JP2008211286A - Image processor and image processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processor which can reprint a document without limiting an original image. <P>SOLUTION: The image processor has: an identification information read section 102 which reads identification information attached to the document 150 and used for identifying the document 150; an image acquisition section 105 which acquires, on the basis of the read result, a main image IMm of the latest version from an image management section 104 which manages the version of the main image IMm on the document 150; and a printing section 110 which prints the main image IMm on a recording paper sheet 160. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing program.

A technique is known in which a document on which an image has already been printed is read by a scanner or the like, the document is specified based on the read result, and the original print content (hereinafter referred to as an original image) is reprinted on a recording medium such as paper. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
JP-A-11-96148 JP 2004-46537 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of reprinting a document without being limited to the original image when the document is reprinted.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first reading means for reading identification information attached to a document for identifying the document, and management for performing plate management of a main image on the document based on the read result. An image processing apparatus comprising: a printing unit that obtains the latest version of the main image from the unit and prints it on a recording medium.

  According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided the second aspect of the invention according to the first aspect, further comprising second reading means for optically reading the drawing content on the original, and the printing means outputs a sub-result on the reading result corresponding to the margin of the original. When there is an image, the sub-image is combined with the latest main image and printed.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2, wherein the printing means prints the sub-image at a relative position based on the heading in the main image.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the identification information includes at least one of a management destination of the latest version of the main image and contents relating to the version. It is said.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the first reading means attached to the original for reading the identification information for identifying the original, and the version management of the main image on the original based on the reading result. An image processing program that functions as a printing unit that acquires the latest version of a main image from a managing unit and prints it on a recording medium.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, an already printed document is read and the latest version of the image is printed on the recording medium.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the content drawn in the margin of the document is printed on the recording medium together with the latest version of the image.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the content drawn in the margin of the document is arranged at a position corresponding to the position and printed on the recording medium together with the latest version of the image.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress acquisition errors regarding the acquisition source of the latest version of the main image.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, an already printed document is read and the latest version of the image is printed on the recording medium.

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a main part configuration of a multifunction peripheral 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a document, FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of document information, and FIG. 4 is a divided document area FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a recording sheet as a printing result.

  1 includes a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a semiconductor storage device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), an SRAM (Static RAM), and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an HD. (Hard Disc) and other magnetic disks and required software.

  The MFP 100 is an example of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention. For example, a printing function, a copying function, a facsimile function, a scanner function, a transmission / reception function such as image information and electronic mail, a noise removal function, and an OCR (Optical Character Reader). A device having at least one function or the like. These functions function in response to user operations. The OCR function is a function for optically reading characters.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the multifunction peripheral 100 includes an operation unit 101, an identification information reading unit 102, an image reading unit 103, an image management unit 104, an image acquisition unit 105, an area dividing unit 106, a character recognition unit 107, and arrangement information calculation. Section 108, image composition section 109, printing section 110, identification information writing section 111, and the like. The image acquisition unit 105, the image composition unit 109, the printing unit 111, and the like constitute the printing unit of the present invention.

  The operation unit 101 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or a speaker. The liquid crystal display is configured by, for example, a touch panel system, and displays operation contents related to image processing. When the operation content is pressed by the user, the image reading unit 103 and the like operate according to the instruction. Further, when the operation corresponding to each function is completed, the fact is displayed on the liquid crystal display, and a notification sound for notifying the fact is output. The operation related to the image processing is not limited to the touch panel method for the liquid crystal display, but may be a tablet method or a press on an operation mechanism incorporated in the multifunction peripheral 100.

  The identification information reading unit 102 is an example of a first reading unit according to the present invention. For example, the identification information reading unit 102 corresponds to an RFID reader (Radio Frequency Identification Reader) or the like. The identification information stored in the storage means of the non-contact type element 150a is read by wireless communication. The identification information reading unit 102 operates in conjunction with the reading process of the image reading unit 103. The identification information is information for identifying the document 150, and includes information on a management destination of a main image IMm described later on the document 150. Examples of the contents related to the management destination include a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the image management unit 104 and an IP address.

  Instead of storing identification information in the non-contact type element 150a, for example, a code having a function of identifying the document 150 such as a watermark (digital watermark), a barcode, a QR (Quick Response) code, or the like may be used. In that case, a means for reading a code such as a QR code reader may be used instead of the RFID reader. Further, the identification information reading unit 102 may operate in response to an operation from the operation unit 101.

