JP2016225871A - Preview image display device and image processing device including preview image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily predict finish after printing regardless of the form of a recording medium.SOLUTION: A preview image display device includes photographing means for photographing the recording medium, size calculation means for calculating the size of the recording medium on the basis of the photographed image of the recording medium photographed by the photographing means, preview image generation means for generating a preview image synthesized with the photographed image of the recording medium photographed by the photographing means by changing the image size of an acquired original image according to the size of the recording medium calculated by the size calculation means, and display means for displaying the preview image generated by the preview image generation means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a preview image display device and an image processing device including the preview image display device.

  In recent years, for example, in an image forming apparatus or the like, a model equipped with a liquid crystal display having a touch panel function so as to be easily operated is known. Some models equipped with this type of LCD display include, for example, a function for previewing the printed image, a function for specifying the print position or print range while viewing the preview screen, and a print image that is enlarged or reduced. It is already known that there is a model that has a function to perform.

  With regard to the above, for example, in Patent Document 1, when it is detected that two points corresponding to an image are touched in a state where the image is displayed on the display panel, it is assumed that the image is formed on the recording paper. There is disclosed an operation instruction apparatus that calculates a distance between two points of an image formed on a recording sheet corresponding to two touched points and displays the distance on a display panel.

  For example, according to a technique such as Patent Document 1, it is possible to easily instruct the enlargement / reduction of an image, and it is possible to confirm how large the displayed image corresponds to the output image. However, the technique such as Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it is difficult to predict the finish after printing when printing on an irregular-size printing medium or printing on a printing medium having a frame line.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to make it easy to predict the finish after printing regardless of the form of the recording medium.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a preview image display apparatus according to the present invention includes a photographing unit that photographs a recording medium, and a size calculator that calculates a size of the recording medium based on a photographed image of the recording medium photographed by the photographing unit. And a preview image generation for generating a preview image synthesized with the photographed image of the recording medium photographed by the photographing means by changing the image size of the obtained document image in accordance with the size of the recording medium calculated by the size calculating means Means, and display means for displaying the preview image generated by the preview image generating means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily predict the finish after printing regardless of the form of the recording medium.

1 is an overall schematic diagram of an image processing apparatus including a preview image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic for demonstrating the preview image display apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of a preview image display device in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the distortion correction process in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a display of the preview image in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating operation with respect to the preview image in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in embodiment of this invention.

  A preview image display apparatus and an image processing apparatus including the preview image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment as long as the gist of the present invention is not exceeded. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which is the same or it corresponds, The duplication description is simplified thru | or abbreviate | omitted suitably. The embodiments described below are the best modes of the present invention and do not limit the scope of the claims according to the present invention.

  An image processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As an image processing apparatus 100 in the present embodiment described below, a multifunction machine having a scanner function, a printing function, a fax function, and the like will be described as an example. However, the image processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention is not limited to an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral. For example, an information processing device such as a personal computer, an information display device such as a whiteboard, or a projection device such as a projector may be used as long as it has an information processing function and a communication function.

  The image processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a preview image display device 10, an image reading unit 20, a paper feed tray 30, a manual feed tray 40, and a paper discharge unit 50. Needless to say, the image processing apparatus 100 is provided with a circuit such as a CPU for realizing a printing function, a print engine as an image forming unit, a paper transport mechanism, and the like, and the description thereof is omitted in this embodiment. .

  The preview image display device 10 includes a display screen 10a for previewing an image taken from a document or the like and operation keys. The operation key is a physical key used for operations such as operating a power source or a cursor displayed on the display screen 10a or selecting an icon. The preview image display device 10 includes a touch panel that accepts a touch operation by the user so as to be superimposed on the display screen 10a. As will be described later, the preview image display device 10 is configured to be detachable from the image processing device 100.

  The image reading unit 20 performs copying and scanning of printing paper that is a recording medium. Needless to say, the image reading unit 20 can read an image formed on a document.

