image input unit 10 inputs a document image and transmits the document image to the determination unit 20 and the image composition unit 40. If the image generation device is realized by the terminal device 100, a document created by the terminal device 100 may be taken in according to the user's specification. Further, if the image generation apparatus is realized by the image forming apparatus 400, for example, a document may be captured by a scanner or the like.
The determination unit 20 determines the types of elements constituting the document image, and transmits the result to the code image generation unit 30. Here, various known methods can be used as a method for determining the type of element. For example, when attribute information corresponding to a type such as a character, a photo, or a graphic is added to a document, it may be used. This corresponds to attribute information of structured documents such as PDF (Portable Document Format) and XML (eXtensible Markup Language). Further, when such attribute information is not added, for example, a document image may be analyzed by a method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-189090 to determine the type of element. Alternatively, such an analysis may be performed on an image of a document to which attribute information is added to determine the element type.

The code image generation unit 30 generates a machine-readable code image based on the determination result by the determination unit 20 and transmits it to the image composition unit 40.
The image composition unit 40 synthesizes the document image received from the document image input unit 10 and the code image received from the code image generation unit 30, and transmits the composite image to the image formation instruction unit 50.
The image formation instructing unit 50 instructs the image forming apparatus 400 to form a document image with a code image received from the image composition unit 40 on a medium such as paper. At this time, it is preferable to instruct the machine-readable code image to be formed as an invisible image.

  These functions are realized by cooperation between software and hardware resources. That is, the document image input unit 10, the determination unit 20, the code image generation unit 30, the image composition unit 40, and the image formation instruction unit 50 are stored in a hard disk of the device by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the image generation device. It can be realized by loading a program for realizing each function into the main memory.

Next, a code image generated by the code image generation unit 30 and formed on the medium by the image forming apparatus 400 according to an instruction from the image formation instruction unit 50 will be described.
FIGS. 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the above-described code image. FIG. 3A schematically shows a two-dimensional code array formed as an invisible image. FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of the two-dimensional code which is one unit of the two-dimensional code array in FIG. Further, FIG. 3C is a diagram for explaining a pattern image of backslash “\” and slash “/”.

  In the present embodiment, the code images shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C have a maximum absorption rate of, for example, 7% or less in the visible light region (400 nm to 700 nm), and the near infrared region (800 nm to 1000 nm). For example, an invisible toner having an absorption rate of 30% or more. The invisible toner has an average dispersion diameter in the range of 100 nm to 600 nm in order to enhance the near infrared light absorption capability necessary for machine reading of an image. Here, “visible” and “invisible” are not related to whether they can be recognized visually. “Visible” and “invisible” are distinguished depending on whether or not an image formed on a printed medium can be recognized by the presence or absence of color development due to absorption of a specific wavelength in the visible light region. Further, “invisible” includes those that have some color developability due to absorption of a specific wavelength in the visible light region but are difficult to recognize with human eyes.

  In addition, the code image is formed as an invisible image that can be machine-readed and decoded by infrared light irradiation stably over a long period of time and can record information at high density. Furthermore, it is preferable that the image is an invisible image that can be provided in an arbitrary area regardless of the area where the visible image on the medium surface that outputs the image is provided. Furthermore, for example, an invisible image that can be recognized by a difference in gloss when visually observed is more preferable. For example, an invisible image is formed on the entire surface of the medium (paper surface) in accordance with the size of the medium to be printed. However, “entire surface” does not mean to include all four corners of the sheet. In an apparatus such as an electrophotographic system, the area around the paper surface is usually a non-printable range, and therefore it is not necessary to print an invisible image in such a range.

  The two-dimensional code shown in FIG. 3B includes an area in which a position code indicating a coordinate position on the medium is stored, and an area in which an identification code for uniquely specifying the medium or the like is stored. It also includes an area for storing the synchronization code. As shown in FIG. 3A, a plurality of the two-dimensional codes are arranged on the medium surface in a lattice pattern. That is, a plurality of two-dimensional codes as shown in FIG. 3B are arranged on the medium surface, each of which includes a position code, an identification code, and a synchronization code. In the plurality of position code areas, different position information is stored depending on the place where each area is arranged. On the other hand, the same identification information is stored in the areas of the plurality of identification codes regardless of the place where they are arranged.