  The image reading unit 103 is an example of a second reading unit according to the present invention, and includes a carriage on which a lens, a linear CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a lamp, and the like are mounted. In response to an instruction from the operation unit 101, the carriage moves to optically read the main image IMm and the sub-image IMs on the document 150 set on the multifunction peripheral 100.

  Here, the main image IMm is an image that occupies most of the original 150 drawn in a predetermined frame on the original 150 as shown in FIG. 2, and a document is drawn in FIG. An image. Further, the sub-image IMs refers to an image drawn outside a predetermined frame on the original 150, such as a margin of the original 150, as shown in FIG. 2, and the annotation image AN is drawn in FIG. An image. Note that the annotation image AN refers to additional characters, figures, symbols, and the like corresponding to the annotation that are displayed for the portion to be watched. In the following, the main image will be referred to as a document area and the sub image will be referred to as a memo area as appropriate. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the area where “Chapter 1” is drawn is a document area AR1, the area where “Chapter 2” is drawn is a document area AR2, and the area where a white arrow is drawn is a memo. An area AR3 and an area where a balloon is drawn are referred to as a memo area AR4.

  In FIG. 2, the main image IMm is shown as a document, but may be a symbol or the like. When the image reading unit 103 finishes reading the drawing contents (document areas AR1, AR2, memo areas AR3, AR4) on the original 150, the reading result is transmitted to the area dividing unit 106.

  The image management unit 104 is an example of a management unit according to the present invention, and includes, for example, one or a plurality of computers having a server function, and is connected to the image acquisition unit 105 as shown in FIG. The image management unit 104 manages a plurality of latest versions of the main image IMm to be printed on the document 150 for each piece of identification information of the document 150. The latest version of the main image IMm is rewritten as necessary by a PC (Personal Computer) 200 or the like, and is managed as the latest version of the main image IMm each time. At that time, the identification information is succeeded to the latest version of the main image IMm.

  Note that not only the latest version of the main image IMm but also the previous version of the main image IMm may be managed while collecting the history. When the main image IMm is a document, it is managed as structured document information as shown in FIG. 3, for example. The document information includes, for example, formatting information such as characters (text), font, color, size, etc., finding information regarding headings in the document such as Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, and when the design includes a design Pattern information and layout information related to the layout of the document area.

  Further, the image management unit 104 may be inside or outside the multi-function device 100. If it is outside the multi-function device 100, it may be connected via a cable, network device, USB, wireless communication, etc., and the latest version of the main image IMm may be transmitted to the image acquisition unit 105. The image management unit 104 transmits the main image IMm according to the identification information to the image acquisition unit 105 based on the request regarding the acquisition of the main image IMm from the image acquisition unit 105.

  The image acquisition unit 105 requests and acquires the latest version of the main image IMm corresponding to the identification information that is the reading result of the identification information reading unit 102 from the plurality of latest versions of the main image IMm managed by the image management unit 104. To do. Further, as described above, the image acquisition unit 105 acquires from the image management unit 104 specified by a URL or the like. Thereby, even if there are a plurality of image management units 104, errors in the acquisition destination are suppressed. The identification information used by the image acquisition unit 105 is transmitted to the identification information writing unit 111, and the acquired latest version of the main image IMm is transmitted to the image composition unit 109. If the latest version of the main image IMm cannot be acquired, the operation unit 101 is notified of that fact.

  The area dividing unit 106 first divides the reading result of the image reading unit 103 into a series of document areas AR1 and AR2 and a series of memo areas AR3 and AR4 according to the predetermined frame described above. Then, as in this embodiment, when the document area is composed of a plurality of document areas, the document area is further divided for each document area, and when the memo area is composed of a plurality of memo areas, it is further divided for each memo area. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the read result is divided into four areas: a document area AR1, a document area AR2, a memo area AR3, and a memo area AR4. The divided areas AR <b> 1 to AR <b> 4 are transmitted to the character recognition unit 107, and the memo area AR <b> 3 and the memo area AR <b> 4 that are the division results are also transmitted to the image composition unit 109.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the division of each area is determined based on the distance L between the document area AR1 and the document area AR2, and the length of the distance M between the memo area AR3 and the memo area AR4. That is, when the area dividing unit 106 determines that these distances are long, it determines that the document area AR1 and the document area AR2 are different areas, and the area can be divided. Therefore, it is determined that the area is one area, and the area cannot be divided. The length is determined by whether or not it is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value. Whether or not the memo areas AR3 and AR4 can be divided is determined by the same method. In addition to such a division form, document or image features may be extracted and divided using a known pattern recognition technique.