  Further, an upper side of the image reading unit 20 is a placement surface 21 on which a recording medium is placed. Three detection markers 22 are formed on the placement surface 21. The detection marker 22 detects, for example, distance, height, inclination, and the like as the positional relationship between the preview image display device 10 or the camera and the image processing device 100 when the upper part of the main body is photographed by photographing means such as a camera. Used for.

  The number of detection markers 22 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and may be two or less, or four or more. Further, the detection marker 22 is not limited to the placement surface 21, and may be formed on a flat place on the upper exterior of the image processing apparatus 100. Details of the detection marker 22 will be described later.

  The paper feed tray 30 is a tray for supplying recording paper for printing, and can hold a plurality of recording papers therein. At the time of printing, these recording sheets are sent one by one into the main body and printed.

  The manual feed tray 40 is an open / close type paper feed unit, and can be used as a manual feed stand when opened. For example, it is used when only one sheet is fed or when a relatively small number of recording sheets are fed.

  The paper discharge unit 50 is a space for holding a recording sheet after printing, and can hold a plurality of recording sheets.

  Next, a schematic configuration of the preview image display apparatus 10 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The preview image display device 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to be detachable from the main body of the image processing device 100, and includes the display screen 10a and operation keys described above on the front surface and the photographing unit 11 on the rear surface.

  The preview image display device 10 has a built-in battery, and is driven independently for a predetermined time even when detached from the image processing device 100. Therefore, even when the preview image display device 10 is detached from the image processing device 100, for example, screen display on the display screen 10a, key operation on the operation keys, camera drive, communication with the main body, and the like can be performed.

  Furthermore, the preview image display apparatus 10 includes wireless communication means such as a wireless LAN in order to exchange information with the image processing apparatus 100 in a detached state. The preview image display device 10 includes a battery power supply connector on the back surface, for example. When the preview image display device 10 is set in the image processing device 100, power is supplied to the built-in battery via the connector.

  The user performs various operations by touching the display screen 10a including the touch panel of the preview image display device 10 with a finger, a pen, or the like. The touch panel is not particularly limited as long as it can be operated with an input means such as a finger or a pen, and may be any system such as a capacitive system, a resistive film system, or a surface acoustic wave system.

  The photographing means 11 photographs the printing paper P as a recording medium and the mounting surface 21 of the recording medium, and details will be described later.

  In the present embodiment, the preview image display apparatus 10 is configured as a part of the image processing apparatus 100, such as an operation unit of the image processing apparatus 100, which is detachable from the image processing apparatus 100. On the other hand, the preview image display device 10 may be configured separately from the image processing device 100. In addition, the camera as the photographing unit 11 may be configured to be detachable from the image processing apparatus 100, or the camera may be configured separately from the image processing apparatus 100.

  Furthermore, when the preview image display device 10 is configured as a separate body from the image processing device 100, the preview image display device 10 may be substituted with a portable information terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet PC, or a mobile phone. In this case, even if the portable information terminal has the function of the preview image display device 10, the portable information terminal implements various functions by executing a program that defines various processes by the preview image display device 10. It may be a thing.

  Next, functional blocks of the preview image display apparatus 10 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The preview image display device 10 includes a photographing unit 11, an image acquisition unit 12, a size calculation unit 13, a preview image generation unit 14, and a display unit 15 as functional blocks.

  As described with reference to FIG. 2, the imaging unit 11 is a camera that uses an imaging element such as a CCD or a CMOS, for example, that images the printing paper P or the mounting surface 21 of the recording medium. The photographing unit 11 is not limited to a camera, and may be replaced with an image reading unit included in the image reading unit 20 illustrated in FIG.

  The image acquisition unit 12 captures, for example, a document image read by the image reading unit 20 or an image acquired from the outside. When the preview image display apparatus 10 is detached from the image processing apparatus 100, for example, an image read by the image reading unit 20 may be acquired from the image processing apparatus 100 via a communication unit and captured.

  The size calculating unit 13 calculates the size of the printing paper P based on the photographed image of the printing paper P photographed by the photographing unit 11. Details of the size calculation process of the printing paper P will be described later.

  The preview image generating unit 14 changes the image size of the original image acquired by the image acquiring unit 12 according to the size of the printing paper P calculated by the size calculating unit 13 and changes the size of the printing paper P captured by the imaging unit 11. A preview image synthesized with the captured image is generated.