  In FIG. 3B, the position code is arranged in a 6 bit × 6 bit rectangular area. Each bit value is formed by a plurality of minute line bit maps having different rotation angles, and the bit value 0 and the bit value 1 are expressed by the pattern image (pattern 0 and pattern 1) shown in FIG. . More specifically, the bit value 0 and the bit value 1 are expressed using backslash “\” and slash “/” having different slopes. The pattern image is composed of 600 dpi and a size of 8 × 8 pixels. A diagonally upward pattern image (pattern 0) has a bit value 0, and a diagonally upward pattern image (pattern 1) has a bit value 1. Express. Therefore, 1-bit information (0 or 1) can be expressed by one pattern image. By using such a minute line bitmap composed of two kinds of inclinations, a two-dimensional code capable of embedding a large amount of information with high density by providing very little noise to a visible image. It becomes possible.

That is, a total of 36-bit position information is stored in the position code area shown in FIG. Of these 36 bits, 18 bits can be used for encoding the X coordinate, and 18 bits can be used for encoding the Y coordinate. If all 18 bits are used for position encoding, 218 (about 260,000) positions can be encoded. If each pattern image is composed of 8 pixels × 8 pixels (600 dpi) as shown in FIG. 3C, one dot of 600 dpi is 0.0423 mm, so that FIG. The size of the two-dimensional code (including the synchronization code) is about 3 mm (8 pixels × 9 bits × 0.0423 mm) both vertically and horizontally. When 260,000 positions are encoded at intervals of 3 mm, a length of about 786 m can be encoded. In this way, all 18 bits may be used for position coding, or when a pattern image detection error occurs, redundant bits for error detection and error correction may be included. .
The identification code is arranged in a rectangular area of 2 bits × 8 bits and 6 bits × 2 bits, and can store a total of 28 bits of identification information. When 28 bits are used as the identification information, 228 (about 270 million) identification information can be expressed. Similarly to the position code, the identification code can include redundant bits for error detection and error correction in 28 bits.

In the example shown in FIG. 3C, the two pattern images are 90 degrees apart from each other, but if the angle difference is 45 degrees, four types of pattern images can be configured. When configured in this way, 2-bit information (0 to 3) can be expressed by one pattern image. That is, the number of bits that can be expressed can be increased by increasing the angle types of the pattern image.
In the example shown in FIG. 3C, the coding of the bit value is described using the pattern image, but other than the pattern image may be adopted. For example, it is possible to perform encoding according to the ON / OFF state of the dot or the direction in which the dot position is shifted from the reference position.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
4 and 5 show a document image input to the image generation apparatus according to the present embodiment and a superimposed image after a code image is added to the document image.
FIG. 4A shows an example of a document image composed of a pattern and other than the pattern (character / background). In the first example of the present embodiment, a superimposed image as shown in FIG. 4B is generated by adding a code image to this document image. That is, in order to prioritize the image quality, the code image is not given to the part of the design, and the code image is given only to the part other than the design.

  FIG. 5A shows an example of a document image composed of a photograph, a figure, characters, and a background. In the second example of the present embodiment, a superimposed image as shown in FIG. 5B is generated by adding a code image to this document image. That is, in order to prioritize image quality, the code image is not given to the part of the photograph and the figure, and the code image is given only to the other part. Even when a code image is given, a normal code image is given to the background portion, and a code image having a density lower than this is given to the character portion. Here, an example of a code image with a low density is shown in FIG. This is an example of increasing the interval of the two-dimensional code shown in FIG. 3B for the code image assigned to the character portion (adding every other two-dimensional code). It is also conceivable to change the shape and size of the oblique line pattern in the two-dimensional code to a sparse one.

Next, the operation in the first example of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 4 will be described in detail.
First, when a document image is input, the document image input unit 10 transmits the document image to the determination unit 20 and the image composition unit 40. When receiving the document image, the determination unit 20 determines whether an element in the document image is a pattern using, for example, a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-189090. The result determined by the determination unit 20 is passed to the code image generation unit 30 in the format (x1, y1, x2, y2, type), for example. Here, x1 and y1 are the X and Y coordinates of the upper left point of the area occupied by the specific element, x2 and y2 are the X and Y coordinates of the lower right point of the area, and type is the type of area (in this case, Design or otherwise). That is, the correspondence as shown in FIG. 6 is transmitted from the determination unit 20 to the code image generation unit 30.
Here, the type is assigned to the elements constituting the document image, but the type may be assigned to each pixel of the document image.

