JP2009212684A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus can form an image corresponding to a user's request when translating characters to form the image. <P>SOLUTION: A control part displays, on a display screen, areas of discriminated first and second characters and an area of a diagram (S13). The control part makes a user select, from the display screen, a desired character area among the first and second character areas (S14). The control part translates characters in the selected first character area (S15). The control part determines whether the translated characters are kept within the selected first character area (S16). When it is determined that the characters are not kept therewithin (YES in S16), the control part activates an image forming part changes the size of the characters to form an image. Then, the image forming part changes the size of the characters to form an image including the translated characters (S17). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus having a translation function.

  Some recent image forming apparatuses are equipped with a translation function for translating a document written in one language into another language. For example, when a manuscript written in Japanese is read, it is translated into English to form an image.

  Here, if a manuscript written in one language is translated into another language, the number of characters may increase. As a result, the translated characters may not fit within the area of the original written in a certain language.

  In such a case, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-34430 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique capable of appropriately storing translated characters in a predetermined area to form an image.

  According to Patent Document 1, a word that matches a predetermined condition is extracted from translated characters. Then, the extracted word is omitted according to the abbreviation dictionary. This describes that the translated characters can be imaged with the same layout as the original document.

  In this case, however, it is necessary to create an abbreviation dictionary in advance in order to omit words. In addition, when omitting, the created abbreviation dictionary must be searched, and the translation work becomes complicated.

  Here, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-74934 (Patent Document 2) discloses a technique that enables easy translation work and can appropriately form translated images within a predetermined area to form an image. Has been.

According to Patent Document 2, character information and pattern information are identified from a read original, and the pattern information area is reduced. Thereby, it is possible to secure an area necessary for image formation of translated characters and perform image formation by translation with a simple operation.
JP 2007-34430 A (paragraph numbers 0019 to 0029) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-74934 (FIG. 3)

  However, in this case, if the area of the pattern information is made too small, it is difficult to recognize the pattern, and there is a possibility that an image formed by translation is not required by the user. Then, there is a limit in reducing the pattern information area.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image according to a user's request when translating characters to form an image.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an image forming unit that forms an image including characters translated from a document including characters. Then, a selection unit that selects a desired character from the document and a translation unit that translates the character selected by the selection unit are provided.

  Preferably, the selection unit discriminates a character region from the document and selects a desired character region from the determined character region.

  More preferably, the selection means includes a display means for displaying the recognized character area so as to be recognized, and causes the display means to select a desired character area.

  More preferably, the display means displays the determined character area surrounded by a frame.

  More preferably, when the translated character falls within the desired character area selected by the selection unit, the size of the character is determined when it is determined by the determination unit that the translated character does not fit. And a size changing means for changing.

  More preferably, an area changing unit is provided for changing the size of an area of a desired character selected by the selecting unit.

  According to the present invention, the image forming apparatus selects a desired character, thereby translating the selected character to form an image. Thereby, only the character which a user desires can be translated. Therefore, when a character is translated and an image is formed, an image according to a user's request can be formed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital multifunction peripheral 10 when an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the digital multifunction peripheral 10. Referring to FIG. 1, a digital multifunction peripheral 10 displays a control unit 11 that controls the entire digital multifunction peripheral 10, a DRAM 12 for writing and reading image data and the like, and information that the digital multifunction peripheral 10 has. An operation unit 13 that includes a display screen 23 and serves as an interface with the user in the digital multifunction peripheral 10, a document feeder 14 that automatically conveys a document to a predetermined document reading position, and an image reading unit 15 that reads the document with a scanner. Then, the image forming unit 16 that forms the image from the image data of the original read by the image reading unit 15 and outputs the image to the paper, the hard disk 17 that stores the image data and the like, and the FAX communication connected to the public line 20 Unit 18 and a network IF (interface) unit 19 for connecting to the network 21.

  The control unit 11 compresses and writes the image data of the original document supplied from the image reading unit 15 to the DRAM 12, reads the image data written to the DRAM 12, decompresses and decodes it, and outputs it by the image forming unit 16.

