JP2011095889A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To much more easily retrieve name card information by reducing labor imposed on the operation of a user. <P>SOLUTION: A multifunction unit 1 is provided with: an image scanner 2 for acquiring image information from a name card; a name card information extraction part 51; and a name card information retrieval part 52. The name card information extraction part 51 extracts name card information from the image information obtained by the image scanner 2, and the name card information retrieval part 52 retrieves information in the name card information storage part 54 on the basis of the name card information. Thus, the name card information can be retrieved by scanning the name card. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus, and more particularly to an image reading apparatus having a function of storing business card information.

Conventionally, attempts have been made to manage information described on business cards as electronic data.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a business card information management apparatus that manages business card data using a business card card that is an IC card. Specifically, the business card information management device of Patent Literature 1 allows a user to input a character string of a name to be deleted via a keyboard, and the business card of the corresponding person stored in the large-capacity RAM based on the input content. Access data. Next, the business card information management device displays the business card data on the liquid crystal display and then deletes it according to the user's instruction.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 04-205468

  However, business cards currently in general use are overwhelmingly many with business card information printed on paper, and the use of business cards as IC cards has not progressed.

  Therefore, even if a database of business card information is created, in order to select, refer to, edit, or delete specific business card information from the database, the user becomes a target through an operation device such as a liquid crystal display. It is necessary to input a character string included in the business card information.

  Performing the operation of inputting a character string in this way is a burden for the user, and an apparatus that can more easily search for business card information is desired.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus capable of searching for business card information designated by the user without requiring the user to input a character string of business card information to be searched.

The image reading apparatus of the present invention includes a business card information storage unit, an image reading unit, a business card information extraction unit, and a business card information search unit. The business card information storage unit stores business card information obtained in advance from an image on the business card. The business card information includes at least character information. The image reading unit reads a business card image to obtain image information. The business card information extraction unit extracts business card information from the image information obtained by the image reading unit. The business card information search unit searches the business card information in the business card information storage unit for business card information that matches the business card information extracted by the business card information extraction unit.
According to this image reading apparatus, the search is executed by causing the image reading unit to read the business card including the business card information to be searched by the user. Therefore, the user need not input a character string such as a name to be searched.

In the image reading apparatus, the business card information extraction unit may include a character information extraction unit that extracts character information from the image information, and the business card information search unit includes business card information including the character information extracted by the character information extraction unit. You may search for.
According to this configuration, it is not necessary for the user to input a character string at the time of search, and the user's labor is further reduced.

  In the image reading apparatus, the business card information extracting unit may extract at least one type of character information of a company name, a department, a title, a name, an address, an e-mail address, a telephone number, a facsimile number, and a company URL. Good. The business card information search unit may search for business card information including character information.

  In the image reading apparatus, the business card information storage unit may store color information. The business card information extraction unit may include a color information extraction unit that extracts color information from the image information, and the business card information search unit may search for business card information including the color information extracted by the business card information extraction unit. Thus, color information can also be used as business card information.

  The image reading apparatus may further include a business card information deletion unit that deletes the business card information searched by the business card information search unit.

  In the image reading apparatus, the business card information deletion unit may back up the business card information searched by the business card information search unit. Thereby, when necessary business card information is deleted by mistake, the business card information can be restored.

  The image reading apparatus may further include a business card information editing unit that edits the business card information searched by the business card information search unit.

  The image reading apparatus may further include an information presentation unit that presents a search result of the business card information search unit to the user.

In the image reading apparatus, the business card information storage unit may store color information. The business card information extraction unit may include a color information extraction unit that extracts color information from the image information. Further, the business card information search unit may search for business card information including character information from the business card information included in the search result after searching the business card information including the color information extracted by the business card information extraction unit.
According to this configuration, the business card information is once narrowed down by the color information, and then the search by the character information is performed. Therefore, the amount of data to be searched by the character information can be kept small.

  According to the image reading apparatus of the present invention, the search is executed by causing the image reading unit to read the business card including the business card information to be searched by the user. Therefore, the user need not input a character string such as a name to be searched. As a result, the burden on the user in operation is reduced.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a multifunction machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a flowchart of a business card information registration operation executed in the multifunction machine of FIG. 1. 3 is a flowchart of a business card information search operation executed in the multifunction machine of FIG. 1. It is a display screen displayed at the time of the search of FIG. 2 is a flowchart of color information extraction operation executed in the multifunction machine of FIG. 1; It is a figure which shows the relationship between an index number and a hue in the classification of pixels.

