JP2011254138A - Image processing apparatus, image processing method, program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve perceptibility of a thumbnail image by making a profile of the thumbnail image (handwriting document image/electronic document image) discernible.SOLUTION: By an instruction of an operation display device 110, image data stored in a storage device of an HDD 105 is selected. An attribute determination unit in the operation display device 110 determines an attribute of the selected image. If a determination result says that its attribute is a handwriting document image, for example, an image editing unit performs an image edition by coloring a background of the handwriting document image, and displays a list of edited images.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, a program, and a recording medium that improve the visibility of thumbnail images.

  Thumbnail images usually have poor visibility. The reason for this is that in the case of a document with multiple pages, only the first page is displayed as a thumbnail, the document image is displayed in a small size by thumbnailing, and it is difficult to determine whether the document is a desired document. If you make the text original easier to see (for example, enlarge the original itself), only a part of the photo original will be enlarged and the visibility of the photo original will be worsened. When the entire photo is displayed), the character size of the character document itself is reduced, and the visibility of the character document is deteriorated.

  Therefore, in the case of a document having a plurality of pages, a technique for displaying the second and subsequent pages using the empty space in the thumbnail display section (Patent Document 1), editing to another thumbnail image to confirm whether the document is a desired document A technique for enlarging only a specified document without adding work (Patent Document 2), and a technique for displaying with a reduction ratio changed according to document data in the case of thumbnail display in which a text document and a photo document are mixed (Patent Document 2) 3).

  Another reason for the poor visibility of thumbnail images is that it is difficult to identify document images that have similar contents to the thumbnail images. For example, it may be difficult to identify with a thumbnail image whether the document is an electronic document or a handwritten document, whether the document size is a predetermined size, or whether the document is blank. As a result, a document having a similar layout or appearance is erroneously printed out, and miscopying occurs.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, a program, and a recording medium that can identify an outline of a thumbnail image (for example, a handwritten document image or an electronic document image) and improve the visibility of the thumbnail image. It is to provide.

  According to the present invention, an image input unit for inputting an image, an image storage unit for storing the input image, an attribute determination unit for determining the attribute of the stored image, and the attribute of the determined image Image editing means for editing the image, and image display means for displaying the edited image as a list, wherein the image editing means is displayed on the image display means in accordance with the determined attribute of the image. The main feature is to add a background color to the image.

  According to the present invention, since the thumbnail image is identified and the background color and the frame color are changed according to the identification result (undercolor processing of the MFP function), the visibility of the thumbnail image can be improved.

1 shows an overall configuration of an image processing apparatus (MFP) according to the present invention. The structural example of a 1st image process part is shown. A reference chart is shown. The structural example of a 2nd image process part is shown. A thumbnail image list display screen is shown. The structure of the operation display apparatus of Example 1 is shown. The process sequence of the operation display apparatus of Example 1 is shown. The structure of the operation display apparatus of Example 2 is shown. 7 shows a background color determination table of the second embodiment and a background color correspondence table of the third embodiment. The process sequence of the operation display apparatus of Example 2 is shown.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention makes it possible to grasp an outline of a thumbnail image (for example, a large classification such as whether it is an electronic document image or a handwritten document image), and identifies a thumbnail image as a process for improving the visibility of the thumbnail image. Change the background color and frame color according to.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an image processing apparatus (MFP) according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the MFP includes a reading device 101, a first image processing unit 102, a bus control device 103, a second image data processing unit 104, an HDD 105, a CPU 106, a memory 107, Plotter I / F device 108, plotter device 109, operation display device 110, line I / F device 111, external I / F device 112, S.P. B. 113, ROM 114, general-purpose bus 115, and the like. This MFP is configured to be able to perform data communication with the FAX 116 and the PC 117 which are external devices.

  The reading device 101 includes a line sensor composed of a CCD photoelectric conversion element, an A / D converter, and a drive circuit thereof. Based on the density information of the original obtained by scanning the set original, the 8-bit RGB digital data is obtained. Image data is generated and output to the first image processing unit 102. In this embodiment, the reading resolution is 600 dpi, but the resolution is not limited to this.

