JP2019216306A - Reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a reading device capable of reducing a time required for a reading operation when read data of an image of a sheet to be read coincides with stored image data.SOLUTION: The reading device includes: reading means for reading an image of a sheet; generating means for generating the read data from the image during the reading operation; discriminating means for discriminating the kind of the image from the read data; first storing means for storing the relation between the kind of the image and its characteristic area; second storage means for storing image data; and comparison means for comparing the read data with the image data. The discrimination means discriminates the kind of the image from the read data being generated by the generating means. The comparing means compares a part of the characteristic area of the read data with a part of the characteristic area of the image data. The reading means stops the reading operation when both of the parts coincide as a result of the comparison.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a reading device.

2. Description of the Related Art A so-called sheet-through type reading device mounted on office equipment such as a copying machine or a document scanner is known. This reading device can perform a reading operation on a plurality of sheets continuously, and can perform a reading operation regardless of the length by setting the transport direction to the longitudinal direction of a long sheet. Having. Along with this, the reading device can store the read data as image data.
However, when a relatively large amount of paper is set in the reading unit of the reading device and the reading operation is performed, there is a case where the paper is missing or a problem of rereading the read paper may occur.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-150572 discloses a method of recognizing a content included in a paper document and comparing data regarding the recognized content with original data of the document already stored in a storage device. There has been proposed a method for detecting a mismatch of a document.

JP 2014-11553 A

According to the above-mentioned proposal of Patent Literature 1, after performing the reading operation of all the sheets set in the reading unit, the data related to the content read and recognized is compared with the original data stored in the storage device. . For this reason, in the case of the above proposal, the inconsistency of the document cannot be detected until all the sheets set in the reading unit have been read.
In particular, in recent years, there is a large-sized reading apparatus capable of reading a sheet of a sheet-through type having a maximum width of 60 inches (about 1.5 meters). When a reading operation is performed on a relatively long and relatively wide sheet using such a large-sized reading device, the time required for image processing increases as the area of the sheet increases. Therefore, in the case of a large-sized reading device, the time from the start of the reading operation to the detection of the mismatch of the document becomes long.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a reading apparatus that can reduce the time required for a reading operation when read data of an image on a sheet to be read matches stored image data.

  The reading device according to the present invention includes a reading unit that reads an image on a sheet while moving relative to the sheet; a generating unit that generates read data from an image read by the reading unit during a reading operation of the reading unit; Determining means for determining the type of the image from the data, first storing means for storing a relationship between the type of the image and a characteristic region which is a characteristic of the image on the sheet, and second storing means for storing the image data The read data, and a comparing means for comparing the image data, the determining means determines the type of image of the paper being read from the read data being generated by the generating means, The comparison unit uses the relationship, the image data, and the read data being generated by the generation unit to determine a portion of the characteristic region in the read data and the characteristic region in the image data. The comparison of the portion of said reading means, when both parts are identical as a result of said comparison, characterized in that it stops the read operation.

  The reading device of the present invention can reduce the time required for the reading operation when the read data of the image on the paper to be read matches the stored image data.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a reading device. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the reading device is performing a sheet reading operation. 9 is a flowchart illustrating data processing during a reading operation. 9 is a table for determining a type of an image used in data processing during a reading operation. 5 is a table of characteristic regions used in data processing during a reading operation. 4 is a flowchart of a process performed in S3090 of the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the reading device is performing a reading operation of another sheet. It is an example of a display of a UI provided in the reading device.

Hereinafter, a reading device 100 (an example of a computer) according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. The reading apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is an apparatus generally called an ADF (Auto Document Feeder).
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the reading device 100 according to the present embodiment.
The reading device 100 includes a CPU 1000, an HDD 1010, a ROM 1040, a RAM 1050, an NVRAM 1060, and a scanner unit 1100. Further, the reading device 100 includes a controller 1200, a network driver 1210, a UI 1300, and a LAN unit 1310.
Here, the CPU is an abbreviation of Central Processing Unit and means a central processing unit. HDD is an abbreviation of Hard Disk Drive, which means a hard disk drive. ROM is an abbreviation of Read Only Memory and means a read-only memory. The RAM is an abbreviation of Random Access Memory and means a writable memory. NVRAM is an abbreviation of Non-volatile Memory and means a non-volatile memory. UI is an abbreviation of User Interface, and in the present embodiment, means an interface for exchanging information between the reading device 100 and an operator.

