JP2008034973A - Image reader, control method of image reader, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To output data of image objects in the order wherein they are arranged on an original plate. <P>SOLUTION: An image processor includes a detecting means for detecting area positions of one or more objects in an original image read by a read means, an area dividing means for dividing the original image on the basis of the respective area positions of the objects, an input means for inputting the array pattern of the objects in the original image, and an order determining means for determining the order in which objects are output on the basis of the input array pattern. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading control technique. In particular, the present invention relates to the determination of the output order of data corresponding to one or more image objects arranged on the document table.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image reading apparatus that reads a document placed on a document table, a user simultaneously reads a plurality of documents placed on the document table, and detects a plurality of documents by detecting the position and area of each document. A technique for generating image information is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In such an image reading apparatus, after reading a document on the document table as image information, a region of the document is detected from the density difference of the image information, and the detected region is read again. Yes.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 discloses a technique for reading page number information in each document using OCR (Optical Character Reader) and sorting the output order in the order of page numbers.
JP 2003-46731 A JP-A-11-220557

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not consider in what order the image information is output when the read image information is output. In many cases, the order in which the documents placed on the document table are read is the output order. Therefore, when the image reading unit reads the document table while proceeding in the sub-scanning direction, the reading order depends on the sub-scanning direction, which is the direction in which the image reading unit moves. As a result, even when the user intentionally places the original on the original table based on the order of the originals, the output is changed and output in the order read in the sub-scanning direction.

  For this reason, for example, when it is desired to save the file with serial numbers, or when it is desired to create a slide show from files arranged in time series, complicated operations are required. That is, the user has to perform an ordering operation on the electronic file again by the application when the image information is stored in the electronic file or after the image information is stored. When editing the read image, the user performs an operation while looking at the display. However, when the read image is a similar image, it is difficult to identify the image on the display.

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is assumed that page number information is added as an image to each page of the document in advance. For this reason, the same troublesome work is required when no page number is assigned.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and enables reading images corresponding to a plurality of documents placed on a document table to be output based on the order of placement on the document table. With the goal.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the image processing apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration.

  In an image processing apparatus that sequentially reads image data corresponding to one or more objects from an output unit based on a sequence of one or more objects arranged on the document table and a reading unit that reads the document placed on the document table Detecting means for detecting each area position of one or more objects from the document image read by the reading means; and area dividing means for dividing the document image based on each area position of the one or more objects. Input means for inputting an array pattern of the one or more objects in the document image, and objects included in each of the document areas divided by the area dividing means based on the array pattern input by the input means, Order determining means for determining the order of output from the output means.

  Here, the area dividing unit is configured to make the document area in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction straight line passing through an average position of the area positions of the one or more objects and the first direction. Divide into four regions with a straight line as a boundary.

  The input means inputs one of four arrangement patterns determined by the first direction and the second direction.

  Further, when two objects are included in the document area, the area dividing means divides into two areas having a straight line in a third direction substantially perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the two objects as a boundary. Then, the input means inputs one of two arrangement patterns determined by the third direction.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to output read images corresponding to a plurality of documents placed on a document table based on the order of placement.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the constituent elements described in this embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below.

<Device configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The image processing apparatus includes a host computer 1 and a scanner 16.

  The host computer 1 is configured by a personal computer, a workstation, or the like. The host computer 1 is provided with a CPU 2. The CPU 2 reads and executes a program (firmware) stored in the ROM 3 at the time of activation. Then, the CPU 2 reads an operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) stored in the external storage device 12 into the RAM 4 and controls the entire host computer 1 through the system bus 13. Reference numeral 9 denotes a display controller, which controls the display 6 that can perform various displays such as an error warning and a processing status in accordance with the control of the CPU 2. Reference numeral 10 denotes a keyboard controller that controls a keyboard 7 as an input device. Reference numeral 11 denotes a pointing device controller which controls the pointing device 8 which is an input device.

  The external storage device 12 stores programs for the application 14 and the scanner driver 15. The external storage device 12 stores the read image data as an electronic file. Here, the application 14 is software having a function of editing image data received from the scanner driver 15 in accordance with a user operation. The scanner driver 15 is software having a function of generating commands and parameters to be set in the scanner 16 and transmitting them to the scanner 16 in addition to transferring images with the application 14 and the scanner 16 operating on the host computer 1. .