Thereby, the code image generation unit 30 generates a machine-readable code image.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the code image generation unit 30 at this time.
First, an index i for counting the number in the Y direction of the two-dimensional code (see FIG. 3B) constituting the code image to be superimposed on the document image is set to 1 (step 101), and the number in the X direction is set. 1 is also set to the index j for counting (step 102). It is assumed that the maximum value of the index i is M, the maximum value of the index j is N, and the position with respect to the index (i, j) is expressed as P (i, j).

Thereafter, the processes in steps 103 and 104 are performed for P (1,1) to P (M, N).
First, the code image generation unit 30 determines whether or not the position of P (i, j) is a picture (step 103). Specifically, if the length of each side of the two-dimensional code and the length between coordinates used to indicate the area information in FIG. 6 are known, the area of P (i, j) is used in FIG. Since it can be expressed in a coordinate system, it is determined whether or not the area of P (i, j) is included in the pattern area by performing such coordinate conversion. As a result, if it is determined that it is not a picture, a code image to be assigned to P (i, j) is generated (step 104). On the other hand, if it is determined that the image is a pattern, a code image is not generated in order to prioritize image quality.
After that, processing that focuses on the next P (i, j) is performed.
That is, 1 is added to j (step 105), and it is determined whether j exceeds N (step 106). If j does not exceed N, the process returns to step 103. If j exceeds N, 1 is added to i (step 107), and it is determined whether i exceeds M (step 108). If i does not exceed M, the process returns to step 102. If i exceeds M, the process is terminated.

In this operation example, it is determined at the time of generating the code image whether each element constituting the document image is a pattern, and if it is a pattern, the code image is not generated from the beginning. However, a code image may be generated for the entire medium surface, and only a code image in a necessary area may be cut out therefrom.
Thereafter, the code image generation unit 30 transmits the generated code image to the image synthesis unit 40. The image synthesizing unit 40 synthesizes the received document image and the code image, and transmits the synthesized image as a code image-added document image to the image forming instruction unit 50. As a result, the image formation instructing unit 50 instructs the image forming apparatus 400 to form the received document image with code image on the medium. At this time, it is preferable to instruct to form the document image as a visible image and the code image as an invisible image.

The operation in the second example of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 5 will be described in detail. Here, the normal code image (shaded area) in FIG. 5B is denoted as “code image A”, and the code image (shaded area) with a density less than this is denoted as “code image B”. It shall be written.
First, when a document image is input, the document image input unit 10 transmits the document image to the determination unit 20 and the image composition unit 40. When receiving the document image, the determination unit 20 determines, for example, the type (photograph, figure, character, background) of the element in the document image based on attribute information given to the document image. The result determined by the determination unit 20 is passed to the code image generation unit 30 in the form of (x1, y1, x2, y2, type), for example, as in the first example described above. That is, the correspondence as shown in FIG. 8 is transmitted from the determination unit 20 to the code image generation unit 30.
Here, the type is assigned to the elements constituting the document image, but the type may be assigned to each pixel of the document image.

Thereby, the code image generation unit 30 generates a machine-readable code image.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the code image generation unit 30 at this time.
First, an index i for counting the number in the Y direction of the two-dimensional code (see FIG. 3B) constituting the code image to be superimposed on the document image is set to 1 (step 201), and the number in the X direction is set. 1 is also set to the index j for counting (step 202). It is assumed that the maximum value of the index i is M, the maximum value of the index j is N, and the position with respect to the index (i, j) is expressed as P (i, j).

Thereafter, the processing of steps 203 to 205 is performed for P (1,1) to P (M, N).
First, the code image generation unit 30 determines the type of element at the position of P (i, j) (step 203). Specifically, if the length of each side of the two-dimensional code and the length between coordinates used to indicate the area information in FIG. 8 are known, the area of P (i, j) is used in FIG. Since it can be expressed in a coordinate system, by performing such coordinate conversion, it is determined which type of area the area of P (i, j) is included. As a result, if it is determined to be the background, a code image A to be assigned to P (i, j) is generated (step 204). If it is determined that the character is a character, a code image B to be assigned to P (i, j) is generated (step 205). On the other hand, if it is determined that the image is a photograph or a figure, a code image is not generated in order to prioritize image quality.
After that, processing that focuses on the next P (i, j) is performed.
That is, 1 is added to j (step 206), and it is determined whether j exceeds N (step 207). If j does not exceed N, the process returns to step 203. If j exceeds N, 1 is added to i (step 208), and it is determined whether i exceeds M (step 209). If i does not exceed M, the process returns to step 202. If i exceeds M, the process is terminated.