The scanner unit 1100 (an example of a generating unit) drives the scanner unit 1100 by the CPU 1000 to read an image on the sheet 2100 and generate read data.
The ROM 1040 includes a control execution code 1040A (program 1040A) for the reading device 100. In the control operation of the reading device 100, the RAM 1050 temporarily stores the read data after the image of the sheet 2100 is read and the image data immediately after the reading. The NVRAM 1060 (an example of a first storage unit) stores various data necessary for maintenance of the reading device 100 and information on the type and characteristics of the read image.
The HDD 1010 (an example of a second storage unit) stores the read data as image data after the scanner unit 1100 completes reading the image on the sheet 2100.
The CPU 1000 (an example of a comparison unit) reads out (a plurality of) image data stored in the HDD 1010 and compares the read data with the read image data. Further, the CPU 1000 (an example of a determination unit) determines the type of the image from a table (see FIG. 4) for determining the type of the image, which is stored in advance in the ROM 1040 or the NVRAM 1060, and a reading sensor 2050 described later. Note that the CPU 1000 performs the above control according to the control execution code 1040A provided in the ROM 1040.

The UI 1300 is a display unit having a LCD, an LED, keys, a touch panel, and the like, and an operation unit. An operator performs an operation, setting, and the like of each function of the reading apparatus 100 by using the UI 1300. The CPU 1000 controls display contents to be displayed on the display unit via the controller 1200.
The LAN unit 1310 is a unit for connecting the reading device 100 and a server via an interface with an external device (not shown) or a network. The LAN unit 1310 exchanges execution instructions and data with externally connected devices and servers via the network driver 1210. The LAN unit 1310 is connected, for example, when saving image data to a hard disk on a network or when reading image data from a hard disk on a network to compare with read data.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the reading device 100 of the present embodiment is performing a reading operation of the sheet 2100. The reading device 100 has a paper feed port 2020 and a UI 1300 for the paper 2100 at the top of the top surface, and has a paper discharge port 2040 for the paper 2100 at the bottom of the side surface. In the present embodiment, the paper feed port 2020 and the paper discharge port 2040 can pass a relatively wide sheet (for example, a sheet of 44 inches (about 1.1 meters), 60 inches (about 1.5 meters), or the like). It has such a width. At both ends of the paper feed port 2020, a pair of document pressers 2030 that press the paper 2100 from both ends in the width direction are provided. Each document holder can be symmetrically moved on both sides in the width direction with the center in the width direction of the paper feed port 2020 as a center. The pair of document pressers 2030 prevent the pressed paper 2100 from being conveyed obliquely with respect to the width direction of the paper feed port 2020 and the paper discharge port 2040. Note that the position of each document holder 2030 may be detected using a position detection sensor (not shown) provided inside the paper feed port 2020 and used to calculate the width of the sheet 2100.

  A reading sensor 2050 (another example of a reading unit) for optically reading an image of the sheet 2100 is provided between the sheet feeding port 2020 and the sheet discharging port 2040. Common reading sensors include a so-called CIS (Contact Image Sensor) and a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices), each of which is composed of one or more sensor chips (not shown) arranged in the main scanning direction. The reading sensor 2050 of the present embodiment is a line-type sensor that can read a sheet 2100 having the largest sheet width that can be fed to the sheet feeding port 2020. Note that the line-type sensor may be a long sensor composed of one sensor, or a sensor having a configuration in which a plurality of short sensors are straddled in the width direction of the paper 2100 without a gap. Good.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating data processing during a reading operation according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the data processing will be described. This data processing is performed between the start of reading of the sheet 2100 (S3000) and the end, and the conveyance of the sheet 2100 is not stopped by the reading sensor 2050 unless the affirmative determination is made in S3150 described later. Image reading is continued.
In this data processing, when the sheet 2100 is set in the paper feed port 2020, the operator operates the operation unit of the UI 1300 to issue an instruction to read an image on the sheet 2100, and when the controller 1200 detects the instruction, the controller 1200 detects the instruction. Execution is started (S3000). Here, when the sheet 2100 is set in the reading apparatus 100, a sheet detection sensor (not shown) provided inside the sheet feeding port 2020 on the center side in the width direction is shielded by the sheet 2100. Accordingly, the fact that the sheet 2100 is set in the reading device 100 is detected by the sheet detection sensor.

