JP2021044743A - Image processing apparatus, control method for the same, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image processing apparatus that can easily resume an interrupted scan job.SOLUTION: An MFP 100 comprises: reading means that reads a placed document; paper ejection means that holds the read document; and a control unit including an image processing unit that performs image processing on acquired data and an operation unit control unit. When the control unit receives an instruction to execute an interrupting scan job while executing a preceding scan job, it interrupts the preceding scan job, and notifies an operation unit 109, from the operation unit control unit, of guideline information for searching for a processing incomplete document from the documents held on the paper ejection means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an image processing device, a control method thereof, and a program.

An MFP is known as an image processing device including a scanner unit and an image processing unit. The MFP executes a scan job using the scanner unit and the image processing unit. In the scan job, the scanner unit reads the documents placed on the document tray of the MFP one by one, transfers the scanned data to the image processing unit, and the image processing unit processes the data acquired from the scanner unit. To give. The document read by the scanner unit is output to the output tray of the MFP. The MFP cannot interrupt another scan job while it is running the scan job. This is inconvenient because the user has to wait for the running scan job to complete, even if he wants to run another scan job in a hurry. On the other hand, there has been proposed a network system capable of interrupting the scanning process of a plurality of original documents, completing another scanning process, and then restarting the interrupted scanning process (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this network system, when the user restarts the interrupted scanning process, the unprocessed document remaining in the document tray at the time of interruption is placed on the document tray, and the placed document is scanned. ..

In recent years, a scanner unit including an intermediate buffer memory has been developed from the viewpoint of improving the reading speed of a document. The MFP executes a preceding scan job using the scanner unit and the image processing unit. In the advance scan job, the MFP reads the original by the scanner unit in advance, stores the data obtained by scanning the original in the intermediate buffer, and performs the image processing by the image processing unit later. The data stored in the intermediate buffer is deleted when it is transferred to the image processing unit or when the preceding scan job is interrupted. In such a pre-scan job, among the originals output to the output tray (hereinafter referred to as “extracted originals”), the originals that have been scanned by the scanner unit but have not been subjected to image processing. (Hereinafter, referred to as "unprocessed manuscript") is included. Since the data stored in the intermediate buffer is deleted when the preceding scan job is interrupted, the user needs to search for the unprocessed document from the ejected documents when restarting the interrupted preceding scan job. As information to assist this, for example, it is conceivable to display a preview image of the last processed manuscript among the discharged manuscripts (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 08-237403 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-095000 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-35750

However, if only the preview image of the last processed original is displayed, when a large number of originals are held in the output tray, the ejected originals are sorted one by one in order to find the corresponding original. It is necessary to confirm, and it takes time and effort. That is, conventionally, there arises a problem that the interrupted scan job cannot be easily restarted.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing device, a control method thereof, and a program capable of easily restarting an interrupted scan job.

In order to achieve the above object, the image processing apparatus of the present invention has a reading means for reading the placed original, a paper ejection means for holding the read original, and an image processing for performing image processing on the acquired data. An image processing device including means, a job execution control means for controlling the execution of a job using the reading means and the image processing means, and a paper ejection held by the paper ejection means when the job is interrupted. It is characterized by comprising a notification means for notifying reference information for finding a processed unfinished manuscript that has been read by the scanning means and has not completed the image processing by the image processing means from among the finished manuscripts.

According to the present invention, the interrupted scan job can be easily restarted.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the MFP as an image processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the internal structure of the DF part in the scanner part of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the scanner control unit in the scanner part of FIG. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram relating to a document reading operation executed by the MFP of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the advance reading control processing executed by the scanner part control application. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the interrupt scan control processing executed by the control part of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the selection screen displayed on the operation part of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the notification screen displayed on the operation part of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the end confirmation screen displayed on the operation part of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the restart confirmation screen displayed on the operation part of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the restart instruction screen displayed on the operation part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the scan control processing of step S610, S616 of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the job break notification screen displayed in the operation part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the display control processing executed by the control part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the modification of the interrupt scan control process of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the restart instruction selection screen displayed on the operation part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the skip-reading number setting process of step S1501 of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an MFP as an image processing device will be described, but the present invention is not limited to the image processing device alone, and for example, image processing composed of a scanner and another device. The present invention may be applied to the system. Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the user instructs the interruption and resumption of the scan job will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied when the scan job executed by the MFP is interrupted based on the detection of the abnormal state of the MFP, the abnormal state of the MFP is resolved, and the scan job is restarted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of an MFP 100 as an image processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the MFP 100 includes a control unit 101, a storage memory 105, an operation unit 109, a scanner unit 114, and a printer unit 115. The control unit 101 is connected to the storage memory 105, the operation unit 109, the scanner unit 114, and the printer unit 115. Further, the control unit 101 includes a CPU 102, a ROM 103, a RAM 104, a LANI / F unit 106, a line I / F unit 107, an operation unit control unit 108, an IO control unit 110, and an image processing unit 113. The CPU 102, ROM 103, RAM 104, LANI / F unit 106, line I / F unit 107, operation unit control unit 108, and IO control unit 110 are connected to each other via the system bus 111. The image processing unit 113 is connected to the IO control unit 110 via the image bus 112.