In this operation example, the type of each element constituting the document image is determined when the code image is generated, and the code image corresponding to the type is generated from the beginning. However, a code image may be generated for the entire medium surface, and a part of the code image may be changed (processed) as necessary.
Thereafter, the code image generation unit 30 transmits the generated code image to the image synthesis unit 40 in the same manner as in the first example. The image synthesizing unit 40 synthesizes the received document image and the code image, and transmits the synthesized image as a code image-added document image to the image forming instruction unit 50. As a result, the image formation instructing unit 50 instructs the image forming apparatus 400 to form the received document image with code image on the medium. At this time, it is preferable to instruct to form the document image as a visible image and the code image as an invisible image.

The first embodiment has been described in detail separately for the first example and the second example.
In the first embodiment, in the first example, the determination method in the determination unit 20 is a method using image characteristics obtained by analyzing a document image, and the code image generation method in the code image generation unit 30 is Whether to add a code image or not. On the other hand, in the second example, the determination method in the determination unit 20 is a method using attribute information added to a document, and the code image generation method in the code image generation unit 30 is a dense code image. Either sparse code image is added or code image is not added. However, the combination of the determination method and the code image generation method is not limited to this, and the combination of the determination method in the first example and the code image generation method in the second example may be adopted. A combination of the determination method in the example and the code image generation method in the first example may be adopted.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, a code image is not superimposed on a position corresponding to a specific element constituting a document, or a code image having a lower density than others is superimposed. did. As a result, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the image quality of the document image due to the superimposition of the code image. Further, the image forming material to be used can be reduced, and as a result, the cost can be suppressed.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment described above, the type of each element is reflected in the generation of the code image superimposed on each element constituting the document image. However, in the first embodiment, a code image is not given to a design, and a code image is given to other than the design, or a code image is not given to a photograph or a figure, and a code image is sparse. The method of reflecting the type for the generation of the code image was determined in advance, such as adding a dense code image to the background.
On the other hand, the second embodiment enables the user to appropriately set a method for reflecting the type of each element for generating a code image superimposed on each element constituting the document image.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the image generation apparatus according to the second embodiment.
As illustrated, the image generation apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a generation mode input unit 31 and a generation control unit 32 in addition to the configuration of the image generation apparatus according to the first embodiment. Although specific hardware for realizing the image generation apparatus is not explicitly shown here, the terminal apparatus 100 is realized by a printer driver or the like, for example, as in the first embodiment. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus 400 may be realized by IPS (Image Processing System).

The generation mode input unit 31 inputs a code image generation mode. This generation mode may be input by the user performing a selection operation on the UI.
The generation control unit 32 generates generation control information based on the generation mode input from the generation mode input unit 31 and transmits the generation control information to the code image generation unit 30. Here, the generation control information is correspondence information between the types of elements constituting the document image, the presence / absence of the code image corresponding to the type, and the type of the code image to be added.
These functions are also realized by cooperation between software and hardware resources. That is, the generation mode input unit 31 and the generation control unit 32 are realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the image generation apparatus reading a program for realizing each function stored in the hard disk or the like of the apparatus into the main memory. It is possible.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described in detail.
The document image input unit 10 transmits the input document image to the determination unit 20 and the image composition unit 40, and the result determined by the determination unit 20 is, for example, a format of (x1, y1, x2, y2, type) Since the process up to the transmission to the code image generation unit 30 is the same as that of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted.
In this embodiment, it is assumed that a generation control table as shown in FIG. 11 is stored in advance in a storage device (not shown). In the generation control table, a code image generation method including whether or not to add a code image or the type of code image to be added is defined for each type of element constituting the document image and for each generation mode. Has been. That is, it is defined that when “image quality priority mode” is selected, a code image is not added to photographs and drawings, but a code image A, which is a normal code image, is added to characters and backgrounds. ing. In addition, when “image quality / character priority mode” is selected, a code image is not added to photographs and drawings, and a code image A, which is a normal code image, is added to the background. Similarly, it is defined that a code image B that is sparser than the code image A is given to characters. Note that such a generation control table may be a table in which a type and a generation method are input in association with each other through an operation on the UI, or may be input from a file in which similar association is defined. Good.