  Next, image data to be compared with the read data of the image on the sheet 2100 is read from the HDD 1010 (S3020). S3020 may be performed in parallel with S3010. If the HDD 1010 storing the image data is an HDD on the network connected to the reading device 100, the HDD is connected to the network via the network driver 1210 and the LAN unit 1310. After the connection to the network, the HDD may be connected to the reading device 100 to read the image data.

  Next, a paper transport motor (not shown) provided in the reading device 100 is driven, and light emission of the reading sensor is started (S3010). S3030 may be performed in parallel with S3020. In the following description, the direction from the paper feed port 2020 to the paper discharge port 2040 is defined as the transport direction of the paper 2100. Accordingly, while the paper 2100 is being conveyed from the paper feed port 2020 to the paper discharge port 2040, the image of the paper 2100 being conveyed in the conveyance direction is optically read by the reading sensor 2050 (S3030). In this case, the read image is converted into a row of RGB values, and is sequentially stored (saved) as image data in a predetermined area in the RAM 1050. In the reading operation of the image of the sheet 2100, the conveyance of the sheet 2100 in the conveyance direction and the emission of the reading sensor 2050 continue unless a specific condition is detected or the operator operates the operation unit of the UI 1300 to issue a stop instruction. Is done.

  Thereafter, the image of the sheet 2100 is read by the reading sensor 2050, and at the same time, the image data to be compared is read from the HDD 1010. Here, for example, in the case of the paper 2100 having a relatively wide width, the reading operation is performed because the transport speed is reduced to improve the transport accuracy when reading the image of the paper 2100 and the processing time of the read data is relatively long. Takes that much time. Therefore, image data to be compared is read (S3020) in parallel with S3010 and S3030, and the read image data is stored in a predetermined area in the RAM 1050, thereby shortening the processing time of the read data. Can be. In this case, if the comparison target is a plurality of image data, reading of the plurality of image data is performed as long as there is an area available in the RAM 1050, and the read image data is stored in a predetermined area in the RAM 1050. .

Next, it is determined whether the image of the sheet 2100 has been read from the leading end of the sheet 2100 to a predetermined position (S3040). Here, the predetermined position refers to a position on the sheet 2100 at which the type of the image on the sheet 2100 can be determined. Since S3040 is a determination step, S3040 is repeatedly performed until a positive determination is made when a negative determination is made. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in S3040, the next step (S3050) is performed.
In step S3050, the presence / absence and configuration amount of each determination item in the table (FIG. 4) for determining the type of image are extracted from the read data, and the type of image (for example, drawing, table, presentation, POP, and photographic image) is extracted. ) Is determined. Here, the table in FIG. 4 (hereinafter, referred to as a determination table) is for determining the type of image used in the data processing at the time of the reading operation of the present embodiment. The determination table is stored in the ROM 1040 or the NVRAM 1060 in advance.

In the image read by the reading sensor 2050, each item of “determination items 4010 included in the image” in FIG. 4 is identified. Specifically, it is determined whether the read data read by the reading sensor 2050 and generated by the scanner unit 1100 corresponds to each of the determination items 4010 included in the image. Here, a known image recognition method may be used for the identification. As for the detection of the outer frame, the frame line, and the equally-spaced line, for example, it is possible to detect the line using Hough transform, which is a general technique, and detect the line based on the detected number, position, angle, length, and the like. . Characters may be detected in the same manner as a general OCR (Optical Character Reader) technique. Regarding the detection of the fill data, for example, the detection is performed by referring to the RGB of the read data and detecting that a specific length continues continuously for one line, or detecting that one line continues for a plurality of lines. It is possible.
For example, if it is detected that there is no outer frame in the image of the read data, no equidistant lines, vector data is detected, the amount of characters is small, there is no or few characters, there is no fill data, there is a blank part, etc. The image is identified as "drawing" in the determination table of FIG. As described above, as a result of each item of the “discrimination item 4010 included in the image” being identified using the identification table of FIG. 4, the image to be identified is located in one of the closest “image type identification 4020” columns. Is determined. The images in the column of the image type determination 4020 in this embodiment are, for example, “drawing”, “table”, “presentation”, “POP”, and “photo image”.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a state in which the reading device 100 is performing an operation of reading an image on a sheet 2100 different from the case of FIG. In the case of FIG. 3, the CPU 1000 determines the image of the sheet 2100 as a “drawing” when the sheet 2100 is transported to the above-described predetermined position using the determination table of FIG. On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 7, the CPU 1000 determines the image of the sheet 2100 to be “presentation” when the sheet 2100 is transported to the above-described predetermined position using the determination table of FIG. That is, in the present embodiment, the CPU 1000 determines the type of the sheet 2100 being read by the reading sensor 2050 from the read data being generated by the scanner unit 1100.