  The first image processing unit 102 re-reads digital image data input from the reading device 101 so that it can be optimized and output using any application program of the copy function, distribution scanner function, and FAX function. Perform image processing and output in a form suitable for use. This image data is stored inside the image processing apparatus, and is output after being optimized for characteristics according to the output destination when reused thereafter.

  The bus control device 103 is a data bus control device that transmits and receives various data such as image data and control commands necessary in the image processing device, and has a bridge function between a plurality of types of bus standards. In this embodiment, the bus control device 103 is connected to the first image processing unit 102, the second image processing unit 104, and the CPU 106 via a PCI-Express bus, and is connected to the HDD 105 via an ATA bus. It has become.

  The second image processing unit 104 performs image processing suitable for an output destination designated by the user on the digital image data changed to a form suitable for reuse by the first image processing unit 102 and outputs the digital image data. . An HDD (storage device) 105 stores digital image data and accompanying information of the digital image data.

  The CPU 106 is a microprocessor that controls the entire image processing apparatus, and controls read / write of the HDD 105 to detect the remaining capacity of the HDD 105 and the like.

  A memory 107 temporarily stores data in order to absorb a speed difference when bridging between a plurality of types of bus standards and a processing speed difference between connected components themselves, and the CPU 106 controls the image processing apparatus. It is a volatile memory that temporarily stores programs and intermediate processing data when performing the above. Since high speed processing is required, the CPU 106 starts up the system with a boot program stored in the ROM 114 during normal startup, and thereafter performs processing with a program developed in a memory accessible at high speed.

  When the plotter I / F device 108 receives the CMYK digital image data sent via the general-purpose standard I / F integrated with the CPU 106, the plotter I / F device 108 performs a bus bridge process for outputting to the dedicated I / F of the plotter device 109. Do.

  When the plotter device 109 receives the digital image data composed of CMYK, the plotter device 109 outputs the received image data on the transfer paper using an electrophotographic process using a laser beam. S. B. Reference numeral 113 denotes a general-purpose electronic device called South Bridge, which bridges the bus 115 and the ROM 114. The ROM 114 is a memory that stores a program (including a boot program) used when the CPU 106 controls the MFP.

  The operation display device 110 is a part that performs an interface between the MFP and the user, and is composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a key switch. Detect. In this embodiment, the CPU 106 is connected via a PCI-Express bus. The line I / F device 111 is a device that connects a PCI-Express bus and a telephone line, and transmits and receives various data via the telephone line. A FAX 116 is a normal facsimile, and transmits / receives image data to / from the MFP via a telephone line. The external I / F device 112 is a device that connects a PCI-Express bus and an external device, and this device enables the image processing apparatus (MFP) to exchange various data with the external device. In this embodiment, a network is used for the connection I / F, and the MFP is connected to the network via the external I / F device 112. A PC 117 is a personal computer, and a user performs various controls and input / output of image data with respect to an image processing apparatus (MFP) via installed application software and drivers.

  The outline of the copy operation, scanner delivery operation, image storage operation, copy operation / scanner delivery operation + image storage operation of the image processing apparatus will be described below.

(Copy operation)
The user sets an original on the reading apparatus 101, and performs setting of a desired mode and the like, input of copy start, enlargement / reduction ratio, transfer paper size setting, and the like using the operation display device 110. The operation display device 110 converts information (copy mode or the like) input from the user into control command data inside the device and issues it. The issued control command data is notified to the CPU 106 via the bus. The user gives an instruction for image editing processing such as enhancement and smoothing of the output image or changing the saturation and color of the image through the operation display device 110. In addition, there are cases where images are output faithfully to the original, when characters are output more clearly than the original, or when the color of the original is changed and output more vividly. .

  The CPU 106 executes a copy operation process program in accordance with the copy start control command data, and executes settings and operations necessary for the copy operation.

