JP2011151733A - Image processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce time and efforts for a user when an image processing is powered off in the middle of image reading and then powered on again. <P>SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus includes: a read-in device for reading in a document and capturing image data; a memory for storing image data and an output condition of the image data; a determiner for determining whether operation is stopped during a job is executed by the read-in device; a read-out device for reading out the output condition stored in the memory when the determiner determines that the operation is stopped; and a recovery device for allowing the document to be continuously read by the read-in device and performing recovery processing of the job under the output condition read out by the read-out device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that outputs a read image.

  An MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) interrupts a job when the power is turned off during the execution of the job. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151867 discloses a job process when the power is turned on again.

  In Patent Document 1, when the power is turned off at the receiving side during the transfer of the image data and the power is turned on again, in the subsequent image data development process, “transfer data from the beginning”, A technique for selectively controlling execution from among “performed in the middle” and “discard” is disclosed.

  However, the technique of Patent Document 1 is a technique for transferring the read image data, and it is not assumed that the power is turned off during the reading of the document. Therefore, when the power is turned off while reading a document, even if the power is turned on, the document being read cannot be read again with the settings before reading, and the setting for reading must be performed again. It was.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when the power is turned off during document reading and the power is turned on again, the document can be continuously read under the same conditions. An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus that can reduce the time and effort required.

  An image processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a reading unit that reads a document and acquires image data, a storage unit that stores the image data and an output condition of the image data, and a job being executed by the reading unit. A determination means for determining whether or not the operation has been stopped; a reading means for reading out the output condition stored in the storage means when the determination means determines that the operation has been stopped; and A recovery unit that enables reading by the reading unit, and performs recovery processing of the job under the output condition read by the reading unit.

  According to the present invention, when the power is turned off while the document is being read and the power is turned on again, the document can be continuously read under the same conditions as before the power is turned off. it can.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of hardware of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the processing concept at the time of normal job execution. The figure which shows the process concept at the time of the recovery execution by this invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the place of an output condition and image data. The flowchart which shows an example of a normal recovery process. The flowchart which shows an example of the recovery process which displays the number of sheets. The figure which shows an example of a manuscript addition reception screen. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of recovery processing for displaying a preview. The figure which shows an example of the screen which displays a thumbnail image. The flowchart which shows an example of the recovery process which selects an operation mode. The figure which shows an example of an operation mode selection screen. The flowchart which shows an example of the process which sets an operation mode in advance. The flowchart which shows an example of the recovery process when an operation mode is set in advance. The flowchart which shows an example of the recovery process which changes conditions. The figure which shows an example of a condition change screen. The flowchart which shows an example of the process which sets whether the condition change is possible in advance. The flowchart which shows an example of the recovery process which preset the possibility of condition change.

  Embodiments of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the following embodiment, an image processing apparatus that processes image data will be described by taking a multifunction machine having a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function mounted in one housing as an example.

[Example 1]
<Hardware>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of hardware of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The image processing apparatus 1 includes a CPU (processor) 10, ROM 11, RAM 12, NVRAM 13, external I / F 14, panel control unit 15, operation panel 16, scanner engine control unit 17, and plotter engine control unit 19 storage driver 21.

  An operation panel 16 is connected to the panel control unit 15, a scanner engine 18 is connected to the scanner engine control unit 17, a plotter engine 20 is connected to the plotter engine control unit 19, and a storage medium 22 is connected to the storage driver 21. Yes.

  The CPU 10 performs control calculations for the entire image processing apparatus 1. The RAM 11 is used as a temporary data storage location and a work space for the CPU 10. The ROM 12 stores program codes, fonts, and other static data. The NVRAM 13 stores nonvolatile data.

  The operation panel 16 and the panel control unit 15 serve as an interface with the user. The scanner engine 18 and the scanner engine control unit 17 read a paper document as an image data input unit. The plotter engine 20 and the plotter engine control unit 19 print on transfer paper as an output unit of image data.

  The storage medium 22 and the storage driver 21 are used by accumulating a large amount of image data or as a storage location of a database. The external I / F 14 enables communication with an external device using an interface such as Centronics or RS-232C. The CPU 10, RAM 11, ROM 12, NVRAM 13, external I / F 14, panel control unit 15, scanner engine control unit 17, plotter engine control unit 19, and storage driver 21 exchange data via a data bus.