  Next, the characteristic region 5020 is determined using the image type of the read data determined in S3050 and the “table for obtaining a characteristic region from the image type” in FIG. 5 (hereinafter, referred to as a characteristic region table). (S3060). Here, the “characteristic region” means a region on the sheet 2100 that is a characteristic of each image. The characteristic region table is a table on the relationship between each image type 5010 and a characteristic region 5020 corresponding to each image type. The feature area table is stored in the ROM 1040 or the NVRAM 1060 in advance. In this embodiment, two types of characteristic regions 5020 correspond to each image type 5010, but at least one of them may be used. When the type of the image is determined in S3050, the characteristic region corresponding to the image determined in S3060 is uniquely determined.

  Next, when the characteristic region is determined in S3060, it is determined whether reading of the image of the specific region of the sheet 2100 being conveyed in the conveyance direction by the reading sensor 2050 is completed (S3070). S3070 is continued until a positive determination is made (see No in S3070).

  Next, when an affirmative determination is made in S3070, it is determined whether reading of the image data to be compared from the HDD 1010 is completed (S3080). S3080 is continued until a positive determination is made (see No in S3080). Here, the image data to be compared is, for example, data relating to “table” stored in the HDD 1010 when the type of image is determined to be “table” in S3050.

  Next, when a positive determination is made in S3080, the CPU 1000 compares the read data with the image data read from the HDD 1010. Here, the image data to be compared is data on the type of the image determined in S3050. Specifically, in step S3080, the relationship between the image type 5010 and the characteristic region 5020 illustrated in FIG. 5, the image data read from the HDD 1010 and the read data being generated are used, and the characteristic region portion in the read data and the image data Is compared with the portion of the characteristic region in.

Hereinafter, the processing performed in S3090 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
First, the operator checks via the UI 1300 whether or not a setting is made not to compare read data with image data (S6010). Here, whether the comparison between the read data and the image data is performed or not is set in advance by the operator via the screen 800 of the UI 1300 in FIG. Specifically, the operator selects one of the input buttons “Yes 810” and “No 820” displayed on the screen 800 and presses the OK button 830 to set. To cancel after selecting the input button once, the operator may press the Cancel button 840. In S6010, the setting of whether or not to compare the read data with the image data is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 1050 or the NVRAM 1060. If an affirmative determination is made in S6010, it is determined in S6110 that the read data and the image data do not match. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in S6010, the determination in S6020 is made.

  Next, in S6020, it is determined from the model information included in the supplementary information of the image data whether or not the image data is information acquired from an image forming apparatus (not shown) of the same model as the read data. If a negative determination is made in S6020, it is determined in S6110 that the read data and the image data do not match. On the other hand, when a positive determination is made in S6020, the determination in S6030 is performed. In the present embodiment, as a result of the negative determination in S6020, the reason that the read data and the image data do not match is that even if the image is the same, the read data and the image data become This is because they may not match.

Next, in S6030, it is determined whether the sheet widths are the same based on the sheet width information included in the supplementary information of the image data. Here, since the calculation of the sheet width can be performed by using the reading sensor 2050, it may be calculated by using the reading sensor 2050, or may be calculated by another method. As another calculation method, for example, a method of calculating a sheet width using a position detection sensor of the document presser 2030, a method of detecting a sheet by providing a plurality of fixed point sensors (not shown) near a lower portion of the sheet feeding port 2020. There is a method of calculating a sheet width from a plurality of fixed points.
If a negative determination is made in S6030, it is determined in S6110 that the read data and the image data do not match. The reason for this is that the read data obviously does not match the image data when the paper width is different. On the other hand, when a positive determination is made in S6030, the determination in S6040 is performed.