  First, RGB 8-bit digital image data (hereinafter referred to as RGB image data) obtained by scanning a document with the reading device 101 has characteristics predetermined by the first image processing unit 102 according to a predetermined mode. Converted. That is, the image is converted into an image having characteristics suitable for reuse after storage and sent to the bus control device 103. The bus control device 103 stores the RGB image data input from the first image processing unit 102 in the memory 107 via the CPU 106. The RGB image data and supplementary information stored in the memory 107 are sent to the second image processing unit 104 via the CPU 106 and the bus control device 103.

  The second image processing unit 104 converts the RGB image data into CMYK image data for plotter output and outputs the converted data to the bus control device 103. However, when the black-and-white copy mode is designated as the copy mode, or when it is determined as a black-and-white document in the ACS mode, it is converted to K single-color image data instead of CMYK image data and output to the bus control device 103. The bus control device 103 stores the CMYK or K single color image data input from the second image processing unit 104 in the memory 107 via the CPU 106.

  The CMYK or K monochrome image data stored in the memory 107 is sent to the plotter device 109 via the CPU 106 and the plotter I / F device 108, and the plotter device 109 outputs the CMYK or K monochrome image data to the transfer paper. A copy of the document is generated.

(Scanner delivery operation)
The user sets an original on the reading device 101, performs setting of a desired mode and the like and input of scanner distribution start using the operation display device 110, and specifies a resolution of a distribution image, a reading range, and the like. The operation display device 110 converts information input from the user into control command data inside the device and issues it, and the issued control command data is notified to the CPU 106 via the bus. The user instructs various image editing operations on the output image from the operation display device 110 in the same manner as the copy operation described above.

  The CPU 106 executes a scanner distribution operation process program in accordance with the scanner distribution start control command data, and executes settings and operations necessary for the scanner distribution operation.

  The RGB image data obtained by scanning the document with the reading device 101 is converted into a predetermined characteristic according to a predetermined mode by the first image processing unit 102. That is, the image is converted into an image having characteristics suitable for reuse after storage, and is sent to the bus control device 103. The bus control device 103 receives the RGB image data input from the first image processing unit 102 via the CPU 106. And stored in the memory 107. The RGB image data and supplementary information stored in the memory 107 are sent to the second image processing unit 104 via the CPU 106 and the bus control device 103.

  The second image processing unit 104 converts the input RGB image data into scanner delivery image data (RGB multi-value, gray scale, monochrome binary, etc.) and outputs the image data to the bus control device 103. Particularly in the ACS mode, if it is determined to be a color document, it is converted into RGB multi-valued image data and JPEG compression is performed. If it is determined to be a monochrome document, it is converted into a monochrome binary image and then MMR compression is performed. Go to generate a TIFF file. If it is determined that the document is a monochrome document, it may be converted into a grayscale multilevel image and JPEG compression may be performed.

  The bus control device 103 stores the image data and incidental information input from the second image processing unit 104 in the memory 107 via the CPU 106. The image data stored in the memory 107 is sent to the external I / F device 112 via the CPU 106, and the external I / F device 112 sends the input image data to the PC 117 connected via the network. To do.

(Image accumulation operation)
The image processing apparatus (MFP) can perform only image storage without performing a copy operation or a scanner distribution operation. The user sets a document on the reading device 101, and performs setting of a desired mode or the like and an instruction for image reading using the operation display device 110. Also, when only image storage is performed, image editing can be executed by the operation display device 110 as in the above-described copy operation.

  When the image is stored, the entire original is read under general-purpose conditions, that is, always at the same magnification reading so that it can be reused for various purposes after the storage. The operation display device 110 converts information input by the user into control command data inside the device and issues it. The issued control command data is notified to the CPU 106 via the bus. The CPU 106 executes a program for an image accumulation operation process in accordance with control command data for starting image accumulation, and sequentially performs settings and operations necessary for the image accumulation operation.

  The RGB image data obtained by scanning the document with the reading device 101 is converted into a predetermined characteristic according to a predetermined mode by the first image processing unit 102. That is, the image is converted into an image having characteristics suitable for reuse after storage, and sent to the bus control device 103. The bus control device 103 receives the RGB image data and the incidental information input from the first image processing unit 102. They are stored in the HDD 105.