[1] First Embodiment (1-1) Overview of Multifunction Device 1 The multifunction device 1 of this embodiment is a device that reads an image on a document. More specifically, the multifunction machine 1 executes facsimile communication, electronic mail communication, image formation, and the like.

The configuration of the multifunction machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a multifunction machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the multi function device 1 includes an image scanner 2, a touch panel 3, a facsimile unit 41, an e-mail unit 42, an image forming unit 43, and a control device 5.

  The image scanner 2 is an example of an image reading unit that obtains image information from a document. The image scanner 2 includes a document placing table, a reading element that reads an image from a document on the document placing table, a light source that illuminates the document on the document placing table, a mirror and a lens that guide reflected light from the document to the reading element, and the like. (Not shown). As the reading element, for example, a charge coupled device image sensor (CCD) is used. The image scanner 2 also includes an A / D conversion unit that converts analog data output from the reading element into digital data, a correction unit that performs data correction, and the like. In the present embodiment, the image scanner 2 is a color scanner.

  The touch panel 3 presents a screen including various information to the user and accepts an instruction from the user. Specifically, the touch panel 3 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display panel and a touch sensor. For example, the touch panel 3 displays business card information in a business card information storage unit 54 (particularly the search target area 541) to be described later, thereby allowing the user to select a facsimile or e-mail transmission destination from the business card information. Can do.

  The facsimile unit 41 performs facsimile transmission / reception with other facsimile apparatuses. The e-mail unit 42 transmits / receives e-mails to / from other multifunction devices or PCs. As described above, the destination of transmission by the facsimile unit 41 and the e-mail unit 42 can be selected from business card information in a business card information storage unit 54 to be described later in accordance with an instruction from the user.

  The image forming unit 43 forms an image on the paper with a developer. As the image forming unit 43, an image forming mechanism such as an electrophotographic type or an ink jet type is adopted.

(1-2) Control device 5
The control device 5 controls the operation of each unit in the multifunction machine 1. Specifically, the control device 5 includes an arithmetic processing device such as a central processing unit (CPU), and a recording medium such as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and a hard disk drive (HDD). . Various functions of the control device 5 are realized by the CPU reading and executing a program in a recording medium such as a ROM. Specifically, the control device 5 includes a business card information extraction unit 51, a business card information search unit 52, a business card information management unit 53, and a business card information storage unit 54.

  The business card information extraction unit 51 extracts business card information from image information obtained by the image scanner 2 reading an image on the business card. The business card information includes character information and color information. That is, the business card information extraction unit 51 includes a character information extraction unit 511 and a color information extraction unit 512.

The character information extraction unit 511 extracts character information corresponding to business card information from the image information. Specifically, the character information extraction unit 511 includes a character recognition unit such as an optical character reader (OCR), and a determination unit that determines the meaning of the character from the position and arrangement of the recognized character in the business card. A selection unit that selects character information corresponding to the business card information from characters recognized by the character recognition unit based on the determination result of the determination unit (not shown).
Note that “determining the meaning of characters” means that the recognized characters are information such as company name, department, title, name, address, email address, telephone number, facsimile number, and company URL. It means to judge which is applicable. “Character information corresponding to business card information” is generally printed on business cards such as company name, department, title, name, address, e-mail address, telephone number, facsimile number, and company URL. Indicates character information.

  The type of character information (name, company name, address, etc.) extracted at the time of business card information search and used as a search keyword is set according to a user instruction. In this embodiment, a name is set as a default keyword. A plurality of types of keywords may be used for the search.

  The color information extraction unit 512 extracts color information from the image information. In the present embodiment, the color information extraction unit 512 determines how many colors appear most frequently from the image information. Specifically, the color information extraction unit 512 recognizes the hue range with the highest detection frequency as the most frequent color from among a plurality of preset hue ranges in the image information obtained from one business card. To do. Details of the color information determination method will be described later with reference to a flowchart.

  In addition to extracting the most frequently occurring color as color information in this way, the color information extracting unit 512 may determine the ratio of each color. That is, the color information extraction unit 512 determines which of the preset hue ranges the hue of each pixel in the image information obtained from one business card is included. Then, the color information extraction unit 512 finally calculates the ratio of the number of pixels included in each hue range in the image information of one business card.