  The display unit 15 displays the preview image generated by the preview image generation unit 14 on the display screen 10a. The preview image display device 10 has an operation reception function for receiving a user operation, and this function is realized by the touch panel and operation keys described above.

  Further, the preview image display device 10 preferably includes a distortion correction unit that corrects the distortion when the captured image of the printing paper P imaged by the imaging unit 11 is distorted. Details of the distortion correction processing of the printing paper P by the distortion correction means will be described later.

  The preview image display device 10 preferably includes preview image adjusting means for adjusting the preview image in accordance with a user's predetermined operation on the preview image displayed on the display screen 10a by the display means 15. The preview image adjusting means includes, for example, a function of changing the image size of the document image acquired by the image acquiring means 12 included in the preview image as an image adjusting function.

  In this case, the display unit 15 may display a numerical value indicating the amount of change accompanying the change in the image size by the preview image adjusting unit. The numerical value indicating the amount of change refers to, for example, a magnification when the image size is enlarged or reduced. By displaying a numerical value indicating the change amount, the change amount of the image size from the standard state can be known at a glance.

  The image processing apparatus 100 also mounts a detection marker for detecting the positional relationship between the preview image display apparatus 10 or the photographing unit 11 and the mounting surface on the image processing apparatus 100 on which the printing paper P is mounted. You may have. In this case, the size calculating unit 13 is based on the edge information of the printing paper P read from the photographed image of the printing paper P photographed by the photographing unit 11 and the detection information read from the detection marker photographed by the photographing unit 11. Thus, the size of the printing paper P is calculated. Details of the calculation of the size of the printing paper P based on the detection information of the detection marker will be described later.

  Further, when the imaging unit 11 acquires the detection marker and the printing paper P, the size calculation process of the printing paper P by the size calculation unit 13, the preview image generation process by the preview image generation unit 14, and the preview image of the display unit 15 are obtained. The display process may be automatically executed sequentially. Thereby, for example, useless operations such as pressing a photographing button for photographing the printing paper P by the photographing unit 11 become unnecessary. Details of the preview image adjustment processing and display processing will be described later.

  Next, the size calculation processing of the printing paper P and the distortion correction processing for correcting the distortion of the captured image of the printing paper P in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the printing paper P is placed obliquely on the placement surface 21 shown in FIG.

  For convenience of explanation below, two circular marks arranged on the upper right and lower sides of the drawing are referred to as a marker 22a and a marker 22b. The markers 22a and 22b are the detection markers 22 described above. The distance between the marker 22a and the marker 22b is a distance A. Then, edge information surrounded by small circles indicated by broken lines at the four corners of the printing paper P is set to P1, P2, P3, and P4 clockwise from the upper left.

  The preview image display device 10 reads the edges P 1, P 2, P 3, and P 4 of the printing paper P based on the brightness difference between the printing paper P and the placement surface 21 from the image taken by the photographing unit 11. In addition, in order to make it easy to read the edges P1, P2, P3, and P4, the placement surface 21 is preferably black or a color close thereto.

  The four points of the edges P1, P2, P3, and P4 are usually four corners of the printing paper P that is rectangular or square. On the other hand, when the printing paper P is placed obliquely with respect to the placement surface 21 as shown in this figure and the photographing means 11 at the time of photographing and the printing paper P to be photographed are not facing each other, the edge P1, P2, P3, and P4 are detected in a distorted form. When generating a preview image, it is preferable to correct the distortion and display it in a rectangular or square shape.

  The preview image display apparatus 10 calculates the aspect ratio of the printing paper P by the size calculation unit 13 from the four edges P1, P2, P3, and P4 detected from the captured image by the imaging unit 11. Then, each deviation from the four edges of the printing paper P assumed from the aspect ratio of the printing paper P calculated by the size calculation means 13 is calculated, and this deviation is corrected by the distortion correction means. Thereby, a rectangular or square image without distortion can be obtained.

