JP2010258626A - Image reading apparatus, method of controlling the same, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reading apparatus capable of storing read image data even when communication between power supply and another device is disconnected when reading an original, and to provide a method of controlling the image reading apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The image reading apparatus establishes a connection with an external device, and receives power supply from the external device through the connection. When the connection is disconnected when reading the image of the original, the image reading apparatus temporarily feeds the power by a backup power supply provided inside. Further, the image reading apparatus stores an untransferred image data, which is image data read from the original and has not been transferred to an external device, into a nonvolatile memory when the connection is disconnected while the power is temporarily fed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus in a scanner or the like, a control method thereof, and a program.

  Peripheral device devices used by connecting to a personal computer include a device that operates with power supplied from the outside and a device that operates with power supplied from the connected personal computer. Peripheral device devices that operate by receiving power supply from a personal computer use, for example, a general-purpose interface standard called USB (Universal Serial Bus). This USB standard can supply a certain amount of power from a personal computer to a connected peripheral device.

  In recent years, energy saving of peripheral device devices has progressed, and the number of devices that operate only with the power supplied by USB has increased. Some image reading apparatuses, such as scanners, operate with the power supplied by the USB. When power is supplied by USB, it is not necessary to carry an AC adapter or the like, so that a product with excellent portability can be provided. However, power supply by USB may result in an unstable power supply state due to the state of the connected personal computer and the influence of other peripheral devices connected to the personal computer. In addition, since the communication with the personal computer and the power supply are combined, the power supply is cut off when the USB cable is disconnected. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses an ADF (automatic document feeder) that discharges a document being read or being conveyed on a conveyance path by using an uninterruptible (backup) power supply device when the power is cut off. A scanner is proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-72844

  However, the above prior art has the following problems. For example, if the power supply and communication are interrupted while the scanner is reading a document, the data cannot be received on the personal computer side, and the image data is interrupted. Some scanners having an ADF start reading the next document before the transfer of document data is completed in order to improve the document reading speed. When a document is read by this method, image data that has already been read and not transmitted is lost in addition to the image data of the document that was being read when the power supply was cut off.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and retains read image data even when power supply and communication with other devices are interrupted during reading of a document. An object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus and a control method thereof.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image reading apparatus that establishes a connection with an external apparatus, receives a power supply from the external apparatus, a reading means for reading an image from an original, and an original When the connection between the transfer means for transferring the image data read from the external device, the detection means for detecting whether or not the connection with the external device is disconnected, and the connection with the external device is disconnected, the image reading device The power supply means supplies power to the power supply means that temporarily supplies power and untransferred image data that is image data read from the document and that has not been transferred to the external device. Storage means for storing in the non-volatile storage means.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention establishes a connection with an external device, and connects the power supply when the power supply from the external device is disconnected from the connection means that receives the power supply from the external device. A control method for an image reading apparatus having a power supply means for temporarily supplying, a reading step for reading an image from a document, a transfer step for transferring image data read from the document to an external device, and an external device; A detection step for detecting whether or not the connection is disconnected, and untransferred image data that is image data read from a document and not transferred to an external device by a power supply means The storage step of storing in the non-volatile storage means is performed during the supply.

  According to the present invention, for example, an image reading apparatus capable of holding read image data even when power supply and communication with another apparatus are interrupted during reading of an original, and its A control method can be provided.

1 is a block diagram showing an image reading apparatus 101 and a personal computer 201 according to the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows the user interface displayed on the display part of the personal computer 201 which concerns on this embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a document reading operation of the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an interrupt operation of the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a standby operation of the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a transfer operation of the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an image reading operation of the personal computer 201 according to the present embodiment. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of image data transferred from the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment to the personal computer 201. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an image reading operation after reconnection in the personal computer 201 according to the present embodiment.

  An embodiment of the present invention is shown below. The individual embodiments described below will help to understand various concepts, such as superordinate concepts, intermediate concepts and subordinate concepts of the present invention. Further, the technical scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the claims, and is not limited by the following individual embodiments.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. First, the image reading apparatus 101 and the personal computer 201 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the image reading apparatus 101 and the personal computer 201 according to the present embodiment.

  The image reading apparatus 101 includes a control unit 111, an image reading unit 112, a connection unit 113, a backup power supply device 114, a data storage unit 115, and a buffer 116. The personal computer 201 includes an external control unit 211. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the image reading apparatus 101 and the personal computer 201 are connected via a USB cable 120. The USB cable 120 provides communication with the personal computer 201 and power supply from the personal computer 201 to the image reading apparatus 101.