<Processing concept>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing concept when executing a normal job. At time t1, the user sets a document and sets output conditions for scanned image data. The user may also set the input conditions for scanning the document. At time t2, the user presses the start button. At time t3, the set original is scanned, and the scanned image data is output based on the output conditions. The output is, for example, printing or mail transmission. The output conditions are resolution and paper size when the output is printing. Between times t2 and t3, the image processing apparatus 1 executes a job.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a processing concept at the time of executing recovery according to the present invention. At time t11, the user sets a document and sets output conditions for scanned image data. Further, the user may set an input condition for scanning a document. At time t12, the user presses the start button. At time t13, the power is turned off. By time t13, the image processing apparatus 1 stores image data that has been read by scanning and output conditions. If there is an input condition, the input condition is also stored.

  At time t14, the power is turned on. At this time, the image processing apparatus 1 reads out the stored output condition, sets it as a job condition value, and continuously accepts scanning of a document. The image data scanned by this job at time t15 is output based on the read output condition.

<Function>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the image processing apparatus 1 includes a condition setting unit 100, a reading unit 101, a stopped job determination unit 102, a recovery unit 103, a management unit 104, an operation determination unit 107, and a display unit 112.

  The condition setting unit 100 controls setting in job conditions. For example, a UI screen for setting image reading conditions (input conditions) is controlled, and a UI screen for setting conditions for outputting images (output conditions) is controlled. The conditions set by the condition setting unit 100 are output to the management unit 104.

  When the execution of the job is instructed after the conditions are set, the image reading unit 101 reads the document and acquires the image data. The acquired image is output to the management means 104. The job execution is determined by detecting that the user has pressed the start button.

  The stopped job determination unit 102 determines whether there is a job (also referred to as an incomplete job) whose operation has been stopped during job execution when it is restarted after power is turned off. The stopped job determination unit 102 can determine whether there is an incomplete job after executing the job by referring to the job log. If there is an incomplete job, the stopped job determination unit 102 notifies the management unit 104 to that effect.

  The management unit 104 includes a storage unit 105 and a reading unit 106. When the storage unit 105 acquires an input condition or an output condition from the condition setting unit 100, the storage unit 105 stores (writes) the acquired condition in the RAM 11 or the NVRAM 13. The storage unit 105 stores the image data read by the image reading unit 101 in the RAM 11 or the NVRAM 13 in units of pages, for example. In addition, when there is an uncompleted job and the recovery unit 103 instructs the storage unit 105, if there is an instruction from the recovery unit 103, the image data before power-off and the image data to be acquired next are the subsequent page numbers.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of output conditions and locations of image data. In FIG. 5, the resolution “300 dpi” and the print size “A4” are set as output conditions. The output in this case is “printing”. In addition, the location of the image data is stored. The example shown in FIG. 5 is an example when three originals are read. As shown in FIG. 5, the storage unit 105 may store the output condition and the storage location of the image data in the RAM 11 or the like in one text format.

  Returning to FIG. 4, when the reading unit 106 is notified by the stopped job determination unit 102 that there is an uncompleted job, the reading unit 106 reads the input condition or output condition stored in the RAM 11 or the NVRAM 13 and outputs it to the recovery unit 103. .

  The recovery unit 103 determines which recovery process is to be performed or does not perform the recovery process according to an instruction from an operation determination unit 107 described later, and executes the process. The recovery process refers to a process of restoring a job from the middle when the image processing apparatus 1 is activated again when the process stops midway due to a power failure or the like during job execution. Here, the recovery means 103 can process one of the operation modes of the first recovery process, the second recovery process, or no recovery process.

(First recovery process)
When the recovery unit 103 acquires the input condition or output condition from the reading unit 106, the recovery unit 103 uses the acquired input condition or output condition as the input condition or output condition when restoring an incomplete job. This eliminates the need for the user to set output conditions again. In addition, the recovery unit 103 instructs the storage unit 105 so that the image data acquired after the power is turned off and the image data before the power is turned off are the same image data and the subsequent page number is set. Thereby, the image data of the original read after the power is turned off can be continuously stored in the image data acquired before the power is turned off.

(Second recovery process)
When the recovery process 103 acquires the output condition from the reading unit 106, the recovery process 103 outputs the image data stored in the RAM 11 or the NVRAM 13 under the acquired output condition. Thus, it is possible to output image data that has been read before the power is turned off.

(No recovery process)
The recovery process 103 does not process either the first recovery process or the second recovery process described above according to an instruction from the operation determination unit 107.

  The operation determining unit 107 determines the operation of the recovery process. The operation determination unit 108 includes a selection unit 108, a mode setting unit 109, a condition changing unit 110, and a change permission / inhibition setting unit 111.