  Further, the size calculating means 13 can calculate the size of the printing paper P from the detection marker 22 photographed at the same time as the printing paper P, and here, the distance A between the marker 22a and the marker 22b is detected. To calculate the size of the paper.

  In this example, a plurality of detection markers 22 are provided at the end of the mounting surface 21. However, as a positional relationship between the preview image display device 10 or the photographing unit 11 and the image processing device 100 main body at the time of photographing, the distance, It suffices if the height, inclination, etc. can be detected. Moreover, if it is a detection marker of the shape which can grasp | ascertain these positional relationships, it is good also as a structure provided only in one place. In order to read the size of the printing paper P more accurately, four or more detection markers 22 may be formed.

  In addition to the detection marker 22, for example, by forming a frame pattern with a difference in brightness on the placement surface 21, the position and orientation of the preview image display device 10 or the imaging unit 11 can be changed from the image captured by the imaging unit 11. It may be detected. When the printing paper P is read by the image reading unit included in the image reading unit 20 as the photographing unit 11, the detection marker 22 is not necessary.

  Through the above processing, an image without distortion of the printing paper P can be obtained, and a print preview screen can be displayed by combining the print data whose size is changed according to the scale of the image.

  Next, a display example of the preview image displayed on the display screen 10a in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  On the right side of the display screen 10a, a size setting button 310 for displaying / setting the paper size, a scale setting button 320 for displaying / setting the scale of the print data, and a position correction for displaying / correcting the print position. A button 330 and a print button 340 are displayed. The user can instruct the preview image display device 10 to perform various settings and start printing by touching or tapping these buttons via the touch panel function.

  A print preview image 300 is displayed on the left side of the display screen 10a. The print preview image 300 is a combination of the paper photographed image 350 of the print paper P and the print data 360, and displays the finish after printing. The print preview image 300 is generated by combining print data with image data of a document obtained from the camera before generating the print preview image 300. The preview image generation unit 14 performs enlargement or reduction processing so that the size of the print data 360 fits in the print paper P from the size of the paper photographed image 350 acquired before the composition.

  Next, an operation example for the print preview image 300 displayed on the display screen 10a and an image adjustment process example corresponding to each operation example will be described with reference to FIG. When the displayed print preview image 300 is not a desired image, the user can enlarge or reduce the output range of the print preview image 300 or change the output position via the touch panel function. .

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the print range of the print data 360 is small with respect to the paper photographed image 350, the directions indicated by the arrows 1 and 2 are touched with two fingers. The print range can be expanded by pinching out and pinching open.

  Further, when it is desired to move the print data 360, as shown in FIG. 6B, the print data 360 can be moved by moving it in an arbitrary direction while touching the point of the finger 1 with one finger. it can. If fine alignment of the print data 360 is desired, fine adjustment can be performed by using the direction button 402 which is a separately provided physical key, but the fine adjustment itself may be performed by a touch operation. . Note that the power button 401 is arranged above the direction button 402, but it goes without saying that the arrangement is an example.

  In this embodiment, an operation example in which a touch operation with a finger and an operation with a physical key are combined is shown. However, as long as the print range is adjusted, only a touch operation or only a key operation may be used. But you can. Further, regarding the method for adjusting the print range, various adjustments such as reduction, rotation, and reversal of the print range can be performed in addition to those shown here.

  According to the present embodiment, the background of the print preview image 300 is the paper photographed image 350 captured from the camera, and the print data 360 is further enlarged or reduced in accordance with the paper photographed image 350. The finished image is easy to make and the print range can be easily adjusted.

  For example, if the printing paper P has a frame line or ruled line and it is desired to print the print data 360 in the frame, a trial print is performed several times, and the print image is edited by looking at the finish after the printing. Operation may be required. Specifically, for example, it is desired to print in the postal code column of a postcard. Even in such a case, the user can adjust the printing range while viewing the image after printing before printing by an intuitive operation using the above-described function in the present embodiment. This eliminates the need for unnecessary printing such as trial printing and adjustment of print data associated therewith, improving convenience.