  The image reading unit 112 includes a light source and an image sensor in the image reading apparatus 101, and reads the conveyed document as image data. The connection unit 113 that has started operation by being supplied with power from the USB cable 120 establishes a connection for communicating with the personal computer 201 via the USB cable 120. The connection unit 113 detects that communication with the personal computer 201 has been disconnected and also detects that connection with the power source has been disconnected. The backup power supply device 114 supplies power to the image reading apparatus 101 for a while when the external power supply is cut off. The data storage unit 115 is configured by a nonvolatile memory. The buffer 116 is configured by a memory such as a DRAM or an SRAM.

  In the personal computer 210, the external control unit 211 displays a user interface as shown in FIG. 2 on the display unit, for example, and when the “Scan” button is pressed by operating the mouse or the like, When the start of document reading is instructed and the “Continue” button is pressed, the image reading apparatus 101 is instructed to transfer the subsequent image data and subsequently read the subsequent document conveyed.

  When the connection unit 113 detects that the voltage of the power supplied from the personal computer 201 through the USB cable 120 is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the connection unit 113 determines that the USB cable 120 is disconnected. On the other hand, the external control unit 211 detects disconnection of the USB cable 120 when a response is not returned for a certain time when a command is issued to the image reading apparatus 101.

  The buffer 116 stores a reading flag indicating whether or not a document is being read. The reading flag is set to ON (for example, 1) when a document is being read. The data storage unit 115 stores cutting information indicating whether or not the document has been cut while reading the original and untransferred image data. Hereinafter, this disconnection information is referred to as an untransferred flag. The untransfer flag is set to ON (for example, 1) when the document is cut in the middle of reading. Note that when the USB communication and power supply are cut off during the reading of the document, the image data is read and stored in the image reading apparatus 101, and the untransferred image data is transferred to the personal computer 201. Called. The data storage unit 115 stores a connection flag indicating the connection status of the USB interface, and is set to OFF (for example, 0) when disconnected, and set to ON (for example, 1) when connected. Is set.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a normal document reading operation of the image reading apparatus 101 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the document reading operation of the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment. The processing described below is comprehensively controlled by the control unit 111 of the image reading apparatus 101. In addition, the number following S shown below shows each step number in a flowchart.

  In S101, when the connection with the personal computer 201 is established, the control unit 111 sets the connection flag to ON. In step S <b> 102, the control unit 111 stands by until an image reading command from the personal computer 201 is received. The standby operation in S102 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  When the image reading command is received, in step S103, the control unit 111 sets the reading flag of the buffer 116 to ON. In step S <b> 104, the control unit 111 causes the image reading unit 112 to read the document by a predetermined number of lines for each main scanning line or the number of lines determined according to the free capacity of the buffer 116. Thereafter, in S105, the control unit 111 stores the read image data in the buffer 116, and transfers the read image data to the personal computer 201 in S106. Details of the transfer operation will be described later with reference to FIG. The predetermined number of lines may be one line. Further, reading and transfer in units of one main scanning line are preferable, but cases where reading and transfer in units of one main scanning line are performed are also included in the present invention. In step S <b> 107, the control unit 111 determines whether the reading of the document being conveyed has been completed. If the reading has been completed, the process proceeds to S108. If the reading has not been completed, the process returns to S104, and the processes of S104 to S106 are repeated until the reading of the document is completed.

  When reading to the end of the document is completed, the control unit 111 sets the reading flag to OFF in S108. Subsequently, in S109, the control unit 111 checks the connection flag and determines whether or not the connection flag is set to ON. If the connection flag is set to ON, the process proceeds to S111. If OFF is set, the process proceeds to S110. It is assumed that the power is supplied from the backup power supply device 114 even if the power supply from the USB is stopped when the connection is turned off. For example, even if the USB cable is disconnected, the power can be supplied for a while. In S110, the control unit 111 turns off the power supply from the backup power supply device 114 and ends the process.

  If the connection flag is set to ON, in S111, it is determined whether or not the next document is placed on the document table of the image reading apparatus 101. Here, if the document is placed, the process returns to S103, and the control unit 111 sets the reading flag to ON, and continues the processes after S104. On the other hand, when the document is not placed, the process proceeds to S112, and the control unit 111 transfers a signal informing the personal computer 201 that the reading is completed, returns to S102, and shifts to a standby state.