  The digital multifunction peripheral 10 operates as a copying machine by forming an image in the image forming unit 16 via the DRAM 12 using the image data of the original read by the image reading unit 15. Further, the digital multifunction peripheral 10 forms an image in the image forming unit 16 via the DRAM 12 using the image data transmitted from the personal computer 22 connected to the network 21 through the network IF unit 19, thereby serving as a printer. Operate. Further, the digital multifunction peripheral 10 forms an image in the image forming unit 16 through the DRAM 12 using the image data transmitted from the public line 20 through the FAX communication unit 18, and also by the image reading unit 15. The image data of the read original is transmitted to the public line 20 through the FAX communication unit 18 to operate as a facsimile machine.

  In FIG. 1, thick arrows indicate the flow of image data, and thin arrows indicate the flow of control signals or control data.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the control unit 11 when the digital multifunction peripheral 10 is used to translate a read original to form an image. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the document 30. With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the operation of the control unit 11 in the case of translating a read original to form an image using the digital multifunction machine 10 will be described.

  First, when a document 30 is set on the document feeder 14 and a request for image formation is received, the image reading unit 15 reads the set document 30 (step S11 in FIG. 2, the following steps are omitted). Then, the control unit 11 determines a character area including characters and a graphic area including graphics from the read image data of the document 30 (S12). Here, the manuscript 30 is configured to include two lines of characters written in Japanese at the bottom and a figure at the top. Specifically, the characters are described as “image forming apparatus” on the first line, and “digital multifunction peripheral” on the second line. The figure is rectangular and a star is drawn in the center. Therefore, the control unit 11 sets the characters “image forming apparatus” on the first line to the first character area 31, the characters “digital multifunction peripheral” on the second line to the second character area 32, and the rectangle. The figure is discriminated from the figure region 33. Here, for the determination, for example, for each dot constituting the image data of the read original 30, a character area and a graphic area are determined based on the relationship with the adjacent dots.

  Next, the control unit 11 displays the determined first and second character regions 31 and 32 and the graphic region 33 on the display screen 23 of the operation unit 13 (S13). FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which first and second character areas 31 and 32 and a graphic area 33 are displayed on the display screen 23. Referring to FIG. 4, display screen 23 recognizes each discriminated area by first and second character areas 31 and 32 with dotted frames and graphic area 33 by an alternate long and short dash line. Display with a frame. Thereby, the user can easily recognize each determined area. Here, the display screen 23 operates as display means.

  Then, the control unit 11 causes the display screen 23 to select a desired character region, that is, a character region that the user wants to translate among the first and second character regions 31 and 32 (S14). Specifically, the display screen 23 is in a touch panel format, and is selected by touching a region of a character that the user wants to translate. Here, the control unit 11 operates as selection means. In this embodiment, the first character region 31, that is, the character “image forming apparatus” is touched to select the first character region 31.

  The control unit 11 translates the characters in the selected first character region 31 from Japanese to English (S15). Specifically, a Japanese character “image forming apparatus” in the first character region 31 is translated into an English character “Image Forming Apparatus”. Here, the control unit 11 operates as a translation unit.

  Then, the control unit 11 operates the image forming unit 16 so as to form an image including the translated characters. At this time, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the translated character fits in the region 31 of the selected first character (S16). Here, the control unit 11 operates as a determination unit.

  If it is determined that the image does not fit (YES in S16), the control unit 11 operates the image forming unit 16 to change the size of the character in the first character region 31 to form an image. . Then, the image forming unit 16 changes the size of the character in the first character region 31 to form an image including the translated character (S17). Here, the image forming unit 16 operates as a size changing unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the formed product 34 in which an image is formed by translating characters in the first character region 31. Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the formation 34 is formed by translating the characters in the first character region 31 from Japanese into English and changing the size of the characters to be small. ing. In the second character area 32 and the graphic area 33, the image is formed by copying as it is.

  As described above, the digital multi-function peripheral 10 selects a desired character, thereby translating the selected character to form an image. Thereby, only the character which a user desires can be translated. Therefore, when a character is translated and an image is formed, an image according to a user's request can be formed.

  In addition, when it is determined that the translated character does not fit within the desired character region, an image including the translated character can be obtained without changing the layout of the document 30 by changing the character size. Can be formed.