  The business card information search unit 52 searches for business card information in the business card information storage unit 54 based on the information extracted by the business card information extraction unit 51. Specifically, the business card information search unit 52 includes a character information search unit 521 and a color information search unit 522.

  The character information search unit 521 searches the search target area 541 of the business card information storage unit 54 for business card information that matches the keyword extracted by the character information extraction unit 511. The keyword setting is as described above. The character information search unit 521 can execute a search based on one keyword, or can execute a search under an AND condition or an OR condition based on a plurality of keywords. Which of these search methods is executed is set based on a user instruction.

  The color information search unit 522 searches the search target area 541 of the business card information storage unit 54 for business card information that matches the color information obtained by the color information extraction unit 512 described above.

  The business card information management unit 53 manages information in the business card information storage unit 54. “Management” includes new registration, editing, and deletion. “Delete” includes complete deletion from the business card information storage unit 54 and deletion that can be backed up. The deletion that can be backed up is to move the business card information in the search target area 541 to the backup area 542.

  The business card information storage unit 54 stores business card information. The business card information includes the character information and color information described above. Information obtained from one business card is stored in association with each other. However, as the color information, the color information itself may not be stored, but a color image of the read business card may be stored. In this case, at the time of retrieval, the color information extraction unit 512 may extract color information from the stored color image.

  The business card information storage unit 54 includes a search target area 541 and a backup area 542. The information stored in the search target area 541 becomes a search target by the business card information search unit 52. Normally, the backup area 542 is not a search target of the business card information search unit 52, and is a search target only when there is a specific instruction from the user.

(1-3) Business Card Information Registration Operation The business card information registration operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the business card information registration operation executed in the multifunction machine of FIG.

When registering business card information, the user places a business card to be registered on the image scanner 2 and causes the image scanner 2 to perform a reading operation. The image scanner 2 reads the image on the business card and acquires image information (step S21 in FIG. 2).
From the obtained image information, the character information extraction unit 511 and the color information extraction unit 512 extract character information and color information, respectively (step S22). Details of the color information extraction will be described later.

  The business card information management unit 53 registers the obtained character information and color information as business card information in the search target area 541 of the business card information storage unit 54 (S23). At this time, the business card information obtained from one business card is stored in association with each other. Further, the business card information management unit 53 can classify the business card information based on information such as company name, name, registration order, and the like.

(1-4) Editing / Deleting Operation of Business Card Information An editing / deleting operation of already registered business card information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the business card information search operation executed in the multifunction machine of FIG.

In this case, the user places a business card to be edited or deleted on the image scanner 2 and causes the image scanner 2 to perform a reading operation.
As shown in FIG. 3, when receiving an instruction to search for business card information from the user, the image scanner 2 acquires an image information by reading an image from the business card, using this as a trigger (step S301).

  The character information extraction unit 511 and the color information extraction unit 512 respectively extract character information and color information from the image information (step S302).

  The character information search unit 521 and the color information search unit 522 search for business card information in the search target area 541 based on the extracted character information and color information (step 303). In the present embodiment, first, the color information search unit 522 performs a search to narrow down candidate business card information, and from the narrowed-down business card information, the character information search unit 521 includes the character information obtained in step S302. Based on the search. Thereby, the amount of target data for character string comparison can be reduced.

  However, the order of the search based on the color information and the search based on the character information may be reversed. Further, only a search based on color information or only a search based on character information may be executed in accordance with a user instruction or the like.

  If the number of business card information found in the search in step S303 is zero, the touch panel 3 displays a message that there is no candidate information based on an instruction from the business card information management unit 53 (step S304 → Step S305).

  When one or more business card information is found by the search in step 303, the touch panel 3 displays the found business card information as a candidate for editing / deleting (step S306). An example of the display screen is a screen P40 shown in FIG. The screen P40 includes a table 401 that displays candidate business card information, and a check box 402 corresponding to each candidate. The user can select information to be edited / deleted by touching the check box 402. In this way, the business card information management unit 53 receives selection of business card information to be processed (step S307).

  Next, of the editing and deletion, the process instructed by the user is executed. User instructions are input via the touch panel 3. The screen for accepting this instruction is not shown.