The control unit 101 comprehensively controls the entire MFP 100. The CPU 102 executes a program stored in the ROM 103 or the storage memory 105 to cause a software module (not shown) of the MFP 100 to execute each process. The ROM 103 stores a system boot program and the like. The RAM 104 is a system work memory area for the CPU 102 to execute a software module (not shown) of the MFP 100. Further, the RAM 104 is an image memory for temporarily storing the image data when processing the image data. The storage memory 105 is composed of an HDD or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and is used as an internal storage. The storage memory 105 stores, for example, a system software module for realizing each function of the MFP 100 and image data transferred from the RAM 104.

The LAN I / F unit 106 is an I / F for connecting the MFP 100 to the LAN. The LANI / F unit 106 performs data communication with an external device connected to the LAN. The line I / F unit 107 is an I / F for connecting the MFP 100 to the WAN. The line I / F unit 107 performs data communication with an external device connected to the WAN. The operation unit control unit 108 is an I / F of the control unit 101 and the operation unit 109. For example, the operation unit control unit 108 outputs a VGA signal to the operation unit 109, and causes the operation unit 109 to display an image corresponding to the VGA signal. Further, the operation unit control unit 108 outputs the information input by the user to the operation unit 109 to the CPU 102. The operation unit 109 is composed of an LCD touch panel or the like. The operation unit 109 interprets the VGA signal output from the operation unit control unit 108 and displays an image corresponding to the VGA signal.

The IO control unit 110 is a bus bridge that connects the system bus 111 and the image bus 112 and converts the data structure of the system bus 111. The image bus 112 is composed of a general-purpose bus such as a PCI bus, IEEE1394, and PCIEx, and transfers image data at high speed. In addition to the IO control unit 110 and the image processing unit 113, the scanner unit 114 and the printer unit 115 are connected to the image bus 112. The image bus 112 performs synchronous / asynchronous conversion of image data. The image processing unit 113 is composed of a plurality of ASICs. The image processing unit 113 performs image processing such as resolution conversion processing, compression processing, decompression processing, and binary multi-value conversion processing on the image data. The scanner unit 114 includes a DF (Document Feeder) unit 200 of FIG. 2 and a scanner control unit 300 of FIG. The scanner unit 114 reads the original and generates image data. The printer unit 115 prints the image data generated by the scanner unit 114.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the internal structure of the DF unit 200 in the scanner unit 114 of FIG. In FIG. 2, the internal configuration is transparently shown for ease of understanding.

The DF unit 200 is provided with a document tray 201 for placing documents. The document tray 201 is provided with a document sensor 202, two document guides 203, and a document size detection sensor 204. The document sensor 202 detects whether or not the document is placed on the document tray 201. The two document guides 203 are arranged so as to face each other along a direction orthogonal to the document transport direction. The documents placed on the document tray 201 are conveyed by three rollers, a pickup roller 205, a transfer roller 207, and a paper ejection roller 208. The pickup roller 205 transports the document placed on the document tray 201 to the document transport path (not shown) of the DF unit 200. The document conveyed by the pickup roller 205 is detected by the document passage detection sensor 206. The DF unit 200 determines whether or not the first document has passed based on the time detected by the document passage detection sensor 206. The transport roller 207 transports the documents transported to the document transport path by the pickup roller 205 to the paper ejection roller 208. The paper ejection roller 208 conveys the document conveyed by the conveying roller 207 to the paper ejection tray 209. The pickup roller 205, the transport roller 207, and the paper ejection roller 208 are driven by a stepping motor (not shown).

The document conveyed to the document transfer path is read by the sensor unit 211 when it passes through the transparent DF reading window 210 provided in the document transfer path. The sensor unit 211 includes a CIS 212. The document conveyed to the document transfer path is arranged at a position where the sensor unit 211 can read it through the DF reading window 210. The sensor unit 211 can move freely in the sub-scanning direction. For example, the sensor unit 211 moves in the same direction as the transport direction of the document conveyed from the transfer roller 207 to the paper ejection roller 208. The DF reading window 210 has a certain length in the sub-scanning direction. The CIS212 can be moved to an arbitrary position within the range of the length, and the document can be read at the moved position. The CIS212 is composed of a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, for example, a CCD element. In CIS212, the CCD elements are arranged in a row. The CIS 212 generates a control signal for controlling a FIFO or the like for accumulating pixel data read by each CCD element.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the scanner control unit 300 in the scanner unit 114 of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 3, the scanner control unit 300 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a CLK control unit 303, a motor controller 304, a CCD control unit 306, and a RAM 307.