  If it is determined in S16 of FIG. 2 that the translated character is within the first character region 31 (NO in S16), the character has been translated without changing the size of the character. An image including characters is formed (S18).

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the size of the character is changed to be small and an image including the translated character is formed has been described. However, the image forming unit 16 may select the desired character region. It is possible to form an image including the translated character by changing the size of the selected desired character region.

  Specifically, when it is determined that the translated character does not fit within the first character region 31, the size of the first character region 31 is automatically changed to a large size, and the translated character is Is formed. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a formed product 35 in which an image is formed by greatly changing the size of the first character region 31. Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 6, the formation 35 translates the characters in the first character region 31 from Japanese into English and greatly changes the size of the first character region 31. The image is formed.

  When the size of the selected desired character area is changed, the size may be instructed by the user. Specifically, when the first character area 31 is selected, the display screen 23 is instructed for the size of the area in the selected first character area 31. For example, the size of the area is instructed by increasing the size of the dotted frame surrounding the area 31 of the first character. Then, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the translated character falls within the designated size. If it is determined that the image does not fit, the character size is changed as described above, and an image is formed with the size of the designated first character region 31. If it is determined that the image will fit, the image is formed in the size of the designated first character area 31 without changing the size of the character.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the discriminated first and second character areas 31 and 32 and the graphic area 33 are surrounded by a frame has been described. Any other format may be used as long as the identified areas can be recognized.

  In the above-described embodiment, the operation unit 13 includes the display screen 23, and an example in which a desired character area is selected from the display screen 23 has been described. The image data of the original 30 may be transmitted to the personal computer 22 so that a desired character area is selected from the personal computer 22.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the character area and the graphic area are determined from the read document 30 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and only the character area may be determined.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which a desired character region is selected from the determined character region by determining the character region has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. By displaying 30 on the display screen 23 as it is, only a desired character included in the document 30, specifically, a character “image” may be selected. In this case, the control unit 11 translates only the selected character “image” into the character “Image”.

  Further, in S17 of FIG. 2, the image data of the formed image may be displayed on the display screen 23 before the image forming unit 16 is operated to form an image. Thereby, the user can confirm in what state the formed object 34 is image-formed.

  Further, in the formed product 34 formed with an image, the first character region 31 may be shaded or colored so that the translated character can be identified. Thereby, the user can confirm the translated character easily.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a single original 30 is translated to form an image has been described. However, a plurality of originals may be used.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described with reference to drawings, this invention is not limited to the thing of embodiment shown in figure. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiment within the same range or equivalent range as the present invention.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital multifunction peripheral when an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the digital multifunction peripheral. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a control unit when a read original is translated to form an image using a digital multifunction peripheral. It is a figure which shows an example of a manuscript. It is a figure which shows an example which displayed the area | region of the 1st and 2nd character, and the area | region of the figure on the display screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the formation which translated the character in the area | region of a 1st character, and formed the image. It is a figure which shows an example of the formed material which changed the magnitude | size of the area | region of the 1st character largely, and formed the image.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Digital multifunction device, 11 Control part, 12 DRAM, 13 Operation part, 14 Document feeder, 15 Image reading part, 16 Image formation part, 17 Hard disk, 18 FAX communication part, 19 Network IF part, 20 Public line, 21 Network , 22 PC, 23 display screen, 30 original, 31 first character area, 32 second character area, 33 graphic area, 34, 35 formation.

Claims (6)

An image forming apparatus having an image forming unit for forming an image including characters translated from a document including characters,
Selecting means for selecting desired characters from the original;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a translation unit that translates the character selected by the selection unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit determines a character region from the document and selects a desired character region from the determined character region. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the selection unit includes a display unit that displays the discriminated character area so that the discriminated character region can be recognized, and causes the display unit to select a desired character region. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display unit displays the discriminated character area with a frame. Determining means for determining whether or not the translated character falls within an area of a desired character selected by the selecting means;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a size changing unit that changes the size of the character when the determining unit determines that the character does not fit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an area changing unit that changes an area size of a desired character selected by the selection unit.

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