  If the buffer 116 has a free area for the next original in order to increase the reading speed of the original, the image reading unit 112 starts the next reading before the transfer from the buffer 116 to the personal computer 201 is completed. Sometimes. In this case, when the next original is read, the non-transfer flag is set to ON before reading. On the other hand, when image data is transferred to the personal computer 201, the image data is sequentially deleted, and when all the transferred image data is deleted from the buffer 116, the untransfer flag is turned OFF.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the image reading apparatus 101 and the operation of S106 in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment. The image reading apparatus 101 includes a document table 3, a paper feed port 2, paper feed rollers 4 and 5, a transport roller 6, a transport frame 7, an image sensor 8, a contact glass 9, a platen roller 10, a discharge roller 11, and a discharge port 12. Is provided. P indicates a document. As shown in FIG. 4, the document P is placed on the document table 3 so as to be inserted into the paper feed slot 2.

  First, when receiving a document reading command from the external control unit 211, the control unit 111 rotates the paper supply rollers 4 and 5 to feed the documents P placed on the document table 3 one by one into the apparatus. Next, the conveyance roller 6 is rotated to convey the document P to the image reading position on the image sensor 8. Here, the document P is transported along the transport frame 7. Subsequently, the image reading unit 112 drives the image sensor 8 to read the position of the image reading position of the conveyed document P. The reading by the image sensor 8 is performed until the document P is conveyed by the platen roller 10 and the trailing edge passes the image reading position. The data read by the image sensor 8 is transferred to the control unit 111. The document that has passed the image reading position is discharged from the discharge port 12 by the discharge roller 11.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, an interrupt process when it is detected that the connection with the USB cable 120 has been disconnected will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the interrupt operation of the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment. The processing described below is comprehensively controlled by the control unit 111. The interrupt operation described here is an interrupt process when the connection via the USB cable 120 is disconnected.

  When communication by the USB cable 120 or disconnection of power supply is detected by the connection unit 113, power supply by the backup power supply device 114 is first started in S201. Note that it is more desirable to switch to the backup power supply device 114 by hardware in order to avoid instantaneous power interruption. Subsequently, in S202, the control unit 111 sets the connection flag to OFF. This interrupt process occurs in the flowchart of FIG. 3 and the flowcharts of FIGS. The image reading apparatus 101 has interrupt processing in addition to the interrupt processing that occurs when the USB cable 120 is disconnected. Therefore, when a plurality of interrupt processes occur simultaneously, or when another interrupt process occurs during the interrupt process, the interrupt processes are processed in the order of occurrence.

  Next, the standby operation (S102) in FIG. 3, that is, the operation of the image reading apparatus 101 when waiting for a command from the personal computer 201 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a standby operation of the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment. The processing described below is comprehensively controlled by the control unit 111.

  First, in S301, the control unit 111 determines whether or not the untransfer flag is set to ON. If the untransfer flag is set to ON, the process proceeds to S302. If OFF is set, the process proceeds to S304. In step S <b> 302, the control unit 111 determines whether untransferred image data is requested from the personal computer 201. If requested, the process proceeds to S306, and if not requested, the process proceeds to S303. In step S <b> 303, the control unit 111 determines whether the personal computer 201 has requested to delete untransferred image data. If requested, the process proceeds to S307, and if not requested, the process proceeds to S304.

  When untransferred image data is requested from the personal computer 201, in step S306, the control unit 111 acquires the untransferred image data from the data storage unit 115, transfers it to the personal computer 201, and proceeds to step S307. If it is determined in S303 that deletion of untransferred image data is requested, or if untransferred image data is transferred in S306, the control unit 111 deletes the untransferred image data from the data storage unit 115 in S307. Subsequently, in S308, the control unit 111 sets the untransferred flag to OFF.

  In S304, the control unit 111 determines whether or not the connection flag is set to ON. If it is set to ON, the process advances to step S <b> 305, and the control unit 111 determines whether an image reading command is requested from the personal computer 201. If requested, the standby operation is terminated and the process proceeds to S103 of FIG. 3, and if not requested, the process returns to S301. On the other hand, if the connection flag is set to OFF in S304, the process proceeds to S309, and the control unit 111 ends the process by stopping the power supply by the backup power supply device 114.

  Next, referring to FIG. 7, the transfer operation (S <b> 106) of FIG. 3, that is, the operation of the image reading apparatus 101 when image data is transferred from the buffer 116 to the personal computer 201 or stored in the data storage unit 115. Will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a transfer operation of the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment. The processing described below is comprehensively controlled by the control unit 111.