The scanner control unit 300 controls the operation of the scanner unit 114 by the CPU 301 executing a scanner unit control application program (not shown) stored in the ROM 302. The scanner unit control application program is a program for starting a scanner unit control application (not shown) that controls the scanner control unit 300. In the present embodiment, the case where the CPU 301 executes the scanner unit control application program will be described, but the device that executes the scanner unit control application program is not limited to the CPU 301. For example, the CPU 102 of the control unit 101 may control the operation of the scanner unit 114 by executing the scanner unit control application program.

The CLK control unit 303 provides a clock such as an image transfer clock to each device constituting the scanner control unit 300. The CLK control unit 303 is composed of a crystal oscillator (not shown) and a PLL (not shown) that generate a clock. The PLL multiplies or divides the clock generated by the crystal oscillator. Upon receiving a scan execution instruction from the user, in the scanner unit 114, the CLK control unit 303 outputs a clock to the motor controller 304, the CCD control unit 306, and the RAM 307. For example, the motor controller 304 generates a control clock of a motor (not shown) that rotates the roller 305 based on the clock received from the CLK control unit 303. The scan execution instruction includes information such as color / monochrome distinction and resolution. The scanner unit control application changes the PLL setting of the CLK control unit 303 based on the content of the instruction. The CLK control unit 303 controls the frequency of the output clock based on the PLL setting. As a result, the reading speed of the scanner unit 114 is changed. The RAM 307 stores the image data of the original document read by the CIS 212. The capacity of the RAM 307 is such that image data of a document for a plurality of pages can be stored, and is determined according to the size and resolution of the document that can be read by the scanner unit 114.

The scanner unit control application controls the reading operation by the scanner unit 114 in response to a control command issued by the control application activated by the CPU 102. The control commands are, for example, a document reading preparation command, a document transport start command, a document scanning execution command, a document scanning interruption command, and a pre-reading image deletion command. When the scanner unit 114 completes the process corresponding to the received control command, the scanner unit 114 transmits a completion notification to that effect to the control unit 101.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram relating to a document reading operation executed by the MFP 100 of FIG. The reading operation of FIG. 4 is executed by the scanner unit control application that controls the scanner unit 114 and the control application (not shown) (job execution control means) that controls the control unit 101.

In FIG. 4, the control unit 101 issues a document reading preparation command (step S401). For example, the number of skipped pages is specified in the document reading preparation command. When a value other than 0 is specified for the number of skipped pages, the MFP100 outputs the specified number of pages from the beginning of the placed document bundle to the output tray 209 without being read by the scanner unit 114. To.

Upon receiving the document reading preparation command, the scanner unit 114 prepares for reading the document placed on the document tray 201 (hereinafter, referred to as “document reading preparation process”). The document reading preparation process includes, for example, shading correction of CIS212, initialization of the CLK control unit 303, and initialization of the motor controller 304. When the document reading preparation process is completed, the scanner unit 114 transmits a document reading preparation completion notification to that effect to the control unit 101 (step S402).

The control unit 101 performs the preparation process of the control unit 101 before receiving the document reading preparation completion notification from the scanner unit 114. Specifically, the control unit 101 initializes the image processing unit 113 as a preparatory process for the control unit 101, and secures a capacity in the RAM 104 and the storage memory 105 that can store the data read by the scanner unit 114. To do. The preparation process of the control unit 101 may be performed before issuing the document reading preparation command. When the preparation process of the control unit 101 is completed and the document reading preparation completion notification is received from the scanner unit 114, the control unit 101 issues a document transfer start command (step S403).

Upon receiving the document transfer start command, the scanner unit 114 drives the pickup roller 205 and the transfer roller 207 to transfer the first document in the document bundle placed on the document tray 201 to the CIS 212. When the first document is conveyed to a predetermined position, the scanner unit 114 temporarily stops the pickup roller 205 and the transfer roller 207, and transmits a document transfer start completion notification to the control unit 101 (step S404).

Upon receiving the document transfer start completion notification, the control unit 101 issues a document reading execution command (step S405). Upon receiving the document reading execution command, the scanner unit 114 drives the transport roller 207 again and transports the first document so as to pass over the CIS 212. Further, the scanner unit 114 reads the image of the original as an electric signal by the CIS 212. The electric signal is converted into image data which is digital data by the CCD control unit 306. The image data is temporarily stored in the RAM 307. When the image data is stored in the RAM 307, the scanner unit 114 transfers the image data stored in the RAM 307 to the control unit 101. When the transfer of the image data is completed, the scanner unit 114 transmits a document reading execution completion notification to the control unit 101 (step S406), and deletes the transferred image data from the RAM 307.

The control unit 101 performs image processing such as enlargement / reduction, color space conversion, and compression on the image data acquired from the scanner unit 114 by the image processing unit 113. The processed image data is stored in the storage memory 105.

In a scan job for normal scanning, the control unit 101 issues control commands corresponding to each document for the second and subsequent documents, and the scanner unit 114 transports and reads the documents corresponding to the received control commands. Do. In the following, a scan job that performs normal reading will be referred to as a normal scan job. When the next document does not remain in the document tray 201, the scanner unit 114 transmits a document reading execution completion notification to that effect to the control unit 101. Upon receiving the document scanning execution completion notification, the control unit 101 ends the normal scanning job when the scanning during execution is completed.