  The character recognizing unit 107 recognizes characters included in the document areas AR1 and AR2 and sets them as character information (text data). Characters included in the document areas AR1 and AR2 are recognized as character information by the OCR function, for example. In addition, the character recognition unit 106 extracts character strings that are headings of chapters in the document areas AR1 and AR2, for example, the headings “Chapter 1” and “Chapter 2” in FIG. 2, and the centers of these character strings are extracted. Are stored as first finding information and second finding information, respectively. It should be noted that when the document areas AR1 and AR2 are recognized, it is desirable to recognize the format information such as the typeface, size, and color of the characters. The first finding information, the second finding information, and the areas AR <b> 1 to AR <b> 4 are transmitted to the arrangement information calculating unit 108.

  The arrangement information calculation unit 108 calculates arrangement information related to the arrangement of the memo areas AR3 and AR4 on the recording paper 160. The arrangement information is represented as position information relative to the document start position information described above. For example, a virtual coordinate is set for the reading result of the image reading unit 103, the first finding information is set to the origin (0, 0), the X axis is positive in the right direction, and the downward direction is based on the origin. When the Y axis positive direction is set, the arrangement information of the memo area AR3 is expressed as, for example, a position advanced by 40 pixels in the X axis negative direction and 30 pixels in the Y axis positive direction with respect to the first finding information. May be. In addition, when the second finding information is separately set to the origin (0, 0), the X axis positive direction to the right and the Y axis positive direction to the right with respect to the origin, the arrangement information of the memo area AR4 is For example, the second finding information may be expressed as a position advanced by 200 pixels in the positive X-axis direction and 60 pixels in the positive Y-axis direction. In this way, the arrangement information of the memo areas AR3 and AR4 is calculated based on the headings in the document areas AR1 and AR2. The arrangement information related to the memo area is transmitted to the image composition unit 108.

  The image composition unit 109 generates a composite image obtained by compositing the main image IMm and the sub image IMs based on the latest version of the main image IMm, the memo area (sub image IMs), and the arrangement information. As described above, since the arrangement information is represented by a relative position with respect to the finding information, by calculating the finding information of the latest version of the main image IMm, the sub-image IMs based on the finding information is synthesized. Processing is performed. As a result, the main image IMm and the sub image IMs to be printed on the recording sheet 160 are printed while maintaining the positional relationship from the headings of the main image IMm and the sub image IMs drawn on the document 150.

  The printing unit 110 includes a laser light source, a charger, a reflection mirror, a toner cartridge, and the like. In response to an instruction from the operation unit 101, the above-described composite image is acquired from the image composition unit 109 and printed on the recording paper 160. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, even if the document areas AR1 and AR2 are additionally written, the memo areas AR3 and AR4 are printed based on the headings of the respective document areas AR1 and AR2.

  The identification information writing unit 111 is composed of, for example, an RFID writer (Radio Frequency Identification Writer). In response to an instruction from the operation unit 101, the identification information and the like used by the image acquisition unit 105 is written to the storage means of the non-contact type element (RFID tag) 160a attached to the recording paper 160 by wireless communication. The identification information writing unit 111 only needs to be able to attach content for identifying the recording paper 160 and content relating to the management destination of the main image IMm to the recording paper 160. For example, the identification information writing unit 111 attaches a watermark, a QR code, or the like. It may be.

  The recording paper 160 is an example of the recording medium of the present invention, and the material thereof is not limited to paper, but may be plastic or metal. Further, the number of non-contact type elements 160a attached to the recording paper 160 is not limited to one. For example, the contents for identifying the recording paper 160 by attaching a plurality of non-contact type elements 160a and management of the main image IMm The contents related to the destination may be physically separated and written. Further, these pieces of information may be logically divided and stored in one non-contact type element 150a.