  When generation mode information is input from the generation mode input unit 31, the generation control unit 32 extracts generation control information from the generation control table based on the generation mode information. For example, when “image quality priority mode” is selected, information indicating that a code image A should be added to characters and backgrounds is extracted as a generation control method without assigning a code image to photographs and drawings. . Then, the generation control unit 32 transmits the extracted generation control information to the code image generation unit 30.

Thereby, the code image generation unit 30 generates a machine-readable code image.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the code image generation unit 30 at this time.
First, an index i for counting the number in the Y direction of the two-dimensional code (see FIG. 3B) constituting the code image to be superimposed on the document image is set to 1 (step 301), and the number in the X direction is set. 1 is also set to the index j for counting (step 302). It is assumed that the maximum value of the index i is M, the maximum value of the index j is N, and the position with respect to the index (i, j) is expressed as P (i, j).

Thereafter, the processes of Steps 303 to 306 are performed for P (1,1) to P (M, N).
First, the code image generation unit 30 specifies the type of element at the position of P (i, j) (step 303). Then, by referring to the generation control information received from the generation control unit 32 previously, information on the generation method of the code image for the specified type (whether or not to generate the code image, or the type of the code image if generated) Obtain (step 304).
Next, it is determined whether or not the information regarding the generation method defines that a code image should be generated (step 305). As a result, if it is determined that it is defined that a code image should be generated, a code image to be assigned to P (i, j) is generated (step 306). On the other hand, if it is determined that it is defined that the code image is not generated, the code image is not generated and the process proceeds to step 307.

After that, processing that focuses on the next P (i, j) is performed.
That is, 1 is added to j (step 307), and it is determined whether j exceeds N (step 308). If j does not exceed N, the process returns to step 303. If j exceeds N, 1 is added to i (step 309), and it is determined whether i exceeds M (step 310). If i does not exceed M, the process returns to step 302. If i exceeds M, the process is terminated.

Thereafter, the code image generation unit 30 transmits the generated code image to the image composition unit 40, which is the same as in the first embodiment. The image synthesizing unit 40 synthesizes the received document image and the code image, and transmits the synthesized image as a code image-added document image to the image forming instruction unit 50. As a result, the image formation instructing unit 50 instructs the image forming apparatus 400 to form the received document image with code image on the medium. At this time, it is preferable to instruct to form the document image as a visible image and the code image as an invisible image.
In the present embodiment, the generation mode input unit 31 and the generation control unit 32 may not operate when there is no change in the generation control information. Further, basic generation control information may be determined, and the generation control information may be changed by inputting the generation mode from the generation mode input unit 31 only when it is different from the generation control information.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the generation method of the code image at the position corresponding to each element constituting the document can be controlled by the generation control information set by the user. As a result, it has become possible for the user to prevent the deterioration of the image quality of the document image due to the superimposition of the code image and reduce the number of image forming materials to be used. In other words, the code image generation method can be flexibly used when elements that require code images and elements that do not need code elements or elements that want to make code images dense and sparse differ depending on the purpose of the document. It became possible to specify.

[Third Embodiment]
In the first embodiment described above, the type of each element constituting the document image is determined, and the code image generation method is determined according to the result. However, a specific method determined in advance is used as a method for determining the type of each element.
On the other hand, the third embodiment enables the user to appropriately set the method for determining the type of element constituting the document image.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the image generation apparatus according to the third embodiment.
As illustrated, the image generation apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a determination mode input unit 21 and a determination control unit 22 in addition to the configuration of the image generation apparatus according to the first embodiment. Although specific hardware for realizing the image generation apparatus is not explicitly shown here, the terminal apparatus 100 is realized by a printer driver or the like, for example, as in the first embodiment. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus 400 may be realized by IPS (Image Processing System).