On the other hand, in the advance scan job in which the scanner unit 114 reads the document in advance, the scanner unit 114 issues a document transfer start command and a document reading execution command from the control unit 101 for the second and subsequent documents. When the processing of the previous document is completed without waiting for the next document, the next document is conveyed and scanned. The image data of each scanned document is stored in the RAM 307. That is, in the preceding scan job, the image data waiting to be transferred to the control unit 101 is stored in the RAM 307 one after another. When the RAM 307 runs out of free space for storing image data, the scanner unit 114 suspends the conveying and reading of the original. The scanner unit 114 waits until the control unit 101 issues a document reading execution command for the image data of the scanned document stored in the RAM 307. When the document reading execution command is issued, the scanner unit 114 transfers the corresponding image data from the RAM 307 to the control unit 101, and deletes the image data from the RAM 307. When the free area is secured in the RAM 307 due to the deletion, the scanner unit 114 resumes the conveying and reading of the stopped document. The image data are sequentially stored in the order of reading, and when the scanner unit 114 receives the document reading execution command, the scanner unit 114 transfers the image data to the control unit 101 in the order of reading.

When the scan job is interrupted, the control unit 101 issues a document scanning interruption command (step S407). The scanner unit 114 that has received the document reading interruption command deletes the image data stored in the RAM 307. That is, in the present embodiment, when the preceding scan job is interrupted, the image data of the original document read by the scanner unit 114 and waiting to be transferred to the control unit 101 is deleted from the RAM 307. When the image data is deleted from the RAM 307, the scanner unit 114 transmits a document reading interruption completion notification to the control unit 101 (step S408). The control unit 101 that has received the document reading interruption completion notification interrupts the scan job.

Although the process of storing the image data in the RAM 307 has been described in the present embodiment, it is not always necessary to store the image data in the RAM 307. For example, when there is no second or subsequent original in the document tray 201, that is, when a scan job for reading only one image is executed, an image is transferred from the CCD control unit 306 to the control unit 101 without storing the image data in the RAM 307. The data may be sent directly.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of the advance reading control process executed by the scanner unit control application. The process of FIG. 5 is executed when a bundle of documents is placed on the document tray 201 and an instruction to execute a preceding scan job is received by the user. In the process of FIG. 5, it is assumed that the scanner unit 114 has already transmitted the document reading preparation completion notification to the control unit 101 in response to the received document reading preparation command.

In FIG. 5, when the scanner unit 114 receives the document transfer start command for the first document (YES in step S501), the scanner unit control application initializes the ejected document count value to “0” (step). S502). The ejected original count value indicates the number of ejected originals output to the output tray 209 after the scanning by the scanner unit 114 is completed in the received advance scan job. Next, the scanner unit control application causes the scanner unit 114 to convey the first document from the document bundle, and causes the scanner unit 114 to transmit the document transfer start completion notification regarding the first document to the control unit 101. Next, the scanner unit control application waits until the scanner unit 114 receives the document reading execution command regarding the first document (step S503). When the scanner unit 114 receives the document reading execution command for the first document (YES in step S503), the scanner unit control application determines whether or not there is a free area in the RAM 307 that can store the image data (YES). Step S504). If there is no free area left in the RAM 307, the scanner unit control application waits until the free area is secured. When the free area is secured in the RAM 307, the scanner unit control application controls the scanner unit 114 to read the first document (step S505), and stores the image data of the scanned document in the RAM 307. Next, the scanner unit control application determines whether or not the document reading interruption command has been received (step S506).

As a result of the determination in step S506, when the document reading interruption command is not received, the scanner unit control application determines whether or not the document remains in the document tray 201 (step S507).

As a result of the determination in step S507, when no document remains in the document tray 201, the scanner unit control application ends this process. When the document remains in the document tray 201 as a result of the determination in step S507, the scanner unit control application causes the scanner unit 114 to convey the next document from the document bundle placed on the document tray 201 (step S508). Next, the scanner unit control application increments the output document count value (step S509), and returns to the process of step S504. With respect to the second and subsequent documents, the scanner unit control application transports and scans the documents without waiting for the control application to issue the document transfer start command and the document reading execution command. The image data of the original document read by the scanner unit 114 is stored in the RAM 307 one after another and held until it is transferred to the control unit 101.

When the document scanning interruption command is received as a result of the determination in step S506, the scanner unit control application performs the scanning interruption processing (step S510). In the scanning interruption process, the scanner unit control application erases the image data of the document read by the scanner unit 114 from the RAM 307, and also issues a document scanning interruption completion notification. That is, in the present embodiment, when the interrupted preceding scan job is restarted, the image data of the unprocessed original that has been read by the scanner unit 114 but has not been image-processed by the image processing unit 113 is Not available. The document scanning interruption completion notification includes the output document count value indicating the number of output documents in the preceding scan job. Next, the scanner unit control application ends this process.