  If the user instruction is execution of editing, the business card information management unit 53 edits the business card information selected in step S307 in accordance with the user instruction via the touch panel 3 (steps S308 → S309). The editing of the business card information may be a process of changing each item based on a user instruction, or may be a process of overwriting and updating old business card information with new business card information.

  When the user instruction is to execute deletion, based on the instruction from the business card information management unit 53, the touch panel 3 displays a screen (not shown) asking the user whether backup is necessary or not. The user can input the necessity of backup via the screen. If an instruction indicating that backup is necessary is input, the business card information management unit 53 records the business card information selected in step S307 in the backup area 542 and deletes it from the search target area 541 (steps S308 → S310 → S312). → S311). If backup is not necessary, the business card information management unit 53 deletes the business card information selected in step S307 from the search target area 541 without recording it in the backup area 542 (steps S308 → S310 → S311).

  In the above description, the search at the time of editing and deletion has been described. However, the multifunction device 1 can also perform a simple search. When executing the search, steps S301 to S306 are executed.

(1-5) Extraction of Color Information Hereinafter, a case where the color information extraction unit 512 determines the most frequently used color as color information will be described. When extracting color information, the color information extraction unit 512 classifies pixels included in image information obtained from one business card based on luminance and hue. When the classification of the pixels included in the image information obtained from one business card is completed, the index number with the largest cumulative number of pixels in each index is determined as the color information.

  In the present embodiment, all the pixels are targets for classification, but in addition to this, some pixels may be targeted for classification in image information obtained from one business card.

  In the present embodiment, a hue circle, more specifically, an HLS color space is used for hue classification. The criteria in the classification of this embodiment are as shown in FIG.

  With indexes 0 to 5, colors other than black and white can be classified. However, a business card composed of monochrome (for example, white background and black characters) cannot be classified. Therefore, in the present embodiment, pixels that are determined to be achromatic colors using luminance are classified into index 6 by the color information extraction unit 512.

  This classification is only an example. Therefore, the value serving as the boundary between the hue ranges, the width of one hue range, the order of the hue ranges, and the like can be changed.

Next, the color information extraction operation will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the color information extraction operation executed in the multifunction machine of FIG.
First, the color information extraction unit 512 extracts one pixel from unclassified pixels, and determines whether the luminance of the pixel indicates “achromatic color” or “other than that” (steps S502 → S503).

  If the luminance of the pixel indicates an achromatic color, the color information extraction unit 512 classifies the pixel as index 6 (step S504).

  On the other hand, for the pixels determined as “other than that”, the color information extraction unit 512 determines the hue and classifies them into indexes 0 to 5 (steps S505 → S506). The color information extraction unit 512 classifies all the pixels, and accumulates the number of pixels classified into each index (step S501).

  When the classification is completed for all the pixels (Yes in step S501), the color information extraction unit 512 next refers to the cumulative value of the number of pixels at indexes 0 to 5, and whether the indexes 0 to 5 have a valid cumulative value. Judgment is made (step S507). The “effective cumulative value” is not limited to a specific value and can be determined empirically. Whether or not each index has an “effective cumulative value” can be determined in one of the following two ways. For example, the number of pixels classified into one index itself exceeds a specific threshold value, or the ratio of the number of pixels classified into one index to the total number of pixels exceeds a specific threshold value.

  When none of the indexes 0 to 5 has a valid accumulated value, the color information extraction unit 512 determines the index number “6” as color information (No in step S507 → step S508).

  If any of the indexes 0 to 5 has a valid accumulated value, the color information extraction unit 512 determines the index number having the largest accumulated value among the indexes 0 to 5 as color information (step S509).

When registering or editing business card information, the obtained index number is stored as one of the business card information.
When color information is used for searching for business card information, the color information search unit 522 selects business card information including the same index number as the index number determined from the business card image information read during the search. Further, when a search based on character information is performed, the color information search unit 522 performs a character string comparison for the business card information selected as the color information.

(1-6) Effects of the Invention According to this image reading apparatus, the search is executed by causing the image reading unit to read the business card including the business card information to be searched by the user. Therefore, the user need not input a character string such as a name to be searched.
The above effects are more effective when the present invention is used in a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine. These devices often use a touch panel as a data input device. The touch panel is difficult for the user to input characters compared to the keyboard. Therefore, in these apparatuses, the burden on the user increases, and the present invention is more effective. In the present invention, even when a user uses a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine, the user does not need to operate the touch panel for searching and input a character string, and the amount of work is reduced.