  In S401, the control unit 111 determines whether or not the connection flag is set to ON. If ON is set, the process advances to step S <b> 402, and the control unit 111 transfers image data from the buffer 116 to the personal computer 201 for each data block that the external control unit 211 requests to transfer. When the data in the buffer 116 is transferred, in step S403, the control unit 111 determines whether the connection flag is set to ON. If it is set to ON, the process proceeds to S404, and the control unit 111 deletes the data in the buffer 116 and ends the process. If image data cannot be transferred due to the concentration of various processes of the personal computer 201 in S106, the process proceeds to reading the next main scanning line while being stored in the buffer 116. Further, the image data transfer routine S106 can be executed asynchronously at positions other than those shown in the figure.

  On the other hand, when the connection flag is set to OFF in S401 or S403, the process proceeds to S405, and the control unit 111 sets the untransferred flag to ON. In step S <b> 406, the control unit 111 stores the read image data from the buffer 116 in the data storage unit 115. Note that it is desirable to save the last transferred data block because the transfer is highly likely to be incomplete. Next, in S407, the control unit 111 stores the order in which the S406 image data is stored in the data storage unit 115. After that, when all the image data in the buffer 116 is stored in the data storage unit 115, the process proceeds to S408, where the control unit 111 deletes the image data stored in the buffer 116 and ends the processing.

  As described above, when the USB connection via the USB cable 120 is disconnected, the image reading apparatus 101 stores the untransferred image data temporarily stored in the buffer 116 that is a volatile memory and the data storage unit 115 that is a nonvolatile memory. Thus, even if the power supply is stopped, untransferred image data can be retained. Therefore, when the power supply is resumed, the image reading apparatus 101 checks the data storage unit 115 in the flowchart of FIG. 6 described above, and continues the processing that was executed before the USB connection was disconnected. Can be executed.

  Next, an image reading operation on the personal computer 201 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the image reading operation of the personal computer 201 according to this embodiment. The processing described below is comprehensively controlled by the external control unit 211 of the personal computer 201.

  In step S <b> 501, the external control unit 211 transmits a document reading command to the image reading apparatus 101 when instructed by the user to start reading a document. In step S <b> 502, the external control unit 211 requests the image reading apparatus 101 for image data read from a document. In step S <b> 503, the external control unit 211 determines whether image data having the requested size has been transferred from the image reading apparatus 101 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the image data was requested.

  If the transfer of the requested image data block of the requested size has been completed, the process advances to step S504, and the external control unit 211 completes reading indicating that all the documents on the document table 3 have been read from the image reading apparatus 101. Determine whether a signal has been sent. If it has been transmitted, the process is terminated. If it has not been transmitted, the processes of S502 to S504 are repeated until it is transmitted. On the other hand, if it is determined that the transfer of the image data block of the size requested in S503 is not completed, the process proceeds to S505, where the external control unit 211 determines that the USB connection via the USB cable 120 has been disconnected, and so far. The transferred image data is stored as incomplete data as shown in FIG. 9, and the process is terminated. However, when the transfer of image data of the requested size is interrupted in the middle of one main scanning line, the external control unit 211 deletes the image data of that line.

  In FIG. 9, reference numeral 901 denotes complete image data when a document is read. Reference numeral 902 denotes image data that has been transferred to the personal computer 201 among data read from the document. Reference numeral 903 denotes image data that has not been transferred to the personal computer 201 among the data read from the document. Therefore, when the USB cable 120 is disconnected during the image reading operation, the image data 902 is stored in the personal computer 201 and the image data 903 is stored in the data storage unit 115 of the image reading apparatus 101.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 10, an operation of acquiring image data following image data acquired before disconnection when the connection by the USB cable 120 is reconnected in the processing of the personal computer 201 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the image reading operation after reconnection in the personal computer 201 according to the present embodiment. The processing described below is comprehensively controlled by the external control unit 211 of the personal computer 201.

  When connected to the image reading apparatus 101 via the USB cable 120, in step S601, the external control unit 211 determines whether untransferred image data is stored in the image reading apparatus 101. Specifically, the external control unit 211 performs the determination in S601 by determining whether or not the untransfer flag stored in the data storage unit 115 of the image reading apparatus 101 is ON. Here, if the untransferred flag is OFF, the process ends. If it is ON, the process proceeds to S602.