In the preceding scan job, the ejected originals output to the output tray 209 include unprocessed originals that have been read by the scanner unit 114 but have not been image-processed by the image processing unit 113. Is done. As described above, when the preceding scan job is interrupted, the image data of the document read by the scanner unit 114 is erased from the RAM 307. Therefore, when restarting the interrupted preceding scan job, the user can use the ejected originals. It is necessary to find the unprocessed manuscript. As information to assist this, for example, it is conceivable to display a preview image of the last processed original among the ejected originals. However, in this method, when a large number of originals are held in the output tray 209, it is necessary to check the ejected originals one by one in order to find the corresponding originals, which is troublesome. As a result, the interrupted pre-scan job cannot be easily resumed.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the preceding scan job is interrupted, the notification screen 800 of FIG. 8, which will be described later, is displayed on the operation unit 109 as a guide for finding the processed original from the ejected originals. Will be done.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of interrupt scan control processing executed by the control unit 101 of FIG. The process of FIG. 6 is realized by executing the control application program read from the ROM 103 to the RAM 104 by the CPU 102 of the control unit 101. The control application program is a program for starting the control application. In the present embodiment, as an example, a case where the scanner unit 114 reads the document and the image processing unit 113 of the control unit 101 executes a scan job for performing image processing on the image data acquired from the scanner unit 114 will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a scanner unit 114 and an image processing unit such as a "scan and send job" for transmitting the above-mentioned image-processed image data to another device and a "copy job" for printing the above-mentioned image-processed image data on paper. The present invention may be applied to a job using 113. In the copy job, unlike the conventional interrupt copy, the scanning of the document being executed in the copy job can be interrupted and another scan job can be executed.

In FIG. 6, the CPU 102 determines whether or not a job using the scanner unit 114 and the image processing unit 113 is being executed (step S601).

As a result of the determination in step S601, when the job using the scanner unit 114 and the image processing unit 113 is not executed, the CPU 102 ends this process. As a result of the determination in step S601, when a job using the scanner unit 114 and the image processing unit 113, for example, a preceding scan job is being executed, the CPU 102 causes the operation unit 109 to display the selection screen 700 of FIG. 7 (step). S602). The selection screen 700 includes a stop button 701 and a suspend button 702. The cancel button 701 is a button for instructing the cancellation of the job being executed. The suspend button 702 is a button for instructing that the job being executed is interrupted and another scan job is executed by an interrupt. The user can select either the stop button 701 or the suspend button 702. Next, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the interrupt button 702 is selected on the selection screen 700 (step S603).

As a result of the determination in step S603, when the interrupt button 702 is not selected on the selection screen 700, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the stop button 701 is selected on the selection screen 700 (step S604).

As a result of the determination in step S604, when the stop button 701 is not selected on the selection screen 700, the CPU 102 returns to the process of step S601. As a result of the determination in step S604, when the stop button 701 is selected on the selection screen 700, the CPU 102 executes the stop process (step S605). In the cancel process, the CPU 102 cancels the job being executed. Next, the CPU 102 ends this process.

When the interrupt button 702 is selected on the selection screen 700 as a result of the determination in step S603, the CPU 102 stores the scan settings used in the interrupted job in the storage memory 105 (step S606). Next, the CPU 102 executes the stop control process (step S607). In the stop control process, the CPU 102 issues a document reading interruption command. Upon receiving the scanning interruption command, the scanner unit 114 executes the above-described scanning interruption processing and transmits a document reading interruption completion notification to the control unit 101. The document reading interruption completion notification includes the number of ejected originals. The number of ejected originals is held in the RAM 104 until the interrupted job is restarted and the job is completed.

Next, the CPU 102 causes the operation unit 109 to display the notification screen 800 of FIG. 8 (step S608). The notification screen 800 is a screen that includes reference information for finding an unprocessed document from the output documents. The notification screen 800 includes a message field 801 and a preview image 802. The message field 801 contains the unprocessed originals included in the ejected originals based on the difference between the number of ejected originals and the number of processed originals measured in step S1205 of the scan control process of FIG. 12, which will be described later. A message indicating the number of completed documents is displayed. The preview image 802 displays a preview image of the document that was last processed in the interrupted preceding scan job. From the message in the message field 801 and the preview image 802, the user can easily find the unprocessed manuscript included in the discharged manuscript.

The user who confirms the interruption of the preceding scan job removes the original from the original tray 201 and the output tray 209, and places another original on the original tray 201. When the user receives the execution instruction of the interrupt scan job of the scan setting input from the operation unit 109 (step S609), the CPU 102 executes the scan control process of FIG. 12 described later (step S610) to perform the interrupt scan job. .. When the interrupt scan job is completed, the CPU 102 causes the operation unit 109 to display the end confirmation screen 900 of FIG. 9 (step S611). The end confirmation screen 900 is a screen for allowing the user to select whether or not to end the interrupt scan job. The end confirmation screen 900 includes a "yes" button 901 and a "no" button 902. The “Yes” button 901 is a button for instructing the end of the interrupt scan job. The “No” button 902 is a button for instructing the continuation of the interrupt scan job. Next, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the end of the interrupt scan job is instructed based on which of the "Yes" button 901 and the "No" button 902 is selected on the end confirmation screen 900 (step S612).