(Copy operation / scanner distribution operation + image storage operation)
The image processing apparatus can simultaneously perform a copy operation and an image storage operation. In the copy operation, the bus control device 103 stores the RGB image data input from the first image processing unit 102 in the memory 107 via the CPU 106, and the RGB image data and the auxiliary information stored in the memory 107 are as follows. The image is sent to the second image processing unit 104 via the CPU 106 and the bus control device 103. At this time, the same RGB image data and incidental information sent to the memory 107 via the CPU 106 are sent to the HDD 105 via the CPU 106 and the bus control device 103 and stored in the HDD 105. As a result, the copy operation and the image accumulation operation can be performed simultaneously. Similarly, in the case of a scanner distribution operation, RGB image data and incidental information input from the first image processing unit 102 are sent to the memory 107 and stored in the HDD 105 via the CPU 106 and the bus control device 103. Thus, the scanner delivery operation and the image storage operation can be performed simultaneously.

(Reuse of stored images)
The image data and supplementary information stored in the image processing apparatus (MFP) can be reused even when time has elapsed since the image was stored. The user confirms what kind of images are accumulated from the operation display device 110. The operation display device 110 has a function of displaying the file name, date and time, and thumbnail images of images stored at the time of browsing, and can be confirmed by the user. The user selects an image to be reused, and further performs setting input such as a desired mode by the operation display device 110. Here, paper output or electronic file scanner delivery can be selected. In addition, many of the functions provided by the MFP such as FAX transmission can be reused.

  If the reuse is electronic file scanner delivery, the user designates the resolution of the delivery image, the reading range, and the like by the operation display device 110 as described in the scanner delivery processing not at the time of reuse. The operation display device 110 converts information input by the user into control command data inside the device and issues it. The issued control command data is notified to the CPU 106 via the bus, and the CPU 106 executes the scanner delivery operation process program in accordance with the control command data for starting scanner delivery at the time of reuse, and performs settings necessary for the scanner delivery operation. Perform operations in order.

  That is, at the time of reuse, since the image data that has been processed by the first image processing unit 102 is accumulated, the CPU 106 sends an instruction to read the corresponding image data to the bus control device 103. The bus control device 103 sends the RGB image data and supplementary information read from the HDD 105 to the second image processing unit 104 via the CPU 106. Subsequent processing is the same as that for the single scanner delivery described above.

  Here, an example in which accumulated data is reused for scanner distribution has been described, but accumulated data can also be reused for paper output. In that case, the processing is almost the same as the reuse for scanner delivery described above. The processing after being sent to the second image processing unit 104 is the same processing as the copying operation described above.

  Hereinafter, an image accumulation operation and reuse of the accumulated image in the image processing apparatus will be described in detail.

  The user sets an original on the reading apparatus 101, and performs setting of a desired mode and the like, input of copy start, enlargement / reduction magnification, image sharpness / softness, presence / absence of color adjustment, and the like using the operation display device 110. The operation display device 110 converts information (copy mode or the like) input from the user into control command data inside the device and issues it. Here, it is set to store an image of an A3 size document in the ACS mode. The sharpness / softness of the output image is set to an intermediate level, and no special color adjustment is made (basically, the original is faithful and the most frequently used by the user). The issued control command data is notified to the CPU 106 via the bus, and the CPU 106 executes a program of an image storage operation process according to the image storage control command data, and executes settings and operations necessary for the image storage operation.

  As described above, the RGB image data obtained by scanning the document with the reading device 101 is converted into characteristics predetermined by the first image processing unit 102 according to a predetermined mode. That is, the image is converted into an image having characteristics suitable for reuse after storage and sent to the bus control device 103.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the first image processing unit 102 in FIG. The first image processing unit 102 includes an image area separation unit 201, a first color original determination unit 202, a γ conversion unit 203, a first filter processing unit 204, a first color conversion processing unit 205, and an image compression unit 206. It has.