  In step S <b> 602, the external control unit 211 requests the image reading apparatus 101 for untransferred image data. In step S <b> 603, the external control unit 211 creates image data from the incomplete data stored in the personal computer 201 and the image data transferred this time. Thereafter, in S604, the external control unit 211 deletes the incomplete data that is no longer necessary, saves the created image data, and ends the process.

  As described above, the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment establishes a connection with an external apparatus such as the personal computer 201 and receives power supply from the external apparatus via the connection. In addition, when the connection is disconnected during image reading of a document, the image reading apparatus 101 temporarily supplies power from a backup power source provided therein. Further, the image reading apparatus temporarily supplies power to untransferred image data that has been read from the original and has not been transferred to the external apparatus when the connection is disconnected. While it is being stored in the non-volatile memory. As a result, the image reading apparatus 101 saves the untransferred image data in the non-volatile memory without losing the untransferred image data even when the power supply is stopped due to the disconnection. When the connection is reconnected, it can be transferred to an external device. As described above, the image reading apparatus 101 can effectively utilize the untransferred image data even when the power supply from the external apparatus is cut off during the reading of the document.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the image data in the buffer 116 is deleted when the transfer to the personal computer 201 is completed. However, the timing for deleting may be any time after the transfer is completed. Specifically, the previous image data may be deleted when the next image data is requested. In this case, even if the communication is cut off during the transfer of the image data, the data that should be transferred remains, so if it is left in the data storage unit 115, a transfer failure can be detected. You can transfer again without it. Also, new image data may be overwritten without deleting previous image data.

  In this embodiment, power is always supplied from the backup power supply device 114 during interrupt processing when the USB cable 120 is disconnected. However, whether or not the backup power supply device 114 can be driven is determined by the presence or absence of a read flag. You may decide. Further, in the reading apparatus according to the present embodiment, the image reading unit 112 reads the original using the image sensor that is transported and fixed, but the image sensor is moved while the original is fixed. A reading method may be used.

  In this embodiment, a non-volatile memory is used as an example of the data storage unit 115. However, any recording medium can be used as long as the data can be stored and erased and the data is not lost even if power is not supplied. . For example, in addition to a non-volatile memory such as an SD memory card, a USB memory may be connected to a hard disk, a CD-RW, a DVD-RW, a DVD-RAM, or the image reading apparatus 101. The backup power supply device 114 may be any device as long as power can be supplied when the external power supply is cut off. For example, a primary battery, a secondary battery, a solar battery, a fuel cell, an electric double layer capacitor, or the like may be used, or a power supply device including any of these may be used.

  In this embodiment, the USB cable 120 is used to connect the personal computer 201 and the image reading apparatus 101. However, data transfer and power supply can be performed between the personal computer 201 and the image reading apparatus 101. Any connection method is possible as long as it is possible. The connection detection method between the personal computer included in the connection unit 113 and the image reading apparatus 101 may be any method as long as it can be detected. For example, a method of checking the voltage in the present embodiment or a detection method of recognizing that the terminal is disconnected if there is no instruction from the personal computer for a certain period of time may be used. Also, any method for detecting the connection between the personal computer 201 and the image reading apparatus 101 in the external control unit 211 may be used as long as it can be detected. For example, when a command is sent to the image reading apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment, it may be determined that the connection is disconnected when the response is not returned for a certain period of time. A method of determining that the power has been disconnected when the power consumption is equal to or less than the threshold may be used.

  In this embodiment, the external control unit 211 automatically complements the data when the presence of the incomplete data is confirmed. However, depending on the setting made by the user, the normal document reading operation is performed or the image data is set. It may be determined whether or not to perform complementation, and if the presence of incomplete data is recognized, the user may select execution of complementation. Further, when the untransfer flag is set to ON and a new document reading command is transmitted from the personal computer 201, the untransferred image data and the untransfer flag may be deleted. In this case, when the untransferred image data is subsequently stored in the data storage unit 115, the file is always deleted, so that the file can be managed efficiently.

  In the present embodiment, it is not determined whether the personal computer is actually connected to the image reading apparatus 101 before disconnection based on information from the reconnected personal computer 201. However, the image reading apparatus 101 may identify the personal computer 201 that has been cut while reading a document, and transfer untransferred image data only when the personal computer 201 is connected again. Specifically, when the connection is established again, the image reading apparatus 101 acquires hardware-specific identification information represented by the MAC address of the personal computer 201, and the personal computer 201 when disconnected is You may determine whether it was connected again. Further, the external control unit 211 issues a random number and transmits the random number to the image reading apparatus 101 together with the original reading command, and the random number that the external control unit 211 transmits to the image reading apparatus 101 at the start of the interrupted process at the time of reconnection. The image processing apparatus 101 may confirm whether or not the random numbers coincide with each other. In such a case, when storing the image data, the identification information unique to the cutting information and the received random number are added and stored. As a result, when untransferred image data is stored, it can be prevented from being read or deleted by another user's operation, and the risk of image data loss or information leakage can be reduced. it can.