  Next, in S6040, it is determined whether the reading resolution of the read data is the same as the reading resolution of the image data. As a result, if a negative determination is made in S6040, it is determined in S6110 that the read data and the image data do not match. The reason for this is that it is impossible to determine whether the read data and the image data match when the read resolution is different. On the other hand, when an affirmative determination is made in S6040, a determination in S6050 is made.

Next, in S6050, it is determined whether or not the read data is compressed data. Here, the information of the compression format of the read data and the image data is included in the respective accompanying information. When a negative determination is made in S6050, S6080 described later is performed. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in S6050, the determination in S6060 is made.
Next, in S6060, it is determined whether or not the compression method of the read data is compression data of a predetermined method. Here, the predetermined method is a compression method of image data stored in the ROM 1040. If a negative determination is made in S6060, it is determined in S6110 that the read data and the image data do not match. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in S6110, S6070 is performed.
Next, in S6070, that is, when an affirmative determination is made in S6060, the compressed data of the predetermined method is expanded. As a result, it becomes possible to compare the read data with the image data restored by expansion.

After S6070 and when a negative determination is made in S6050, S6080 is performed. In S6080, the address and length of a predetermined area in the RAM 1050 are designated using the data corresponding to the characteristic area of the read data as the comparison source (area A). If the data is compressed data, the address and length of the temporary expansion area in the RAM 1050 are designated (this area is referred to as area A).
After S6080, S6090 is performed. In S6090, the address and length of a predetermined area in the RAM 1050 are specified with the data of the portion corresponding to the characteristic area inside the image data as the comparison destination (area B). When the read data is compressed data, the address and length of the temporary expansion area in the RAM 1050 are designated (this area is referred to as area B). Note that the address length of the area A and the address length of the area B are set to be the same.
After S6090, S6100 is performed. In S6100, all data in a predetermined area in the RAM 1050 is compared between the area A and the area B. Thereby, the comparison result between the read data and the image data is determined. When comparing the images, the inclination, distortion, general noise removal filter, color, and shading in the area A are corrected so that they can be compared with the image data in the area B. As a result, the image with the region B is compared using the data generated by the correction.

As for the comparison between the images of the area A and the area B, a difference between the images is obtained as a general method, and a mean square error is calculated. The smaller the value of the aforementioned mean square error is, the closer the image of the region A and the image of the region B are. Therefore, information on the threshold value for the value of the above-mentioned mean square error is stored, and when the value is equal to or less than the above-described threshold value, it is considered that the images match. Information on the above-described threshold is stored in the NVRAM 1060.
Note that the above-described mean square error requires a large amount of calculation, and thus the reading apparatus 100 requires a high-speed CPU. If precise matching of images is not required, there is a method of thinning out the image of the area A and the image of the area B to reduce the number of pixels to be compared, thereby reducing the amount of calculation. The accuracy of image matching may differ depending on the type of image. For each type of image determined by the above-described method, information on whether to perform the comparison in consideration of the above-described threshold value and image thinning is stored, and the accuracy of the consistency of the image comparison is determined by the type of the image. May be determined by comparing.
The above is the details of the processing performed in S3090 of the flowchart of FIG.

Next, the data processing will be described again with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
After S3090, that is, after S6010 to S6110 (see FIG. 6) performed in S3090, S3100 is performed. In S3100, it is determined whether or not the comparison result matches with S3090, that is, whether or not both the characteristic region portion of the read data and the characteristic region portion of the image data match. In this case, the image data stored in a predetermined area in the area B of the RAM 1050 may be replaced with the content of the image data to be compared. If a negative determination is made in S3100, S3110 is performed. If a positive determination is made in S3100, S3150 is performed.
If S3110 is performed, that is, if it is determined in S3100 that the read data does not match the image data, it is determined whether or not the HDD 1010 has image data that can be compared in addition to the image data. As a result, when a positive determination is made in S3110, S3120 is performed, and another image data is read from the HDD 1010. Here, there is a case where the next image data to be compared has already been read from the HDD 1010 into the RAM 1050. In this case, a positive determination is made in S3080 performed after S3120, and the subsequent processing is performed. Here, in the subsequent processing, S3090 is performed again. In this case, in S3090, which is performed again, the comparison target of the read data is set to image data other than the image data that was previously set as the comparison target.
On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in S3110, that is, if it is determined that the other image data stored in the HDD 1010 is not to be compared with the read data, S3130 is performed. In S3130, it is determined whether the image on the sheet 2100 has been read to the end. If an affirmative determination is made in S3130 (see Yes in S3130), the read data is stored in the HDD 1010 as image data in S3140. In this case, if the storage destination is an HDD on the network, the HDD is connected to the network via the network driver 1210 and the LAN unit 1310. After the network connection, the HDD is connected to the HDD and the image data generated in S3130 is stored in the HDD. In the generation of the image data, at least the model of the reading device 100, the paper width, the reading resolution, the presence or absence of the compressed data, and the compressed data system are provided in the supplementary information. These supplementary information and data (RAW, JPEG, TIFF, etc.) obtained from the read data are made into one file and used as image data. The CPU 1000 generates image data by processing the image data generation code and the file creation code stored in the ROM 1040. Thereafter, the data processing ends.