As a result of the determination in step S612, when the end of the interrupt scan job is not instructed, the CPU 102 returns to the process of step S610. As a result of the determination in step S612, when the end of the interrupt scan job is instructed, the CPU 102 causes the operation unit 109 to display the restart confirmation screen 1000 of FIG. 10 (step S613). The restart confirmation screen 1000 is a screen for allowing the user to select whether or not to restart the interrupted preceding scan job. The restart confirmation screen 1000 includes a "yes" button 1001 and a "no" button 1002. The “Yes” button 1001 is a button for instructing the restart of the interrupted preceding scan job. The “No” button 1002 is a button for instructing the cancellation of the interrupted preceding scan job. Next, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the interrupted preceding scan job has been instructed to resume, based on which of the "Yes" button 1001 and the "No" button 1002 is selected on the restart confirmation screen 1000 (step). S614).

As a result of the determination in step S614, when instructed to cancel the interrupted preceding scan job, the CPU 102 ends this process. As a result of the determination in step S614, when instructed to restart the interrupted preceding scan job, the CPU 102 reads the scan settings of the interrupted preceding scan job from the storage memory 105 (step S615). Further, the CPU 102 causes the operation unit 109 to display the restart instruction screen 1100 of FIG. The restart instruction screen 1100 includes a preview image 1101 and a scan job restart button 1102. Similar to the preview image 802, the preview image 1101 displays a preview image of the document that has been last processed in the interrupted preceding scan job. The user who confirms the preview image 1101 identifies the original to be read. This user removes the document corresponding to the interrupt scan job from the output tray 209, and places the specified document on the document tray 201. When the user selects the scan job restart button 1102, the CPU 102 executes the scan control process of FIG. 12, which will be described later (step S616), and performs the interrupted preceding scan job. When the image processing for the image data of all the originals output to the output tray 209 is completed, the CPU 102 performs the termination processing of the preceding scan job (step S617). In the termination process of the preceding scan job, for example, a process of releasing a storage area reserved in the RAM 104 for storing various count values and job information, and a notification of operation stop to the scanner unit 114 are performed. Next, the CPU 102 ends this process.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the scan control process in steps S610 and S616 of FIG.

In FIG. 12, the CPU 102 acquires the document scanning setting included in the scanning setting (step S1201). Further, the CPU 102 secures a storage area of the processed document count value indicating the number of processed documents that have been read by the scanner unit 114 and the image processing by the control unit 101 in the RAM 104, and initially sets the processed document count value to 0. To become. Next, the CPU 102 determines an ASIC that performs image processing on the image data acquired from the scanner unit 114 according to the acquired document reading setting, and sets the document scanning setting in the ASIC (step S1202).

Next, the CPU 102 receives the image data from the scanner unit 114 (step S1203). Next, the CPU 102 controls the image processing unit 113 to perform image processing on the received image data (step S1204). Next, the CPU 102 stores the image-processed image data in the storage memory 105, and increments the processed document count value (step S1205). Next, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the processing of all the documents placed on the document tray 201 has been completed (step S1206).

As a result of the determination in step S1206, when the processing of any of the originals placed on the document tray 201 is not completed, the CPU 102 returns to the processing of step S1201 and performs the processing for the next document. As a result of the determination in step S1206, when the processing of all the originals placed on the original tray 201 is completed, the CPU 102 ends this processing.

According to the above-described embodiment, when the preceding scan job is interrupted, the operation unit 109 displays a notification screen 800 as a guide for finding an unprocessed document from the ejected documents. As a result, it is possible to reduce the trouble of searching for the corresponding original from the ejected originals, and thus it is possible to easily restart the interrupted preceding scan job.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the notification screen 800 includes information indicating the number of unprocessed originals included in the ejected originals. As a result, the user can easily identify the unprocessed originals from the ejected originals, rather than checking the ejected originals one by one.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the notification screen 800 is displayed based on the number of stored processed originals and the number of ejected originals. As a result, it is possible to reliably notify the number of unprocessed originals included in the ejected originals.