  The selection unit 108 controls the selection of the recovery process when the stopped job determination unit 102 determines that there is an incomplete job at the time of startup after the power is turned off. The selection unit 108 controls the selection of the recovery process by displaying on the operation panel 16 one of the operation modes of the first recovery process, the second recovery process, and no recovery process. The selection unit 108 notifies the recovery unit 103 of the selected operation mode. Thereby, the user can freely determine whether or not the recovery process is possible, and convenience is improved.

  The mode setting unit 109 has a function of setting any one of the three operation modes described above. The mode setting means 109 may store the set operation mode in the ROM 12 or the like. When it is determined that there is an incomplete job, the operation determination unit 107 first checks whether there is an operation mode set by the mode setting unit 109. When there is an operation mode set by the mode setting unit 109, the operation determining unit 107 outputs this operation mode to the recovery unit 103. When there is no set operation mode, the operation determining unit 107 selects the operation mode by the selection unit 108. To select. Thus, by setting the operation mode in advance, the power supply is activated, and the user does not have to select the operation mode every time there is an uncompleted job, which improves the convenience for the user.

  The condition changing unit 110 controls the condition change of the output condition when performing the first recovery process or the second recovery process. The condition changing unit 110 controls the setting of the condition change by displaying a condition setting UI screen on the operation panel 16. The condition changing unit 110 outputs the changed output condition to the recovery unit 103. Note that when the input condition is set, the input condition may be changed. As a result, image data can be read or output under conditions different from the output condition or input condition before the power is turned on, and the setting can be flexibly changed according to the user's request.

  The change permission / inhibition setting unit 111 has a function of setting in advance whether or not to permit the condition change by the condition change unit 110. The change enable / disable setting unit 111 may store the set enable / disable information in the ROM 12 or the like. When it is determined that there is an incomplete job, the operation determination unit 107 confirms change permission / inhibition information. The operation determining unit 107 controls the change of setting by the condition changing unit 110 when the change by the condition changing unit 110 is prohibited when the change permission is set by the change enable / disable setting unit 111. . Thus, for example, when the second recovery process is set by the mode setting unit 109, by making the condition change during recovery impossible, when the power is turned on again, the job is automatically executed without user operation. Can be executed.

  When it is determined that there is an uncompleted job, the display unit 112 may display, for example, image data stored in the RAM 11 and / or information on the image data on the operation panel 16. The display unit 112 includes a number display unit 113 and a preview display unit 114.

  The number display unit 113 displays, for example, the number of image data stored in the RAM 11 on the operation panel 16 before the recovery process by the recovery unit 103. As a result, it is possible to know to which page of the original the reading has been completed, and the user can grasp the continuation of the original to be read.

  The preview display unit 114 displays a preview of image data stored in, for example, the RAM 11 on the operation panel 16 before the recovery process by the recovery unit 103. As the preview, for example, a thumbnail image may be reduced and displayed. Accordingly, it is possible to easily grasp up to which original has been read by looking at the preview display, which improves convenience. For example, if a power interruption occurs while scanning a large number of documents, the last document scanned before the power interruption can be grasped. Therefore, even if the number of pages is not counted, the subsequent images can be grasped only by looking at the document. can do.

  The condition setting unit 100, the operation determining unit 107, and the display unit 112 are realized by, for example, the CPU 10, the panel control unit 15, and the operation panel 16. The image reading unit 101 is, for example, the CPU 10, the scanner engine control unit 17, and the scanner engine. 18, the stopped job determination unit 102 and the management unit 104 are realized by, for example, the CPU 10, and the recovery unit 103 can be realized by, for example, the CPU 10, the plotter engine control unit 19, and the plotter engine 20.

<Operation>
Next, the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 will be described. Hereinafter, a plurality of processes of the image processing apparatus 1 are shown in order.

(Normal processing)
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of normal recovery processing. As shown in FIG. 6, in step S <b> 101, the condition setting unit 100 sets an output condition and outputs the condition set in the storage unit 105. At this time, if the input condition is also set, the condition setting unit 100 outputs it to the storage unit 105 together with the output condition. The storage unit 105 stores the acquired output condition and input condition in, for example, the RAM 11.

  In step S102, the user instructs to execute the job by setting a document and pressing a start button.

  In step S <b> 103, the image reading unit 101 reads a document, acquires image data, and outputs the image data to the storage unit 105. The storage unit 105 stores the acquired image data in, for example, the RAM 11.

  If it is determined in step S104 that a power failure or a user power-off (OFF) has occurred, the process proceeds to step S105. If there is no power-off, the process proceeds to step S108.