  Next, a processing procedure in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, in the capture mode of the print data 360, the print data 360 is acquired from the document or the like by the image acquisition means 12 (step S1). If the loading of the print data 360 has failed, the process ends. Note that the terms capture mode and photographing mode described later are merely used for convenience of explanation, and are not defined with the intention of limiting the present invention.

  Thereafter, after shifting from the capture mode to the photographing mode (step S2), the photographing paper 11 photographs the printing paper P and the detection marker 22 placed on the placing surface 21 (step S3). Until the printing paper P or the detection marker 22 is photographed, the process does not proceed to the next process.

  After the printing of the printing paper P and the detection marker 22 is completed, the positions of the preview image display device 10 or the photographing unit 11 and the image processing device 100 are recognized via the detection information of the detected detection marker 22 (step S4, YES). ), Move to next processing. On the other hand, when the position of the preview image display device 10 or the photographing means 11 is not recognized (step S4, NO), the photographing paper 11 is photographed again by the photographing means 11 (step S3).

  After recognizing the position of the preview image display device 10 or the photographing unit 11 (step S4, YES), the size calculation unit 13 calculates the print surface which is the size of the print paper P (step S5) and the print surface magnification (step S6). ) Are performed.

  Thereafter, the distortion correction unit executes a distortion correction process for correcting the distortion of the photographed image 350 (step S7).

  Then, after distortion correction of the sheet shot image 350 by the distortion correction unit, the sheet shot image 350 and the print data 360 preview image are synthesized by the preview image generation unit 14 to generate the print preview image 300 (step S8).

  Thereafter, the generated print preview image 300 is displayed on the display screen 10a by the display means 15 (step S9).

  Each of the above-described embodiments is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, each process in the above-described preview image display device of the present embodiment and an image processing device including the preview image display device can be executed using hardware, software, or a combination of both.

  In the case of executing processing using software, it is possible to install and execute a program in which a processing sequence is recorded in a memory in a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware. Alternatively, the program can be installed and executed on a general-purpose computer capable of executing various processes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Preview image display apparatus 11 Imaging | photography means 12 Image acquisition means 13 Size calculation means 14 Preview image generation means 15 Display means 20 Image reading part 21 Loading surface 22 Detection marker 30 Paper feed tray 40 Manual feed tray 50 Paper discharge part 100 Image processing apparatus

Japanese Patent No. 5373736

Claims (9)

Photographing means for photographing a recording medium;
Size calculating means for calculating the size of the recording medium based on a photographed image of the recording medium photographed by the photographing means;
In accordance with the size of the recording medium calculated by the size calculation means, the preview image that changes the image size of the obtained document image and generates a preview image synthesized with the captured image of the recording medium taken by the photographing means Generating means;
Display means for displaying the preview image generated by the preview image generation means;
A preview image display device comprising:   The preview image display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a distortion correction unit that corrects the distortion when the captured image of the recording medium captured by the imaging unit is distorted. The display means has an operation reception function for receiving a user operation,
4. The preview image display according to claim 1, further comprising: a preview image adjusting unit that adjusts the preview image in accordance with a predetermined operation of the user with respect to the preview image displayed on the display unit. 5. apparatus.   4. The preview image display device according to claim 3, wherein the preview image adjusting means changes an image size of a document image included in the preview image.   5. The preview image display device according to claim 4, wherein the display means displays a numerical value indicating a change amount accompanying the change in the image size by the preview image adjusting means.   An image processing apparatus comprising the preview image display apparatus according to claim 1. The preview image display device is configured to be detachable from the image processing device,
The placement surface has a detection marker for detecting the positional relationship between the preview image display device and the placement surface on the image processing device on which the recording medium is placed,
The size calculating means is based on the edge information of the recording medium read from a photographed image of the recording medium photographed by the photographing means and the detection information read from the detection marker photographed by the photographing means. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the size of the recording medium is calculated.   When the imaging of the detection marker is acquired by the imaging unit, the recording medium imaging process by the imaging unit, the size calculation process of the recording medium by the size calculation unit, the preview image generation process by the preview image generation unit, 8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein display processing of the preview image by the display means is sequentially executed.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the preview image display apparatus includes a communication unit that communicates with the image processing apparatus via a network.