If a positive determination is made in S3100, S3150 is performed. In S3150, the user selects to stop the reading operation. In S3150, the operator selects via the UI 1300 (an example of a selection unit) whether or not to stop the reading operation. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8B, the screen 900 displayed on the UI 1300 asks whether to stop the reading operation, and displays “Yes (stop) 910” and “No (continue) 920”. Is displayed, and "OK930" for confirming the selection result are displayed. If the operator selects “Yes (Cancel) 910” via the screen 900 and presses OK 930, it is determined that a positive determination has been made in S3150, and S3160 is performed. Then, in S3160, the reading operation is stopped in accordance with the selection of "Yes (stop) 910" in S3150, and the data processing ends. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the comparison result in S3100 matches, in S3150, the operator selects whether or not to stop the reading operation. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when a positive determination is made in S3100 that the characteristic portions match, if the portions other than the characteristic portions do not match, the operator can select whether to stop the reading operation in S3150. With the stop of the reading operation in S3160, the light emission of the reading sensor 2050 ends. After that, based on the detection of the release of the shielding by the paper detection sensor, the transport roller and the transport motor are driven to discharge the paper 2100 from the paper output port 2040. In this case, since the reading operation is not performed, the sheet 2100 may be transported at a higher transport speed than during the reading operation, which is such that the sheet is not jammed as compared with the reading operation.
On the other hand, if the operator selects “No (continue) 920” via the screen 900 and presses OK 930, it is considered that a negative determination has been made in S3150, and the processing in S3130 and thereafter is performed. Thereafter, S3140 is performed, and the data processing ends.
When the data processing is completed, the reading apparatus 100 enters a standby state (a state in which the sheet 2100 can be operated if the sheet 2100 is set and an operation start instruction is issued via the UI 1300).

As described above, the reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment uses the characteristic part of the read data and the image data and the discrimination table stored in advance to read the image during the reading operation of the image on the sheet 2100. Determine whether the data matches. Therefore, the reading device 100 of the present embodiment can determine whether the read data matches the image data before the end of the operation of reading the image on the sheet 2100. Accordingly, the reading device 100 of the present embodiment can reduce the time required for the reading operation when the read data of the image on the sheet 2100 to be read matches the stored image data. In particular, the effect becomes more remarkable as the size of the sheet 2100 is larger.
The reading device 100 of the present embodiment does not store the read data when the read data of the image on the sheet 2100 to be read matches the stored image data. Therefore, the reading device 100 of the present embodiment can reduce the amount of use of the read data storage HDD 1010 when the read data of the image on the paper 2100 to be read matches the stored image data. Accordingly, in the case of the present embodiment, more image data to be compared can be stored. In particular, the effect becomes more remarkable as the size of the sheet 2100 is larger.
In the case of this embodiment, if the read data does not match the image data, the read data is stored in the HDD 1010 as image data. Therefore, the stored read data can be used as image data in a subsequent read operation.
In the case of the present embodiment, an area (characteristic area) to be compared is specified based on the type of image obtained from the read data. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the comparison can be performed using a smaller amount of the memory area, and the time required for the comparison can be reduced.