  The image area separation unit 201 discriminates the character / picture area and chromatic / achromatic area of the document based on the RGB image data input from the reading apparatus 101, and the image area separation result is used as the first filter processing unit. To 204. The first color document determination unit 202 determines whether the document is a color document or a monochrome document. As a determination method in the image area separation unit 201 and the first color original determination unit 202, for example, a determination method of a color determination unit described in Japanese Patent No. 3983101 may be used. Detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The γ conversion unit 203 unifies the brightness of the RGB image data input from the reading device 101 into a predetermined characteristic according to a predetermined mode and outputs the data to the first filter processing unit 204. In the present embodiment, for example, the lightness is converted into a linear characteristic. The first filter processing unit 204 unifies the sharpness of the input RGB image data to a predetermined characteristic according to a predetermined mode, and outputs it to the first color conversion processing unit 205.

  In the present embodiment, for example, when a reference chart as shown in FIG. 3 is scanned, conversion is performed so that an MTF characteristic value predetermined for each number of lines is obtained. Further, when correcting the MTF characteristic value, since the required characteristic value is different between the character part and the picture part, correction is performed for each of the character part / picture part. Therefore, an appropriate filter process is performed according to the character / picture discrimination result discriminated by the image area separation unit 201.

  The first color conversion processing unit 205 unifies the color of input RGB image data with predetermined characteristics and outputs the data to the image compression unit 206. In the present embodiment, for example, conversion is performed so that the color space becomes the Adobe (registered trademark) -RGB color space. The image compression unit 206 changes the compression rate of the RGB image data after the first color conversion processing based on the additional information (remaining capacity information) of the HDD 105 input from the CPU 106 via the bus control device 103. Thus, compressed image data is generated.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the bus control device 103 receives the image data and the accompanying information (image area separation result and ACS determination result) from the first image processing unit 102 and accumulates them in the memory 107 via the CPU 106. To do. The data stored in the memory 107 is transmitted to the HDD 105 via the CPU 106 and the bus control device 103 and stored / stored in the HDD 105. Thereafter, as described above, the RGB image data in the memory 107 is subjected to image processing by the second image processing unit 104 and then output to the plotter device 109 to generate a copy of the original, but in the ACS mode. In this case, before the image data is sent to the second image processing unit 104, the CPU 106 determines whether the corresponding image is a color document or a monochrome document, and the processing of the second image processing unit 104 is performed. Switch.

  Next, consider a case where paper output is performed by reusing the stored image. At this time, the user confirms what kind of images are accumulated from the operation display device 110. The operation display device 110 has a function capable of displaying the file name, date and time, thumbnail images, and the like of images stored at the time of browsing, and can be confirmed by the user. The user selects an image to be reused, and further performs input such as desired mode setting by the operation display device 110. At this time, the image data and supplementary information are read from the HDD drive, and then the second image processing unit 104 performs processing.

  The operation of the second image processing unit will be described in detail below. FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the second image processing unit 104 in FIG. The second image processing unit 104 includes an image expansion unit 301, a second color original determination unit 302, a second filter processing unit 303, a second color conversion processing unit 304, a resolution conversion unit 305, a γ conversion unit 306, A halftone processing unit 307 and a format conversion unit 308 are provided. The image expansion unit 301 expands the image compressed by the first image processing unit 102. The second color document determination unit 302 determines whether an image that has been subjected to predetermined processing in the first image processing unit 102 and accumulated is a color document or a monochrome document. The determination result of the second color original determination unit 302 is notified to the second color conversion processing unit 304.

  The second filter processing unit 303 corrects the sharpness of the RGB image data so that the reproducibility when output to the plotter device 109 is improved. Specifically, a sharpening / smoothing process is performed with reference to an image area separation result which is supplementary information of the image data. For example, emphasis processing is performed in order to make the character clear and improve legibility in the character region, and smoothing processing is performed in the pattern region to smooth the image. The first filter processing unit 204 in the first image processing unit 102 performs conversion so as to obtain a predetermined MTF characteristic value for each number of lines in order to improve reusability, whereas the second filter processing unit 204 converts the second image processing unit 204 into a second MTF characteristic value. The second filter processing unit 303 in the image processing unit 104 performs a process for performing conversion to a frequency characteristic space that provides an optimal output image according to the user's output application (paper output, electronic output,...). Do.