[2] Other Embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
(2-1)
In the first embodiment, both character information and color information are used for searching for business card information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only character information or color information may be used.

(2-2)
In the first embodiment, the user instructs an operation such as editing / deleting, and the business card information management unit 53 operates in response to the instruction. However, in addition to this, for example, the user can write a character string such as “delete”, “edit”, etc. on a business card by handwriting, printing with a stamp, or sticking a sticker on which these characters are printed, The business card information management unit 53 may recognize these character strings as instructions. In this case, a character recognition function such as handwritten character recognition or OCR is used.

(2-3)
In the first embodiment, a multi-function machine having an image scanner is given as an example of an image reading apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is widely used for apparatuses having an image reading function. As such an apparatus, an apparatus having a communication function such as a facsimile function or an electronic mail function in addition to an image reading function is preferable.

(2-4)
In 1st Embodiment, the touch panel was mentioned as an information presentation part which shows the search result of a business card information search part to a user. However, other information presentation units include a display panel that does not include a touch sensor, a printing device that prints and provides search results, and the like.

(2-5)
In the first embodiment, the image scanner is attached to the multifunction machine having the control device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image scanner may be provided separately from the multifunction peripheral having the control device and connected via a network.

(2-6)
In the first embodiment, after reading the image on the business card, the multifunction device 1 receives an instruction from the user as to whether to edit or delete.
In addition to this, the multi-function device 1 may receive an instruction on whether to perform editing or deletion first from the user, and then read an image on the business card. In this case, after the image on the business card is read, the search result is displayed, and then a final execution instruction for editing or deletion is accepted.
In addition, when the user loads a business card into the image scanner, the multifunction device 1 may automatically perform a search and delete the business card information without waiting for the user's instruction.

(2-7)
In the first embodiment, the number of business cards read by the image scanner is one at a time, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of sheets may be read together by an image scanner. In that case, a plurality of business card information is searched. As a result, for example, a plurality of corresponding business card information is displayed on the touch panel, and the user can edit or delete the display contents sequentially or collectively.

(2-8)
In the first embodiment, when business card information is overwritten, old business card information is changed to new business card information, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, old business card information may be stored in the backup area at the time of overwriting. As a result, the user can refer to the affiliation of the business card owner before the change.

  The present invention is particularly preferably used for an apparatus having a communication function such as a facsimile function or an electronic mail function in addition to an image reading function.

1 MFP (image reading device)
2 Image scanner (image reading unit)
3 Touch panel (information presentation part)
51 Business Card Information Extraction Unit 511 Character Information Extraction Unit 512 Color Information Extraction Unit 52 Business Card Information Search Unit 521 Character Information Search Unit 522 Color Information Search Unit 53 Business Card Information Management Unit (Business Card Information Delete Unit, Business Card Information Edit Unit)
54 Business card information storage

Claims (9)

Storing business card information obtained from an image on the business card in advance, the business card information including at least character information in the business card information,
An image reading unit that reads image of a business card and obtains image information;
A business card information extracting unit for extracting business card information from the image information obtained by the image reading unit;
A business card information search unit for searching for business card information that matches the business card information extracted by the business card information extraction unit from the business card information in the business card information storage unit;
An image reading apparatus comprising: The business card information extraction unit includes a character information extraction unit that extracts character information from the image information,
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the business card information search unit searches for business card information including the character information extracted by the character information extraction unit. The business card information extraction unit extracts at least one type of character information of company name, department, title, name, address, e-mail address, telephone number, facsimile number, and company URL,
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the business card information search unit searches for business card information including the character information. The business card information storage unit stores color information,
The business card information extraction unit includes a color information extraction unit that extracts color information from the image information,
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the business card information search unit searches for business card information including color information extracted by the business card information extraction unit. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a business card information deletion unit that deletes the business card information searched by the business card information search unit. The image reading apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the business card information deletion unit backs up business card information searched by the business card information search unit. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a business card information editing unit that edits business card information searched by the business card information search unit. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an information presentation unit that presents a search result of the business card information search unit to a user. The business card information storage unit stores color information,
The business card information extraction unit includes a color information extraction unit that extracts color information from the image information,
The said business card information search part searches the business card information containing the said character information from the business card information contained in the said search result, after searching the business card information containing the color information which the said business card information extraction part extracted. The image reading apparatus according to 3.

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