As described above, the present invention has been described by taking the present embodiment as an example, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.
The reading sensor 2050 of the reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is not limited to a line-type sensor, and may be a carriage-type reading sensor that reciprocates in the main scanning direction (width direction) of the sheet 2100. In this case, the reading operation is performed by the carriage-type reading sensor reciprocating in the main scanning direction with respect to the sheet 2100 conveyed in the conveying direction. Even in the case of this modification, the same effect as in the case of the present embodiment can be obtained.
In the present embodiment, it has been described that the reading sensor 2050 reads an image of the sheet 2100 in which the sheet 2100 is transported in the transport direction. However, if the reading sensor 2050 can read an image on the sheet 2100, for example, the reading sensor 2050 may move in a predetermined direction with respect to the sheet 2100 without being conveyed. That is, any configuration may be used as long as the reading sensor 2050 can move relative to the sheet 2100.
The characteristic region described in the present embodiment is not limited to the region specified in the table for obtaining the characteristic region 5020 from the image type 5010 as shown in FIG. For example, as for the characteristic region, a difference may be identified for each type of image from the characteristics of the sheet 2100, a common part of the difference may be automatically determined, and the result may be used as the characteristic region. Further, the operator may be allowed to set a position that is different in a predetermined format such as a form as a characteristic region. In this case, the operator may operate the UI 1300 (an example of a changing unit) to input or change a characteristic region. Even in the case of this modification, the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be obtained.
When the image data to be compared described in the present embodiment is as large as several tens or more, for example, the process of comparing the read data with the plurality of image data may not be completed by the time when the discharge of the sheet 2100 is completed. In this case, an effect of reducing the capacity of the HDD can be obtained by not storing the matched result even if the comparison is not completed by the time when the discharge of the sheet 2100 is completed. However, the processing time may be delayed by the time required for comparison with the image data. In such a case, information relating to the reading date and time is provided in the supplementary information of the image data to be compared, and for example, data within a range of the reading date and time specified or specified by the operator via the UI 1300 is set as the comparison target. It may be image data. By making such a setting, the processing time required for comparison with image data can be reduced.

100 Reading device 1000 CPU (an example of a determination unit, an example of a comparison unit)
2050 Reading sensor (an example of reading means)

Claims (8)

Reading means for reading an image on a sheet while moving relative to the sheet;
Generating means for generating read data from an image read by the reading means during a reading operation of the reading means;
Determining means for determining the type of image from the read data;
First storage means for storing a relationship between the type of image and a characteristic region which is a characteristic of the image on the sheet;
Second storage means for storing image data;
The read data, and a comparing means for comparing the image data,
The determination unit determines a type of an image of a sheet being read from the read data being generated by the generation unit,
The comparison unit compares the characteristic region in the read data with the characteristic region in the image data using the relationship, the image data, and the read data being generated by the generation unit. And
The reading device, wherein the reading unit stops the reading operation when both portions match as a result of the comparison. When the two parts do not match as a result of the comparison and the image data is one of a plurality of image data,
The comparison unit uses the relationship, image data other than the one image data, and the read data being generated by the generation unit, and uses the read data being generated by the characteristic region portion in the read data and the other image data. And comparing the feature region with
2. The reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reading unit stops the reading operation when both portions match as a result of the comparison.   The reading device according to claim 1, wherein the reading unit continues the reading operation when both portions do not match as a result of the comparison. The second storage means stores the image data as compressed data;
The generating means generates the read data as data in the same compression format as the compressed data,
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the comparing unit compares the read data obtained by restoring the data in the compression format with the image data obtained by restoring the data in the compression format. The reading device according to claim 1.   5. The reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data is data stored in the second storage unit each time the generation unit generates the read data. 6. . Selecting means for selecting whether to stop the reading operation of the reading means,
When the reading unit stops the reading operation when both portions match as a result of the comparison, the reading unit stops the reading operation based on a result of the selection by the selecting unit. Item 6. The reading device according to any one of Items 1 to 5.   The reading device according to claim 1, further comprising a changing unit configured to change a setting of the characteristic region. Reading means for reading a paper image while moving the computer relative to the paper; generating means for generating read data from the image read by the reading means during the reading operation of the reading means; Determining means for determining, first storing means for storing a relationship between an image type and a characteristic region which is a characteristic of an image on a sheet, second storing means for storing image data, and the read data and the image data A program for functioning as comparing means for comparing
The comparison means uses the relationship, the image data, and the read data being generated by the generation means to compare a portion of the characteristic region in the read data with a portion of the characteristic region in the image data. Let
A program causing the reading means to stop a reading operation when both portions match as a result of the comparison.

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