<Other embodiments>
As described above, a storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus, and the program codes stored in those computers (CPU, MPU, etc.) are read and executed. Even so, the object of the present invention is achieved.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  Therefore, as long as it has the function of a program, the form of the program is not limited, such as an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to an OS (operating system).

  Examples of the storage medium for supplying the program include a flexible disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW. Further, there are magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, DVD, and the like.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  As another program supply method, the computer program of the present invention can be downloaded from a homepage on the Internet or the image processing apparatus 100 to a recording medium such as a hard disk device using a browser of a client computer. Alternatively, it can be supplied by downloading a compressed file including an automatic installation function to a recording medium such as a hard disk device. 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, an ftp server, and the like that allow a plurality of operators to download program files for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer are also included in the claims of the present invention.

  It is also possible to encrypt the program of the present invention, store it in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and distribute it to the operator. In that case, an operator who has cleared a predetermined condition can download key information for decryption from a homepage via the Internet. Then, by using the key information, the encrypted program is executed and installed in the computer.

  Further, not only the program code read by the computer is executed but also an OS or the like running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing based on an instruction of the program code.

  Furthermore, it is possible to write the program code read from the storage medium into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. In that case, it is also realized by the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performing part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code.

  Further, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of a single device. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a case where the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or apparatus. In this case, by reading a storage medium storing a program represented by software for achieving the present invention into the system or apparatus, the system or apparatus can enjoy the effects of the present invention.

101: Image reading device 2: Paper feed port 3: Document table 4, 5: Paper feed roller 6: Carrying roller 7: Carrying frame 8: Image sensor 9: Contact glass 10: Platen roller 11: Ejection roller 12: Ejection port P : Manuscript

Claims (9)

An image reading device,
A connection means for establishing a connection with an external device and receiving a power supply from the external device;
Reading means for reading an image from a document;
Transfer means for transferring image data read from a document to the external device;
Detecting means for detecting whether or not the connection with the external device is disconnected;
Power supply means for temporarily supplying power to the image reading device when the connection with the external device is disconnected;
Non-transferred image data that is image data read from a document and that has not been transferred to the external device is stored in the non-volatile storage means while power is supplied by the power supply means. An image reading apparatus comprising storage means for storing.   2. The storage unit stores, in the nonvolatile storage unit, cutting information indicating that the connection unit has been disconnected during reading of an original document together with the untransferred image data. The image reading apparatus described. When a connection with the external device is established by the connection means, further comprising a determination means for determining whether or not the disconnection information is stored in the nonvolatile storage means,
The transfer means includes
3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if the determination unit determines that the cutting information is stored, the image transfer apparatus transfers the untransferred image data to the external apparatus. The disconnection information further includes identification information of the external device connected by the connection means,
The transfer means includes
When the determination unit determines that the disconnection information is stored, and the external device connected by the connection unit is the external device corresponding to the identification information included in the disconnection information The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the untransferred image data is transferred to the external apparatus.   5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the untransferred image data is transferred to the external device, the transfer unit deletes the untransferred image data from the non-volatile storage unit. The reading unit reads a document for each main scanning line,
The transfer means transfers the read image data for each line or a plurality of lines of the main scanning line,
The storage means detects the untransferred image data for each main scanning line when the detection means detects that the connection with the external device has been disconnected, and completes the reading for each main scanning line. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus stores the image as an image reading apparatus.   The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection unit is a USB cable. An image having connection means for establishing connection with an external device and receiving power supply from the external device, and power supply means for temporarily supplying power when the power supply from the external device is cut off A method for controlling a reader,
A reading step for reading an image from a document;
A transfer step of transferring image data read from the document to the external device;
A detection step of detecting whether or not the connection with the external device is disconnected;
Non-transferred image data that is image data read from a document and that has not been transferred to the external device is stored in the non-volatile storage means while power is supplied by the power supply means. And a storage step for storing the image reading apparatus.   A program for causing a computer to execute the control method of the image reading apparatus according to claim 8.