  In step S105, the image processing apparatus 1 is restarted. In step S <b> 106, it is assumed that the stopped job determination unit 102 detects a job that has been powered off during job execution. The stopped job determination unit 102 may determine whether or not there is an incomplete job by referring to the job log.

  In step S <b> 107, the reading unit 106 reads the output condition stored in the RAM 11 and outputs it to the recovery unit 103. At this time, if the input condition is also stored in the RAM 11, the stopped job determination unit 102 reads out the input condition and outputs it to the recovery unit 103.

  In step S108, the image reading unit 101 returns to step S103 until it detects that there is no additional document. If it is detected that there is no additional document, the process proceeds to step S109. In the process of step S108 after step S107, the read image data of the document is stored in, for example, the RAM 11 as a continuation of the image data before power-off. Storage in the RAM 11 as a continuation of the image data before the power is turned off is realized by an instruction from the recovery means 103.

  In step S109, the recovery unit 103 outputs the image data stored in the RAM 11 to the plotter engine control unit 19 under the output condition read in step S107. The plotter engine 20 is controlled by the plotter engine control unit 19 to print image data.

  As a result, it is possible to add image data after the power supply is restarted, so that an original that could not be read when the power was turned off can also be output, thereby improving user convenience.

(Number display process)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of recovery processing for displaying the number of sheets. In the processing shown in FIG. 7, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 6 are given to those performing the same processing as the processing shown in FIG.

  In step S201 shown in FIG. 7, the number display unit 113 displays the number of image data stored in the uncompleted job on the operation panel 16. As for the number of image data, a page number is assigned each time a document is read, and image data having a name including the page number may be stored in the RAM 11, for example.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a document addition acceptance screen. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the power is turned off when five originals are read, and “5” is displayed on the operation panel 16 as the number of images (image data) when activated. When the “complete input of document” button is pressed, five pieces of image data are output. As a result, the user knows from what page additional documents should be read, and can easily grasp the document to be added.

(Preview display processing)
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of recovery processing for displaying a preview. In the process shown in FIG. 9, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 6 are assigned to the same processes as those shown in FIG.

  In step S301 illustrated in FIG. 9, the preview display unit 114 displays a preview of the image data stored in the incomplete job on the operation panel 16. For the preview, the image processing apparatus 1 may reduce the image data to generate a thumbnail image, and the preview display unit 114 may display the thumbnail image on the operation panel 16.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays thumbnail images. As shown in FIG. 10, a thumbnail image is displayed on the operation panel 16, and when the image is selected, the selected image is enlarged and displayed. When “return” is pressed from the enlarged image display screen, the original thumbnail image display screen is restored.

  As a result, the user can determine which original has been read by looking at the image, so it is not necessary to count the number of pages, and it is easy to grasp which original should be added. .

(Operation mode selection process)
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of recovery processing for selecting an operation mode. In the process shown in FIG. 11, the same reference numerals are given to the same processes as those shown in FIG. 6, and the description thereof is omitted.

In step S401 illustrated in FIG. 11, the selection unit 108 causes the operation panel 16 to display an operation mode selection screen. The operation mode indicates an operation for specifying a recovery method. The operation mode here is as follows.
Mode 1: Recovery processing is performed by adding a document. Mode 2: Recovery processing is performed up to the input completed image. Mode 3: The non-recovery selection means 108 allows the user to select the above three modes.

  In step S <b> 402, the selection unit 108 detects which mode the user has selected and outputs it to the recovery unit 103. If the recovery unit 103 determines that mode 1 has been selected, the recovery unit 103 proceeds to step S107 and performs the processing described in FIG. If the recovery unit 103 determines that mode 2 has been selected, the recovery unit 103 proceeds to step S109 and outputs already stored image data. If the recovery unit 103 determines that mode 3 has been selected, the recovery unit 103 ends the job itself without performing recovery processing. At this time, it is stored in the log as incomplete.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation mode selection screen. As shown in FIG. 12, on the operation mode selection screen, buttons for recovering by adding a document (mode 1), recovering to an input completed image (mode 2), and not recovering (mode 3) are displayed in a selectable manner. . When the user presses any button, the selection unit 108 can specify which mode the user has selected. Thereby, the operation mode according to a user's request | requirement can be selected.

(Processing by setting the operation mode in advance)
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for setting the operation mode in advance. In step S501 shown in FIG. 13, the mode setting unit 109 displays a selection screen as shown in FIG. In step S502, the mode setting unit 109 stores the selected mode in the ROM 12 or the like as a prior operation mode setting. Thereby, the prior operation mode setting is completed.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of recovery processing when the operation mode is set in advance. The processes shown in FIG. 14 that perform the same processes as those shown in FIGS. 6 and 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 6 and 11, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In step S <b> 601 shown in FIG. 14, the operation determination unit 107 reads a preset operation mode from the ROM 12 and outputs it to the recovery unit 103. In step S402, the recovery unit 103 determines the type of mode, and the subsequent processing is the same as in FIG.