  The scanner 16 includes a CPU 17, a ROM 19, a RAM 20, a host interface 21, and an image reading unit 22. The CPU 17 reads and executes a program for comprehensively controlling the scanner 16 from the ROM 19. The image reading unit 22 reads a document with a CCD line sensor and converts it into a digital signal. The RAM 20 is a storage unit that temporarily stores programs read by the CPU 17, read image data, setting parameters of the image reading unit 22, and the like. The host computer 1 and the scanner 16 can communicate with each other. Specifically, this is realized by connecting the scanner interface 5 and the host interface 21 using the cable 18 or a wireless interface (not shown).

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram inside the host computer.

  Functions realized by the scanner driver 15 include a read image input unit 201, an image detection unit 202, an image information extraction unit 203, an area division unit 204, a setting input reception unit 205, an output order control unit 206, and an image information output unit. There are 207.

  The read image input unit 201 is a functional unit that inputs image data read by the scanner 16 via the scanner I / F 5. The image detection unit 202 is a functional unit that detects the image position of the document from the input image. The image information extraction unit 203 is a functional unit that extracts (cuts out) an image at a detected position as image information.

  The area dividing unit 204 is a functional unit that divides an input image area. The setting input reception unit 205 is a functional unit that receives an order pattern for each divided area. The output order control unit 206 is a functional unit that controls the output order of the images of the respective areas divided based on the received order pattern. The image information output unit 207 is a functional unit that outputs image information based on output order control.

<Image clipping process>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process of cutting out an image object corresponding to each original image from the read image when a plurality of original images are arranged on the original table. The following steps are realized by the CPU 2 executing a program and controlling the host computer 1 or the scanner 16.

  In step S301, the image reading unit 22 is controlled to read the entire surface of the document table including the document image as a color image, and obtain an RGB color image.

  In step S302, the RGB color image acquired in step S301 is converted into a monochrome binary image. Here, the black and white binary image means an image in which each pixel is expressed by 1 bit, and is 1 when white and 0 when black. Note that the conversion to a black and white binary image is realized, for example, by comparing the G component of each pixel in an RGB color image (scan data) with a preset threshold value. Note that the threshold value may be set in advance so that a white image is obtained when an image is read without placing the document on the document table.

  In step S303, an image object is detected from the monochrome binary image created in step S302. Specifically, the number and arrangement positions of image objects are detected. By the binarization processing in step S302, generally, the area where the image object exists is a black image. For this reason, a continuous black image region is detected as an arrangement position of the image object.

  In step S304, an RGB color image at each arrangement position is cut out based on the number of image objects and the arrangement position detected in step S303.

<Determination of output order>
Next, a conventional image data output order when a plurality of documents are placed on the document table will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the documents 401 to 405 are placed side by side on the document table 406. This corresponds to, for example, a case where a maximum number of L-size photographic originals are to be placed on a widely-used A4-size original table 406. As shown in the figure, when arranging a total of 5 documents, 3 documents in landscape orientation and 2 documents in portrait orientation, the placement of each document is limited to some extent.

  The main scanning direction 407 is a direction in which the image reading unit 22 electrically scans each of the documents 401 to 405 on the document table 406 by the image reading unit 22. A sub-scanning direction 408 represents a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction 407, and is a direction in which the image reading unit 22 scans mechanically. As a result, the entire surface of the document table 406 is scanned, and an RGB color image for the entire surface of the document table 406 is acquired.

  First, when reading the documents 401 to 405 placed on the document table 406, the document reading unit 22 is moved to the origin position (upper left in the drawing) in both the main scanning direction 407 and the sub-scanning direction 408. The document table 406 for one line is read while moving the image reading unit 22 in the main scanning direction 407, and then the document table for one line is moved while moving in the sub-scanning direction 408 by a certain distance and then moved again in the main scanning direction 407. 406 is read. By repeating this, the documents 401 to 405 on the document table 406 are read. Therefore, the reading order of the originals depends on the sub-scanning direction 408, and the reading order of the originals 401 to 405 is the order indicated by the arrow 409. In this case, the reading is performed in the order of 401, 402, 403, 404 and 405.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example in which four documents are arranged on a document table. Here, each of the originals 501 to 504 is, for example, a continuous photograph in time series, a document original of several continuous pages, a figure representing a series of movements, a photograph, or the like. The numbers in circles attached to the respective originals indicate the order of the originals intended by the user. That is, in the figure, the user arranges the upper left document 501 as the first, the lower left document 503 as the second, the upper right document 502 as the third, and the lower right document 504 as the fourth.

  FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the output order of image data when the document shown in FIG. 5A is read. Here, the numbers enclosed in triangles attached to each document indicate the output order. That is, according to the reading order shown in FIG. 4, the detected originals are sequentially read on the original table 406 along the sub-scanning direction 408. Since the image data corresponding to the original is output in the order in which the original is read, the output is performed in an order different from the order intended by the user.

<Image clipping process>
FIG. 6 is an operation flowchart of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The processing of each step below is realized by the CPU executing a control program. In the following description, “image information” indicates only a bitmap image read by a scanner, and “image object” indicates data having a predetermined internal format including image information.

  In step S601, a pre-scan is executed. The scan process is started by the scan command of the application 14. The scanner driver 15 acquires image information on the entire surface of the document table 406 from the scanner 16 via the cable 18. The pre-scan here is a process for acquiring image information at a high speed by executing a scan with a resolution set lower than that of the main scan.

  In step S602, the image information of the entire surface of the document table 406 acquired in step S601 is temporarily stored in the RAM 4 or the external storage device 12 and displayed on the display 6. By displaying the image information acquired by executing the pre-scan on the display 6, the user can grasp the size, position, etc. when performing the main scan, and can easily perform the reading setting. The scanner driver 15 displays image information on the entire surface of the document table 406 on a reading setting screen 1401 on the display 6. Although the details of the reading setting screen 1401 will be described later, the screen is as shown in FIG. 11, which displays image information on the entire surface of the document table 406 and sets a reading method and a reading area when the scanner 16 reads the document. I will let you. Hereinafter, the image information of the document table 406 obtained by the prescan is referred to as a preview image.

  In step S603, if there are a plurality of documents on the document table 406 with respect to the preview image temporarily stored in step S602, the document clipping process described with reference to FIG. 3 is performed in order to handle them as individual image information. Execute.

  In step S604, an image object for holding the image information cut out by the original cutout process in step S603 is created. Details of the configuration of the image object will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S605, the number of image objects created in step S604 is calculated to determine whether there are a plurality of documents. If there is more than one, the process proceeds to step S606, and if there is one, the process proceeds to step S608.

  In step S606, the preview image is referred to by the user, and the direction in which the documents are arranged is received using the pointing device 8 or the like.

  In step S607, the output order is set in accordance with the received document arrangement direction. The set output order may be displayed on the screen, and if it is not the desired output order, re-designation of the direction in which the originals are arranged may be received from the user. In that case, the process returns to step S606, and the direction in which the originals are arranged is redesignated, or the one close to the desired output order is selected, and the order that is not in the desired order can be set individually. Details of the output order setting process will be described later.

  In step S608, after the output order is set in step S607, the output file name and information on the output direction of the image are set for the document. Alternatively, when only one original is detected in step S605, an output file name and information on the output direction of the image are set for the original.

  In step S609, the main scan is executed. The main scan here means an operation of acquiring image information cut out by the document cut-out process according to the reading setting designated by the user. Specifically, based on the coordinates of the document table 406 acquired during the document cutout process, the image reading unit 22 is first moved to the position indicated by the address in the sub-scanning direction 408 and then moved in the main scanning direction 407. While reading the document.

  In step S <b> 610, the scanner driver 15 acquires the image information of the area cut out by the document cutout process, which is the result of the main scan executed in step S <b> 609, from the scanner 16 via the cable 18. Here, the number of image information obtained as a result of the main scan is the same as the number of regions cut out by the above-described document cut-out process.

  In step S611, the image information acquired in step S610 is assigned to the image object created in step S604. That is, the scanner driver 15 stores the image information in the image object according to the reading order.

  In step S612, the image information is rotated based on the orientation of the image information specified in step S608. That is, the scanner driver 15 performs a rotation process on the image information in the image object provided in step S610 with reference to the information on the orientation of the image in the same image object. The rotation angle is set according to the orientation of the image. For example, if “right” is designated, the image information is rotated 90 ° to the right. Similarly, if “lower” is designated, the image information is rotated by 180 °. For example, when the image information is rotated by 180 °, a rotation process is realized by inverting each pixel in the image information in the main scanning direction 407 and the sub-scanning direction 408.