In the above-described embodiment, if the execution instruction of the interrupt scan job is received while the preceding scan job is being executed, the preceding scan job is interrupted. As a result, the interrupted preceding scan job can be easily restarted in the device capable of interrupting the preceding scan job in order to execute the interrupt scanning job.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-described embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, when the execution of the interrupted preceding scan job is completed, the job break notification screen 1300 of FIG. 13 may be displayed on the operation unit 109. The job break notification screen 1300 is a screen for confirming the break of the interrupted preceding scan job. On the job break notification screen 1300, preview images of all processed originals in the preceding scan job are displayed. Of the displayed preview images, the frame portion of the preview image 1301 of the document that was last processed at the time of interruption is highlighted with a thick line or the like. Further, the frame portion of the preview image 1302 of the document that has been processed first at the time of resumption is highlighted with a dotted line or the like so as to be distinguished from the preview image 1301. In order to display the job break notification screen 1300 on the operation unit 109, the CPU 102 stores the processed document count value stored in advance as the interrupted document specific value in the process of step S615, and performs the process of step S616. After that, when the processing of all the originals in the restarted preceding scan job is completed, the CPU 102 performs the display control processing of FIG. 14 to display the job break notification screen 1300 on the operation unit 109.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a procedure of display control processing executed by the control unit 101 of FIG. Similar to the process of FIG. 6, the process of FIG. 14 is also realized by executing the control application program read from the ROM 103 to the RAM 104 by the CPU 102 of the control unit 101.

In FIG. 14, the CPU 102 acquires the processed document count value (step S1401). Next, the CPU 102 secures a storage area of the created page number P indicating the page number of the created preview image in the RAM 103, and initializes the created page number P to “0” (step S1402). Next, the CPU 102 increments the creation page number P (step S1403). Next, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the preview images of all the originals in the preceding scan job have been created based on the creation page number P (step S1404).

As a result of the determination in step S1404, when the preview image of any of the originals in the preceding scan job is not created, the CPU 102 creates a preview image of the original corresponding to the creation page number P (step S1405). The preview image is generated by performing image processing such as reduction and color space conversion on the image data read from the storage memory 105 to the RAM 104 by the image processing unit 113. The generated preview image is stored in the storage memory 105. Next, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the preview image of the created page number P is a preview image of the document that was last processed when the preceding scan job was interrupted (hereinafter, referred to as “interrupted document”) (hereinafter, referred to as “interrupted document”). Step S1406). The determination process in step S1406 is determined based on whether or not the created page number P matches the interrupted original specific value corresponding to the number of pages of the interrupted original.

As a result of the determination in step S1406, when the preview image of the created page number P is the preview image of the interrupted original, the CPU 102 borders the frame portion of the preview image of the created page number P with a thick line (step S1407). In step S1407, the image processing unit 113 performs decoding processing on the preview image of the created page number P read into the RAM 104 to generate bitmap data. An application running on the CPU 102 borders the bitmap data with a thick line. The edging of the preview image may be performed by using hardware as well as software-like image processing by the application. Next, the CPU 102 returns to the process of step S1403.

As a result of the determination in step S1406, when the preview image of the created page number P is not the preview image of the original at the time of interruption, the CPU 102 determines that the preview image of the created page number P is the first processed original when the preceding scan job is restarted. Hereinafter, it is determined whether or not the image is a preview image of (referred to as "manuscript at restart") (step S1408).

As a result of the determination in step S1408, when the preview image of the created page number P is not the preview image of the original at the time of restart, the CPU 102 returns to the process of step S1403. As a result of the determination in step S1408, when the preview image of the created page number P is the preview image of the original at the time of resumption, the CPU 102 borders the frame portion of the preview image of the created page number P with a dotted line (step S1409), and steps. Return to the process of S1403.

As a result of the determination in step S1404, when the preview images of all the originals in the preceding scan job are created, the CPU 102 displays the job break notification screen 1300 on the operation unit 109 (step S1410), and ends this process.

In the above-described embodiment, when the interrupted preceding scan job is restarted and the preceding scan job is completed, information indicating the break of the interrupted preceding scan job is notified. As a result, the user can easily determine whether or not the restarted preceding scan job has been properly performed without checking all the processing results one by one.

In the above-described embodiment, when all the documents related to the preceding scan job are placed on the document tray 201 when the interrupted preceding scan job is restarted, the skipping process may be performed. In the skipping process, the number of processed documents among the placed documents is output to the output tray 209 without being read by the scanner unit 114. Here, when restarting the interrupted preceding scan job, after the user removes the document bundle related to the interrupt scanning job, the processed document and the processed document related to the interrupted preceding scan job are erroneously overlapped on the document tray 201. When placed, it is difficult to find the unprocessed manuscript only with the above-mentioned guideline information.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when all the originals related to the preceding scan job are placed on the original tray 201 when the interrupted preceding scan job is restarted, the number of processed originals among the placed originals is increased. Manuscript is skipped.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a modification of the interrupt scan control process of FIG. Similar to the process of FIG. 6, the process of FIG. 15 is also realized by executing the control application program read from the ROM 103 to the RAM 104 by the CPU 102 of the control unit 101.