  Upon receiving RGB 8-bit image data, the second color conversion processing unit 304 converts CMYK 8-bit image data, which is a color space for the plotter device 109, or K single-color 8-bit image data. In the ACS mode, if the final attribute is determined to be a color document according to the determination results of the first color document determination unit 202 and the second color document determination unit 302, it is converted into CMYK image data. If it is finally determined that the document is a monochrome document, it is converted to K monochrome. In the setting example of the operation display device 110, any conversion is performed according to the determination result of the second color document determination unit 302.

  The resolution conversion unit 305 converts the resolution when enlarging / reducing the image. The γ conversion unit 306 converts the tone characteristics of the image according to the characteristics of the output destination to which the image is output. When copying through the plotter device 109, the tone characteristics of the output image can be kept good. Thus, the conversion is performed in consideration of the output characteristics of the plotter device 109. When the halftone processing unit 307 receives CMYK 8-bit image data or K-monochromatic 8-bit image data, the halftone processing unit 307 performs gradation number conversion processing according to the gradation processing capability of the plotter device 109. For example, the number of gradations is converted into 2-bit image data of CMYK or K using an error diffusion method which is one of pseudo halftone processes. When outputting a multi-valued image, the halftone processing unit 307 does not perform processing. The format conversion unit 308 performs JPEG compression, MMR compression, and the like according to the application to create a PDF file, but sends image data to the subsequent stage without performing any processing during paper output.

  Next, a function for displaying thumbnail images will be described. In accordance with an instruction from the operation display device 110, the image data stored in the HDD 105 is displayed as a list on the operation display device 110. FIG. 5 shows a list display screen.

  Thumbnail display is used when searching for images and displaying a list. When a plurality of thumbnail images do not fit on the list display screen, a thumbnail is displayed using a scroll bar, page feed / return function, or enlargement / reduction. FIG. 5A shows a thumbnail image list in which a mark (black square) is added to a handwritten document image, and FIG. 5B shows a thumbnail image list in which a background color is added to the handwritten document image.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, eight thumbnail images are displayed, thumbnails 02 and 08 are handwritten document (original) images, and thumbnails 01 and 03 to 07 are electronic document images.

  In the upper left of the images of thumbnails 02 and 08 in FIG. 5A, a mark (black square) is added as a mark determined to be a handwritten document image by determining whether it is a handwritten document image, which will be described later. is there. However, in this example, when a mark similar to the above-mentioned mark is displayed in the content of the image displayed in the center of the image, the handwritten document image is displayed at the upper left of the image (thumbnail 02, 08). Although the mark is added, it is an example in which identification is difficult and visibility is poor. In addition, there are cases where the mark hides the contents of the document (image title: thumbnail 02 or thumbnail 08), which shows an example in which it is difficult to check the display contents and the visibility is poor. In such a case, if the content of the document is not hidden by reducing the size of the mark, the visibility of the mark itself deteriorates.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B, the mark that is determined to be a handwritten document image by determining whether or not it is a handwritten document image to be described later with respect to the entire thumbnails 02 and 08. The background color is added using the background color addition function. As shown in FIG. 5B, the visibility is remarkably improved as compared with the method shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5B, the background color is added to the entire image, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, instead of the entire image, for example, the image may be identified by adding a frame around the image, blinking the image, adding a pattern instead of a color, that is, changing a part of the background color.

  Next, a method for displaying thumbnail images will be described. FIG. 6A shows a configuration in the operation display device having the attribute determination unit, and FIG. 6B shows a configuration in the operation display device without the attribute determination unit.