  In step S613, it is determined whether the number of image objects is plural. The number of image objects is calculated by referring to the image objects in the buffer area stored in the RAM 4. If there is more than one, the process proceeds to step S614, and if there is one, the process proceeds to step S616.

  In step S614, the image information received from the scanner 16 is temporarily stored in the RAM 4 or the external storage device 12 without being sent to the application 14 at this time.

  In step S615, output control processing for outputting the image object held in step S614 in accordance with the output order set in step S607 is executed. The output here means saving as an electronic file in the external storage device 12 or transmitting image information to the application 14. Details of this output control process will be described later.

  In step S616, image information of only one image object is output.

<Data structure>
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the internal structure of the buffer area and the image object in the first embodiment. The buffer area stores image objects including read image information and read setting information.

  The buffer area 1201 is realized by the RAM 4 or the external storage device 12. As described above, the buffer area 1201 has one or more image objects 1202. The image object 1202 is stored as an image object A, an image object B, an image object C,.

  The image object 1202 includes image object information 1203 for storing information on the image object 1202 and image information 1204. Image information 1204 is composed of RGB color images. Image object information 1203 includes output order information 1205, object name 1206, coordinate information 1207, and image information orientation information 1208. The output order information 1205 is used when designating the output order of the image objects 1203. The object name 1206 is used when the image object 1202 is saved as a file. As the coordinate information 1207, position information (for example, four end portions) of the image object 1202 on the document table 406 is stored.

<Output order setting pattern>
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output order setting pattern in the first embodiment. In (a) to (d), four documents are placed on each document table 406. It is assumed that the documents on each platen 406 are arranged in order by the user, and the numbers in parentheses indicate the order.

  In FIG. 7A, the user arranges the upper left document as the first, the lower left document as the second, the upper right document as the third, and the lower right document as the fourth. In this case, by setting the document output order along the direction indicated by the arrow, the output order intended by the user is obtained. The arrow starts from the upper left of the document table 406, proceeds downward from the start point, and proceeds to the lower end of the document table 406. Next, the arrow proceeds downward from the upper right of the document table 406.

  In FIG. 7B, the user arranges the upper left document as the first, the upper right document as the second, the lower left document as the third, and the lower right document as the fourth. In this case, by setting the document output order along the direction indicated by the arrow, the output order intended by the user is obtained. The arrow starts from the upper left of the document table 406, proceeds in the right direction from the start point, proceeds to the right end of the document table 406, and then proceeds from the lower left of the document table 406 to the right.

In FIG. 7C, the user arranges the upper right original as the first, the lower right original as the second, the upper left original as the third, and the lower left original as the fourth. In this case, by setting the document output order along the direction indicated by the arrow, the output order intended by the user is obtained. The arrow starts from the top right of the document table 406, proceeds downward from the start point, and proceeds to the lower end of the document table 406. Next, the arrow proceeds from the upper left to the bottom of the document table 406. In FIG. The first original is arranged second, the upper left original is second, the lower right original 1004 is third, and the lower left original is fourth. In this case, by setting the document output order along the direction indicated by the arrow, the output order intended by the user is obtained. An arrow 1005 starts from the upper right of the document table 406, proceeds leftward from the start point, and proceeds to the left end of the document table 406. Next, the arrow 1005 proceeds from the lower right of the document table 406 to the left.

  Note that the setting of the output order is not limited to this, and for example, a setting of “upward from the lower left” may be selectable.

<Setting screen>
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reading setting screen according to the first embodiment. The reading setting screen is displayed on the display 6.

  Reference numeral 1401 denotes a reading setting screen, which includes a preview area 1402 for displaying image information read by the scanner 16. Also, an input setting area 1405 for displaying image information reading settings and an output setting area 1406 for displaying settings for outputting the read image information are provided. Further, an image setting area (entire) 1407 for displaying settings for the entire image information and an image setting area (individual) 1408 for displaying settings for each piece of image information to be read are provided. A button operation area 1409 for displaying a button for issuing an operation command to the scanner 16 is provided.