Next, the operation of the multifunction peripheral 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of reprint processing in the multifunction peripheral 100.
First, when the multifunction device 100 detects a reading instruction from the user, the multifunction device 100 starts a reading process for the document 150 set on the multifunction device 100 (step S1). As a result, the multifunction peripheral 100 holds the drawing content on the document 150.

  Next, the multifunction device 100 reads identification information and the like stored in the non-contact type element attached to the document 150 (step S2). As a result, the multifunction peripheral 100 holds identification information for identifying the document 150. Then, the multi-function device 100 makes an acquisition request for the latest version of the main image corresponding to the identification information (step S3).

  Here, the multi-function device 100 determines whether or not the latest version of the main image exists (step S4). When the multifunction peripheral 100 determines that the latest version of the main image exists, the MFP 100 acquires the latest version of the main image. (Step S5). The determination is made by, for example, comparing the version number of the main image that is the read result with the version number of the latest main image, and if these version numbers are different, the latest version of the main image is acquired. To do.

  Next, the multifunction peripheral 100 performs a division process on the reading result of the document 150 (step S6). As described above, the division process is performed by dividing each document area and each memo area. Further, information about the arrangement of the memo area when printing is generated from these division results.

  Next, the MFP 100 combines the latest version of the main image and the sub-image based on the arrangement information, and generates a combined image (step S7). Next, the multifunction peripheral 100 performs the identification information writing process while printing the composite image (step S8), and ends the process. If the MFP 100 determines that there is no latest version of the main image, that is, if the above-described version numbers are equal, it notifies the fact (step S9) and ends the processing.

  As described above, in the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, for example, even if the original 150 is dirty, the print result of the original 150 before being dirty is obtained, and the original 150 is identified even if the drawing content is updated. The latest version of the drawing content is acquired in accordance with the identification information for printing, and the printing process is performed. Furthermore, even if there are additional items in the margin of the original 150, the additional items are combined with the latest version of the drawing content and the printing process is performed. In this case, since the additional article is synthesized based on the headings in the latest version of the image, the additional article is printed at a position corresponding to the position added to the document 150.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the program of the present invention can be provided not only by communication means but also stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. The non-contact type element is not limited to being attached to the recording sheet, and may be embedded. Even if the main image is a design, if a heading is added to the image, the sub-image is synthesized in the same manner as the synthesis of the sub-image for the document.

  In the above-described embodiment, the writing process of identification information or the like to the non-contact type element is performed in parallel with the printing process. However, these processes may be performed independently. The memo region has been described using the annotation image, but may be handwritten characters by the user. Further, the identification information and image reading function and the image forming function such as printing including writing of the identification information are separated into individual apparatuses, and are connected by wired or wireless to form an image processing system. It may be an embodiment.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since an already printed document is read and the latest version of the image is printed, convenience is improved and industrial applicability is high.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a multifunction machine. It is a figure which shows an example of a document. It is a conceptual diagram of document information. It is a conceptual diagram of the divided | segmented document area | region and memo area | region. It is a figure which shows an example of the recording paper used as a printing result. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of reprint processing in a multifunction peripheral.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 MFP 101 Operation part 102 Identification information reading part 103 Image reading part 104 Image management part 105 Image acquisition part 106 Area division part 107 Character recognition part 108 Arrangement information calculation part 109 Image composition part 110 Printing part 111 Identification information writing part 150 Document 150a, 160a RFID tag 160 Recording paper 200 PC
AN Annotation image IMm Main image IMs Subimage AR1, AR2 Document area AR3, AR4 Memo area

Claims (5)

First reading means for reading identification information attached to a document for identifying the document;
Printing means for acquiring the latest version of the main image from the management means for managing the version of the main image on the document based on the read result, and printing it on a recording medium;
An image processing apparatus comprising: Second reading means for optically reading the drawing content on the original;
2. The image according to claim 1, wherein when there is a sub-image in the reading result corresponding to a margin of the document, the printing unit combines the sub-image with the main image of the latest version and prints the image. Processing equipment.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the printing unit prints the sub-image at a relative position based on a heading in the main image.   4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification information includes at least one of a management destination of the latest version of the main image and contents related to the version. 5. A first reading means for reading identification information attached to a document for identifying the document;
An image processing program that functions as a printing unit that acquires the latest version of a main image from a management unit that performs plate management of the main image on the original and prints it on a recording medium based on a reading result.

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