  The operation display device 110 illustrated in FIG. 6A includes an attribute determination unit 401, an image editing unit 402, and an image display unit 403, which will be described later. The operation display device 110 illustrated in FIG. 6B includes an image editing unit 402 and an image display unit 403.

  The attribute determination unit 401 includes a handwriting determination unit, a document size determination unit, and a blank page determination unit. A known method is used to determine whether or not the character is a handwritten character (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-2345: Characteristic amounts of characters are calculated from a binary image, and printed / handwritten characters are based on the calculation result) And recognizes each separated character). Also, a document size determination method (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-67330: a document size is detected by determining the presence or absence of a document at a plurality of detection positions set in an imaging region), blank paper A known method is also used as a detection discrimination method (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-74270: it is determined whether or not a small block obtained by dividing an image is a colored block, and the number of colored blocks in the large block satisfies a predetermined value. If there is not, it is determined as a blank image).

  As an example of image editing in the image editing unit 402, a background color addition method that is a known technique is used (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-201020: a color histogram is created while weighting each pixel of an image. The background color is determined based on the color histogram).

  In the configuration of FIG. 6B that does not have the attribute determination unit 401, a list display is performed on the operation display device as follows. The attribute information such as whether or not the image is a handwritten document image is determined before being stored in the storage device, that is, whether or not the first image processing unit 102 is a handwritten document image, and the determination result is attached. It can be included in the information, and when the list is displayed on the operation display device, the supplementary information is referred to and the background color addition function described above is used to add and display the background color. In the case of the configuration as shown in FIG. 6B, the functions constituting the conventional MFP can be used. With the configuration shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to perform image editing only on thumbnail display images without performing image editing on images that are actually stored.

  FIG. 7 shows a processing procedure of the operation display device of the first embodiment. In accordance with an instruction from the operation display device 110, image data stored in the HDD 105 is selected (step 501). For the selected image, the attribute determination unit 401 determines the attribute described above. If the determination result is, for example, a handwritten document image (Yes in step 502), predetermined image editing (background for the handwritten document image) is performed. Color is added) (step 503), and in the case of No, image editing is not performed. Thereafter, a list of edited images (or unedited images) is displayed (step 504).

  In the second embodiment, the background color is changed. In the processing of the second embodiment, for example, when there are red characters in the document and the background color is determined to be red in the image editing processing, the background color is other than red, and the background color of the document itself is red. When the background color is red in the image editing process, a process for setting the background color to other than red is performed. This process improves the visibility and enables easy-to-view thumbnail display.

  FIG. 8 shows a configuration in the operation display device of the second embodiment, and a hue determination unit 404 is added to the configuration of FIG. As a method for determining hue, a known method is used (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 53-145621: a predetermined region using an orthogonal coordinate system having a combination of two colors of three color densities as an axis. Is defined as a polygon, and whether or not the hue of each point on the screen is included in this region is determined using a plurality of conditional expressions).

  In the second embodiment, a color when the image editing unit 402 adds a background color will be described. FIG. 9A shows a background color determination table referred to by the hue determination unit 404. The background color of the first embodiment is an arbitrary color, but the background color of the second embodiment is determined by the priority of the background color determination table prepared in advance by the user or the designer. For example, the priorities are arranged in the order of high saturation or in the order of visual recognition, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  The hue determination unit 404 compares the hue information of the document image with the hue information of the background color added by the image editing unit 402. The hue information is compared by color difference or brightness, but the present invention is not limited to this. As a result of the comparison, if it is determined that the hue information of the document image and the hue information of the background color to be added are the same, the background color of the next priority is determined with reference to the background color determination table of FIG. adopt. Then, this process is performed to unify the background colors of all documents determined to have the same attribute. For example, in the example of FIG. 6B, when the character of the handwritten document image is a red character and matches the background color, the background color of the thumbnails 02 and 08 is changed to green (priority level 2).