  That is, the user sets the image information displayed in the preview area 1402 and the reading settings in the reading setting areas 1401 to 1408 by using the pointing device 8 while visually confirming the reading settings.

  The preview area 1402 is an area for displaying image information read by the scanner 16 by pre-scanning. FIG. 11 shows an example in which the reading areas 1403 and 1404 set from the detected document are displayed surrounded by dotted lines, and the reading area 1403 to be individually set is displayed surrounded by a thick dotted line.

  In the input setting area 1405, a document type 1410, a document size 1411, and a color mode 1412 are set. By selecting the document type 1410 with the pointing device 8, reading suitable for the document type is performed. For example, if the document is a photograph, high gradation correction is performed to obtain a smooth gradation appropriate for the photograph, and if the document is a document document, gradation correction is performed so as to emphasize the edges of characters.

  FIG. 11 shows a case where “photograph” is selected as the document type 1410. By selecting the document size 1411 with the pointing device 8, an area to be read on the document table 406 is designated. For example, when the entire surface of the document table 406 is scanned, the entire document table 406 is scanned to acquire image information. When “A4”, which is a standard size, is selected, an area of A4 size is formed from one end on the document table 406. Read.

  FIG. 11 shows a case where “entire document platen” is selected. By selecting the color mode 1412 with the pointing device 8, it is specified whether the original to be read is read in color or in gray scale. In the example shown here, “color” is selected.

  In the output setting area 1406, settings at the time of output are performed. By selecting the output resolution 1413 with the pointing device 8, the resolution of the image information to be output is set. If the resolution is set high, clear image information can be obtained. In the example shown here, “300 dpi” is selected.

In the image setting (whole) 1407, the user designates the direction of the documents arranged on the document table 406, thereby designating the output order direction for the documents placed on the document table 406. By specifying the document layout 1414,
-"Upper left to lower" direction of the document table 406-"Upper left to right" direction of the document table 406-"Upper right to lower" direction of the document table 406-Radio from four of the "Upper right to left" direction of the document table 406 One is selected by selecting a button with the pointing device 8. In other words, when the user arranges the originals on the original table in consideration of the order of the originals, it is utilized that the above four arrangement methods can be usually combined. FIG. 11 shows an example in which “upper left to lower” is designated.

  In an image setting (individual) 1408, individual setting for each piece of image information is performed. A file name 1415 specifies a name to be given. In the example shown here, “untitled 001” is designated. In the output order 1416, when the output order desired by the user cannot be specified among the four arrangement methods that can be selected in the image setting (whole) 1407, the output order is specified individually. In this case, the output order is designated after selecting one object.

  The designation method can be selected by clicking an image in the reading area 1403 or 1404 in the preview area 1402, and the user can change the text box in the output order 1416 to input a number with the keyboard 7 or the like. In the example shown here, the selected image is the upper left image, and the first order is specified as the output order. By selecting the image orientation 1417 with the pointing device 8, it is set which orientation of the document placed on the document table 406 is to be output upward. Based on the information of the set image orientation 1417, rotation processing is performed on the image information acquired by the main scan. In the example shown here, the image orientation 1417 is “right”.

  The prescan button 1418 is a button for executing prescan. When the prescan button 1418 is clicked with the pointing device 8, the scanner 16 executes prescan, and the host computer 1 acquires prescan image information via the cable 18. When a prescan image is acquired, prescan image information is displayed in the preview area 1402.

  A main scan button 1419 is a button for executing a main scan. When the main scan button 1419 is clicked with the pointing device 8, the scanner 16 executes the main scan, the scanner 16 executes the main scan, and the host computer 1 acquires the main scan image information via the cable 18.

<Details of output order setting>
FIG. 8 is a detailed flowchart of the output order setting process shown in step S607.

  In step S801, the number of image objects is substituted into a variable N as an initial value.

  In step S802, it is determined whether the value of the variable N substituted in step S801 is 2 or more. If it is 2 or more, the process proceeds to step S803, and if it is 1, it is determined that setting of the output order is unnecessary, and the flow ends.

  In step S803, the coordinates of each document on the document table are acquired. The coordinates of the document are acquired by reading the respective coordinate information in the preview image temporarily stored in step S602, for example.