The determination mode input unit 21 inputs a type determination mode. This determination mode may be input by the user performing a selection operation on the UI.
The determination control unit 22 generates determination control information based on the determination mode input from the determination mode input unit 21 and transmits the determination control information to the code image generation unit 30. Here, the determination control information is information for specifying a method used to determine the type of element constituting the document image from a plurality of methods prepared in advance.
These functions are also realized by cooperation between software and hardware resources. That is, the determination mode input unit 21 and the determination control unit 22 are realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of an image generation apparatus reading a program for realizing each function stored in a hard disk or the like of the apparatus into the main memory. It is possible.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described in detail.
Since the process up to the point where the document image input unit 10 transmits the input document image to the determination unit 20 and the image composition unit 40 is the same as in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted.
On the other hand, when determination mode information is input from the determination mode input unit 21, the determination control unit 22 generates determination control information based on the determination mode information. For example, when “attribute mode” is selected, information indicating that the type of each element should be determined using attribute information added to the document is generated as determination control information. Then, the determination control unit 22 transmits the generated determination control information to the determination unit 20.

As a result, the determination unit 20 determines the type of elements constituting the document image using the determination method specified by the determination control information, and transmits the determination result to the code image generation unit 30.
Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the code image generation unit 30 generates a code image based on the determination result received from the determination unit 20 and transmits the code image to the image composition unit 40. The image composition unit 40 synthesizes the received document image and code image, and transmits them to the image formation instruction unit 50. As a result, the image formation instructing unit 50 instructs the image forming apparatus 400 to form the received document image with code image on the medium. At this time, it is preferable to instruct to form the document image as a visible image and the code image as an invisible image.
In the present embodiment, the determination mode input unit 21 and the determination control unit 22 may not operate when there is no change in the determination control information. Further, basic determination control information may be determined, and only when different from that, the determination mode may be input from the determination mode input unit 21 to change the determination control information.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, the user can set the method for determining the type of elements constituting the document. As a result, it has become possible to prevent the deterioration of the image quality of the document image due to the superimposition of the code image and to reduce the number of image forming materials to be used according to the characteristics of the document.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is the figure which showed the function structure of the image generation apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the code image printed on a medium in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the 1st example of provision of the code image in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the 2nd example of provision of the code image in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the information produced | generated by the determination part when implement | achieving the 1st example of provision of the code image in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed operation | movement of the code image generation part which implement | achieves the 1st example of the provision of the code image in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the information produced | generated by the determination part when implement | achieving the 2nd example of provision of the code image in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed operation | movement of the code image generation part which implement | achieves the 2nd example of provision of the code image in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the function structure of the image generation apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the production | generation control table used in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement of the code image generation part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the function structure of the image generation apparatus in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100,700 ... Terminal device, 200 ... Document repository, 400 ... Image forming apparatus, 500 ... Printed matter, 600 ... Pen device

Claims (10)

An image generation device for generating an image in which a machine-readable code image is superimposed on a document image,
Determining means for determining the type of each element constituting the document image;
An image generation apparatus comprising: code image generation means for reflecting the type of each element in generating the code image at a position superimposed on each element.   The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a type of each element based on attribute information added to each element constituting the document image.   The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a type of each element based on an image characteristic obtained by analyzing an image of each element constituting the document image. A determination mode input means for inputting mode information specifying the determination method of the type by the determination means;
2. The determination control means for controlling the determination means so as to determine the type using a determination method specified by mode information input by the determination mode input means. Image generation device.   The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the code image generation unit determines the presence or absence of the code image at a position superimposed on each element according to the type of each element.   The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the code image generation unit determines the type of the code image at a position to be superimposed on each element according to the type of each element. Generation mode input means for inputting mode information for specifying a reflection method of the type for generation of the code image by the code image generation means;
Generation control means for controlling the code image generation means to reflect the type in the generation of the code image in accordance with a reflection method specified by the mode information input by the generation mode input means; The image generation apparatus according to claim 1.   The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image formation instruction unit that instructs to form the code image as an invisible image. An image generation method for generating an image in which a machine-readable code image is superimposed on a document image,
Determining a type of a specific element constituting the document image;
The generation method corresponding to the type of the specific element from the storage means storing the correspondence between the type of the element constituting the document image and the information on the generation method of the code image at the position superimposed on the element of the type Reading information about,
Generating the code image at a position to be superimposed on the specific element in accordance with the read information relating to the generation method. A program for generating an image in which a machine-readable code image is superimposed on a document image,
On the computer,
A function of determining the type of a specific element constituting the document image;
The generation method corresponding to the type of the specific element from the storage means storing the correspondence between the type of the element constituting the document image and the information on the generation method of the code image at the position superimposed on the element of the type The ability to read information about
A program for realizing a function of generating the code image at a position superimposed on the specific element according to the read information on the generation method.

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