In FIG. 15, the CPU 102 performs the processes of steps S601 to S615. Further, the CPU 102 causes the operation unit 109 to display the restart instruction selection screen 1600 shown in FIG. The restart instruction selection screen 1600 includes a reread button 1601 and a scan job restart button 1602 from the beginning. The read-back button 1601 from the beginning is a button for instructing to read back all the documents related to the interrupted preceding scan job. The scan job restart button 1602 is a button for instructing that the interrupted preceding scan job is restarted from the original at the time of restart. Information indicating which button the user has selected on the restart instruction selection screen 1600 is stored in the RAM 104. When the user selects any button on the restart instruction selection screen 1600, the CPU 102 executes the skipped number setting process of FIG. 17 (step S1501) to set the number of skipped documents. Next, the CPU 102 performs the process of step S616 based on the set number of skipped documents.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a procedure for setting the number of skipped sheets in step S1501 of FIG.

In FIG. 17, the CPU 102 acquires the processed document count value (step S1701). Next, the CPU 102 acquires the set value of the restart instruction selection screen 1600 (step S1702). Next, the CPU 102 determines which of the reread button 1601 and the scan job restart button 1602 is selected from the beginning on the restart instruction selection screen 1600 (step S1703).

When the scan job restart button 1602 is selected as a result of the determination in step S1703, the CPU 102 sets the processed document count value as the number of skipped pages in the RAM 104 (step S1704). The number of skipped pages is notified to the scanner unit 114 by a document reading preparation command. As a result, the processed document is skipped when the interrupted preceding scan job is restarted. After that, the CPU 102 ends this process.

As a result of the determination in step S1703, when the reread button 1601 is selected from the beginning, the CPU 102 sets "0" as the number of skipped pages in the RAM 104 (step S1705). Next, the CPU 102 initializes the job information (step S1706) and deletes the image data of the processed document from the storage memory 105 (step S1707). As a result, all the originals are read again regardless of whether or not they have been processed in the interrupted preceding scan job. After that, the CPU 102 ends this process.

In the above-described embodiment, when all the originals related to the preceding scan job are placed on the original tray 201 when the interrupted preceding scan job is restarted, the number of processed originals among the placed originals is equal to the number of processed originals. It is output to the output tray 209 without being read by the scanner unit 114. As a result, even if the processed document and the unprocessed document are mistakenly placed on the document tray 201, the interrupted preceding scan job can be easily restarted.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the restart instruction selection screen 1600 is displayed on the operation unit 109. As a result, it is possible to reflect the user's intention regarding the resumption of the interrupted preceding scan job.

The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be executed. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

100 MFP
101 Control unit 102 CPU
109 Operation unit 113 Image processing unit 114 Scanner unit 209 Paper output tray 307 RAM
800 Notification screen 1300 Job break notification screen 1600 Resume instruction selection screen

Claims (10)

An image processing apparatus including a reading means for reading an placed document, a paper ejection means for holding the read document, and an image processing means for performing image processing on the acquired data.
A job execution control means for controlling the execution of a job using the reading means and the image processing means, and
When the job is interrupted, unprocessed originals that have been read by the reading means and have not completed image processing by the image processing means are searched for from the discharged originals held by the paper ejection means. An image processing device characterized by providing a notification means for notifying reference information for the purpose. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guideline information is information indicating the number of unprocessed originals included in the discharged original. A storage means for storing the number of processed originals that have been read by the reading means and the image processing by the image processing means and the number of discharged originals is further provided.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the notification means notifies the guideline information based on the number of processed originals and the number of discharged originals. When all the originals related to the job are placed in the restart of the interrupted job, the number of the processed originals among the previously placed originals is not read by the reading means and is not read by the reading means, but is used by the paper ejection means. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image processing apparatus is held. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the user is allowed to select whether to restart the interrupted job or read all the originals related to the interrupted job again. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the interrupted job is restarted and the job is completed, the notification means notifies information indicating a break of the interrupted job. Image processing device. The job execution control means interrupts the job when it receives an execution instruction of an interrupt job using the reading means and the image processing means while the job is being executed. The image processing apparatus according to any one of 6. The reading means includes a storage means.
The job is a preceding scan job in which the document is read in advance by the scanning means, the data obtained by scanning the document is stored in the storage means, and the image processing by the image processing means is performed later. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the image processing apparatus is provided. It is a control method of an image processing apparatus including a reading means for reading an placed document, a paper ejection means for holding the read document, and an image processing means for performing image processing on the acquired data.
A job execution control step that controls the execution of a job using the reading means and the image processing means, and
When the job is interrupted, the unprocessed original that has been read by the reading means and has not completed the image processing by the image processing means is searched from the discharged documents held by the paper discharging means. A method of controlling an image processing apparatus, which comprises a notification step for notifying reference information for the image processing apparatus. A program that causes a computer to execute a control method of an image processing device including a reading means for reading an placed document, a paper ejection means for holding the read document, and an image processing means for performing image processing on the acquired data. And
The control method of the image processing device is
A job execution control step that controls the execution of a job using the reading means and the image processing means, and
When the job is interrupted, unprocessed originals that have been read by the reading means and have not completed image processing by the image processing means are searched for from the discharged originals held by the paper ejection means. A program characterized by having a notification step that notifies the guideline information for.

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