  In step S804, each document center coordinate is calculated from the document coordinates acquired in step S803. The center coordinates are calculated by obtaining the middle point in the main scanning direction 407 and the middle point in the sub-scanning direction 408 for each document. Hereinafter, the main scanning direction 407 is represented as an X component, and the sub scanning direction 408 is represented as a Y component.

  In step S805, the X component of the center coordinates of each document acquired in step S804 is acquired, and an average value X1 is obtained.

  In step S806, the Y component of the center coordinates of each document acquired in step S804 is acquired, and an average value Y1 is obtained.

  In step S807, the section of the document table 406 is divided by straight lines in the main scanning direction 407 and the sub-scanning direction 408 that pass through the coordinates (X1, Y1) of the average values acquired in steps S805 and S806. That is, the main scanning direction 407 is divided into two sections with X, and the sub-scanning direction 408 is divided into four sections with Y being divided into two sections.

  In step S808, the output order described in FIG. 7 is set for each of the four sections divided in step S807 in accordance with the output direction designated by the user in step S606.

  In step S809, it is determined whether the output direction designated in step S606 is the main scanning direction 407. Further, an output order is set for the documents in each section according to the designated output direction. When the output direction is the main scanning direction 407, the process proceeds to step S810, and when the output direction is the sub-scanning direction 408, the process proceeds to step S811.

  In step S810, an output order is set for each of the divided sections in accordance with the X component of the center coordinates of the document existing therein.

  In step S811, an output order is set for each of the divided sections in accordance with the Y component of the center coordinates of the document existing therein.

  In this embodiment, the output order is set by the method shown in FIG. 11. However, the setting method is not limited to this, and any method can be used as long as it is a method for setting the document output order on the document table 406. It doesn't matter how.

<Details of image output control>
FIG. 10 is a detailed flowchart for outputting the image information shown in step S615.

  In step S1001, one image object 1202 is obtained from the buffer area 1201 secured on the RAM 4.

  In step S1002, output order information 1205 is acquired from the image object information 1203 of the image object 1202 acquired in step S1001.

  In step S1003, the output order information 1205 in the image object 1202 acquired in step S1002 is referred to, and the image objects 1202 are sorted in the output order.

  In step S1004, it is determined whether an unsorted image object 1202 exists in the buffer area 1201. If there is an unsorted image object 1202, the process returns to step S1301.

  In step S1005, when all the image objects 1202 have been sorted in step S1004, the image information 1204 is output according to the sorted order.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, image object data can be output based on the order of placement on the document table. In particular, it is possible to set the output order without requiring a complicated operation for manually setting the output for all the originals.

(Modification)
In the first embodiment described above, when there are a plurality of documents, the screen is divided into four in step S807. However, when there are two document images, the output order can be set by designating only one direction (one-dimensional).

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reading setting screen when two originals are placed.

  In the preview area 1402, two originals are detected as a reading area 1502, and the originals are arranged substantially in the horizontal direction. In this case, the document arrangement method 1501 is changed from that shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 12, it is configured to select from “left to right” and “right to left”.

  In “left to right”, the output order is set according to the main scanning direction 407 of the document table 406. On the other hand, in “right to left”, the output order is set along the direction opposite to the main scanning direction 407 of the document table 406.

  In addition, when a page number is assigned to each document placed on the document table, an arrangement pattern may be automatically set using the page number information. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reading setting screen when a document with a page number is placed.

  In the example of FIG. 13, four reading areas 1601, 1603, 1605, and 1607 are detected, and page numbers 1602, 1604, and 1606 are held in the reading areas 1601, 1603, and 1605, respectively. That is, an example is shown in which there are pages that are continuous pages but are not assigned page numbers.

  In such a case, according to the method described in the background art, the output order of the reading area 1607 where the page number does not exist is not set. However, in this modification, the output pattern can be determined based on the page numbers 1602, 1604, 1606, and the output order of the reading area 1607 in which the page number is not held in the document is automatically set to the third. It becomes possible to set.

(Other embodiments)
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention may be applied to a system constituted by a plurality of devices or may be applied to an apparatus constituted by one device.

  The present invention can also be achieved by supplying a program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments directly or remotely to a system or apparatus, and the system or apparatus reads and executes the supplied program code. The Accordingly, the program code itself installed in the computer in order to realize the functional processing of the present invention by the computer is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  In this case, the program may be in any form as long as it has a program function, such as an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to the OS.