  FIG. 10 illustrates a processing procedure of the operation display device according to the second embodiment. In response to an instruction from the operation display device 110, image data stored in the HDD 105 is selected (step 601). The attribute determination unit 401 determines the attribute (whether or not it is a handwritten document image) for the selected image. If the determination result is No, the image is displayed without image editing (step 606). In the case of Yes (handwritten document image), the hue determination unit 404 determines the hue of the document, compares the hue of the document with the hue of the background color, and if determined to be the same (Yes in step 604), The background color is determined with reference to the background color determination table 9 (a), and the image editing unit 402 changes the background color to the determined background color, performs predetermined image editing (step 605), and As a result of the hue comparison, if they are not determined to be the same (No), the predetermined image editing is performed without changing the background color (step 607), and the image is displayed (step 606). Thereafter, similar processing is performed on other image data, and a list of edited images (or unedited images) is displayed (step 606).

  As in FIG. 6B, the attribute information such as whether the image is a handwritten document image and the attribute information related to the hue of the document are stored in the storage device, that is, the first image processing unit 102. Can be included in the incidental information, and when displaying a list on the operation display device, refer to the incidental information and use the background color addition function described above to determine the background color. Add and display. By configuring in the same manner as in FIG. 6B, the functions constituting the conventional MFP can be used.

  In the image editing of the first and second embodiments, processing is performed according to attributes (whether it is handwritten characters, whether the document size is a predetermined size, whether the document is blank). Are not limited to those described above, and may have other attributes. Further, the attribute determination may be performed by simultaneously performing the above three types. In that case, the number of types of background colors increases (or the number of types of background colors exceeds a predetermined number (for example, three or more types)), and it is difficult to understand the correspondence between attributes and background colors. Therefore, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9B, a table indicating the correspondence between the attribute and the background color is displayed in an empty space in the thumbnail list (for example, the handwritten document is red, the document size A3 Is green). This makes it easier to understand what the color represents at first glance.

  In the first to third embodiments, the various determinations, comparisons, and editing operations may be any of a system that is automatically performed and a system that is manually performed by a user or a designer.

  According to the present invention, a storage medium in which a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded is supplied to a system or apparatus, and a computer (CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus is stored in the storage medium. This is also achieved by reading and executing the code. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment. As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used. Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) operating on the computer based on an instruction of the program code. A case where part or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing is also included. Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. A case where the CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing is included. Further, the program for realizing the functions and the like of the embodiments of the present invention may be provided from a server by communication via a network.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Reading apparatus 102 1st image processing part 103 Bus control apparatus 104 2nd image processing part 105 HDD
106 CPU
107 Memory 108 Plotter I / F Device 109 Plotter Device 110 Operation Display Device 111 Line I / F Device 112 External I / F Device 113 B.
114 ROM
115 General-purpose bus 116 FAX
117 PC
118 External media

JP 2006-079424 A JP 2004-046882 A Japanese Patent No. 3234148

Claims (12)

  Image input means for inputting an image, image storage means for storing the input image, attribute determination means for determining the attribute of the stored image, and editing an image according to the determined attribute of the image And an image display means for displaying a list of the edited images, the image editing means for the image displayed on the image display means according to the determined attribute of the image A background color is added to the image processing apparatus.   The hue determination unit for determining the hue of the accumulated image, and when the hue of the accumulated image and the hue of the background color are determined to be the same, the background color is changed. The image processing apparatus according to 1.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the background color is changed for images having the same attribute that are to be displayed in a list.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image editing unit adds a different background color according to the determined attribute of the image.   5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the number of types of background colors exceeds a predetermined number, a correspondence relationship between image attributes and background colors is displayed.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image editing unit changes a part of a background color of the displayed image.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribute of the image is a handwritten document.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribute of the image is a predetermined document size.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image attribute is a blank original.   An image input step for inputting an image, an image storage step for storing the input image, an attribute determination step for determining the attribute of the stored image, and editing the image according to the determined attribute of the image And an image display step for displaying a list of the edited images, wherein the image editing step is performed on the image displayed in the image display step according to the attribute of the determined image. A background color is added to the image processing method.   A program for causing a computer to implement the image processing method according to claim 10.   A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to implement the image processing method according to claim 10 is recorded.