  Thereby, since the operation mode can be selected in advance, it is possible to save the user from having to select the operation mode every time the recovery process is performed.

(Condition change processing)
FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of recovery processing for changing a condition. In the processing shown in FIG. 15, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 6 are assigned to the same processing as in FIG. 6, and description thereof is omitted.

  In step S701 illustrated in FIG. 15, the condition changing unit 110 causes the operation panel 16 to display a screen that allows the condition to be changed. The condition here may be either an input condition or an output condition. In the following, the output condition will be described as an example. The condition changing unit 110 detects (accepts) the condition changed by the user, and outputs the changed condition to the recovery unit 103. When the recovery unit 103 changes the output condition, the image data can be output under the changed output condition in S109.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a condition change screen. In the example shown in FIG. 16, an output condition change screen is shown. FIG. 16 shows that the output condition is a resolution of “300 dpi” and a print size of “A4”. At this time, when the button of resolution “600 dpi” is pressed, “600 dpi” is shaded, and the resolution of the output condition is changed to “600 dpi”.

  As a result, in addition to adding a document, the setting of input conditions and output conditions can be changed, and it is possible to flexibly respond to user requests.

(Processing by prior setting of whether to change conditions)
FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for setting in advance whether or not conditions can be changed. In step S801 illustrated in FIG. 17, the change permission / inhibition setting unit 111 causes the operation panel 16 to display a selection screen on which buttons for permitting and prohibiting condition changes are displayed, for example. In step 802, the change enable / disable setting unit 111 stores the selected change enable / disable in the ROM 12 or the like. Thereby, it is possible to set in advance whether to permit or prohibit the condition change.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a recovery process in which whether or not conditions can be changed is preset. In the processing shown in FIG. 18, the same processing as the processing shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 15 is denoted by the same reference numeral as FIG. 6 and FIG.

  In step S <b> 901 shown in FIG. 18, the operation determination unit 107 reads from the ROM 12 whether or not preset conditions can be changed. In step S902, the operation determining unit 107 notifies the condition changing unit 110 if the change is possible, displays a change screen as shown in FIG. 16, and notifies the recovery unit 103 if the change is not possible. To do. The recovery means 103 performs the subsequent processing.

  Thereby, for example, when mode 2 is set in advance setting of the operation mode, the job can be recovered without user operation by disabling the condition change.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the power is turned off while the document is being read and the power is turned on again, the document can be continuously read under the same conditions as before the power is turned off. Can be made.

  The program executed by the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units. As actual hardware, the CPU (processor) reads out the program from the ROM 12 and executes the program. One or more means among the means are loaded on the main storage device, and one or more means are generated on the main storage device.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example as it is, A component can be deform | transformed and embodied in the range which does not deviate from the summary in an implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments.

1 Image processing apparatus 10 CPU
11 RAM
12 ROM
13 NVRAM
15 Panel control unit 16 Operation panel 17 Scanner engine control unit 18 Scanner engine 19 Plotter engine control unit 20 Plotter engine 100 Condition setting unit 101 Image reading unit 102 Stopped job determination unit 103 Recovery unit 104 Management unit 105 Storage unit 106 Reading unit 107 Operation Determination means 108 Selection means 109 Mode selection means 110 Condition change means 111 Change enable / disable setting means 112 Display means 113 Number display means 114 Preview display means

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-293952

Claims (5)

Reading means for reading an original and obtaining image data;
Storage means for storing the image data and output conditions of the image data;
Determination means for determining whether or not the operation has stopped during execution of the job by the reading means;
A reading unit that reads out the output condition stored in the storage unit when the determination unit determines that the operation is stopped;
A recovery unit that enables the original to be continuously read by the reading unit, and that performs recovery processing of the job under the output condition read by the reading unit;
An image processing apparatus comprising:   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying the number of pieces of image data acquired before the operation is stopped during the recovery process. The display means includes
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a preview of the image data acquired before the operation is stopped is displayed.   When recovering the operation, select one of the operation modes in which the recovery process is not performed, the recovery process is performed, or the image data stored in the storage unit is output under the output condition stored in the storage unit The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising selection means for causing the image processing apparatus to perform the selection.   5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a changing unit that makes it possible to change the read output condition when the operation is restored. 6.

Images