  Examples of the recording medium for supplying the program include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk (CD, DVD), a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, and a ROM.

  As another program supply method, the program can be supplied by connecting to an Internet home page using a browser of a client computer and downloading the program. In addition to the computer program itself of the present invention, a compressed file including an automatic installation function may be downloaded from the home page. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the claims of the present invention.

  Further, the program of the present invention may be encrypted and stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM and distributed to users. At that time, a user who has cleared a predetermined condition is allowed to download key information for decryption from a homepage via the Internet. It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the key information and install the program on a computer.

  The computer may execute the read program so that the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized. In addition, based on the instructions of the program, an OS or the like running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments can also be realized by the processing.

  Further, the program read from the recording medium may be written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. At that time, based on the instructions of the program, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are also realized by the processing.

1 is a block diagram of an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is a functional block diagram inside a host computer. It is a flowchart of the process which cuts out an image object. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state where a plurality of documents are placed side by side on a document table. It is a figure which shows the output order setting at the time of arrange | positioning four originals on an original stand (conventional). 3 is an operation flowchart of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the setting pattern of the output order in 1st Embodiment. It is a detailed flowchart of the output order setting process shown in step S607. It is a figure explaining the internal structure of a buffer area | region and an image object in 1st Embodiment. It is a detailed flowchart at the time of outputting the image information shown in step S615. It is a figure which shows the example of the reading setting screen in 1st Embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reading setting screen when two originals are placed. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reading setting screen when a document with a page number is placed.

Explanation of symbols

1 Host computer 2 Host computer CPU
3 Host computer ROM
4 Host computer RAM
5 Scanner IF
6 Display 7 Keyboard 8 Pointing Device 9 Display Controller 10 Keyboard Controller 11 Pointing Device Controller 12 Host Computer External Storage Device 13 Host Computer System Bus 14 Application 15 Scanner Driver 16 Scanner 17 Scanner CPU
18 Cable for connecting the host computer and printer 19 Scanner ROM
20 Scanner RAM
21 Host IF
22 Image reading unit

Claims (6)

A reading unit that reads a document placed on a platen; and an image processing apparatus that sequentially outputs image data corresponding to the one or more objects from an output unit based on a sequence of one or more objects placed on the platen. There,
Detecting means for detecting each region position of one or more objects from the document image read by the reading means;
Area dividing means for dividing the document image based on the area position of each of the one or more objects;
Input means for inputting an arrangement pattern of the one or more objects in the document image;
Order determining means for determining the order in which the output means outputs the objects included in each of the document areas divided by the area dividing means based on the arrangement pattern input by the input means;
An image processing apparatus comprising:   The area dividing means bounds the document area between a straight line in a first direction passing through an average position of the respective area positions of the one or more objects and a straight line in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus is divided into four regions.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the input unit inputs one of four arrangement patterns determined by the first direction and the second direction. When two objects are included in the document area,
The region dividing means divides the region into two regions having a boundary in a third direction substantially perpendicular to the two object arrangement directions,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input unit inputs one of two arrangement patterns determined by the third direction. An image processing apparatus that sequentially outputs image data corresponding to one or more objects from an output unit based on a sequence of one or more objects arranged on the document table and a reading unit that reads the document arranged on the document table. A control method,
A detection step of detecting each region position of one or more objects from the document image read by the reading means;
An area dividing step of dividing the document image based on the area positions of the one or more objects;
An input step of inputting an array pattern of the one or more objects in the document image;
An order determining step for determining the order in which the output means outputs the objects included in each of the document regions divided by the region dividing step based on the arrangement pattern input by the input step;
A control method comprising: An image processing apparatus that sequentially outputs image data corresponding to one or more objects from an output unit based on a sequence of one or more objects arranged on the document table and a reading unit that reads the document arranged on the document table. A control program,
Program code for executing a detection step of detecting each region position of one or more objects from the document image read by the reading means;
Program code for executing a region dividing step of dividing the document image based on the region position of each of the one or more objects;
Program code for executing an input step of inputting an array pattern of the one or more objects in the original image;
Program code for executing an order determining step for determining the order in which the objects included in each of the document regions divided by the region dividing step are output from the output means based on the arrangement pattern input by the input step; ,
A control program comprising:

Images