JP3430523B2 - Image input / output device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image input / output device for printing image data read by a scanner by a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the image input / output processing of a conventional image input / output apparatus, first, an operator inputs a setting of reading resolution of a scanner, and the reading processing of an image of a document is performed at the set resolution. The image input / output device generally includes a display, and the image read by the scanner is displayed on this display. When the area to be printed is specified by the operator according to the display on the display, the image of the specified area is cut out. Next, the size designation for printing is accepted, the size of the image region cut out is changed according to the size of the designated printing region, and the changed image data is supplied to the printer.

For example, when a 0.025 inch square original image shown in FIG. 8A is read by a scanner having a resolution of 240 DPI and a size of a print area is not designated, a 320 DPI printer is used. It is printed in the state shown in (B), and is printed in the state shown in (C) in the figure with a 160 DPI printer. That is, the resolution of the scanner is 240 dots per inch and one side is 0.0
A 25-inch square original image is read as image data of 6 × 6 dots. 32 per inch
When printing with a printer with a resolution of 0 dots, one side is 0.
Printed as 01875 inch square, same 6x6
When dot image data is printed by a printer having a resolution of 160 dots per inch, a square print image with a side of 0.0375 inch is obtained.

[0004]

However, in the conventional image input / output device, the reading resolution of the scanner is set first and the size of the printing area is set last, so that the number of dots of the image data is reduced. In some cases, the size of the print area does not fit, and in this case, the rows and columns of the image data are duplicated or deleted so that the number of dots matches the size of the print area. . Therefore, for example, in the example shown in FIG.
When a square with a side of 0.025 inches is designated as the print area, the printer with a resolution of 320 DPI has 8 × 8 dots, and the image data of 6 × 6 dots shown in FIG. About 2 dots each. Therefore, if the position shown by the arrow in FIG. 9B is selected and the row and column are made to overlap, the figure of the document changes greatly as shown in FIG.

In a printer having a resolution of 160 DPI, a printing area of 0.025 inch square corresponds to 4 × 4 dots. Therefore, if the row and column are deleted by selecting the position shown by the arrow in FIG. 6C, the image will be deformed as shown in FIG.

As described above, in the conventional image input / output device,
Since the resolution of the scanner is set first, this resolution sets the size of the print area to be set later ,
There is a problem that the printed image is deformed when the resolution of the printer is not suitable.

An object of the present invention is to automatically set the resolution of the scanner at the time of image reading from the size of the reading area and printing area of the image by the scanner, eliminating the need for the operator to select the resolution, and the resolution of the scanner. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image input / output device capable of reliably preventing the deformation of a print image caused by the size of the print area or improper resolution of the printer .

[0008]

As shown in FIG. 1, an image input / output apparatus of the present invention is an image input / output apparatus for printing an image of an original read by a scanner 5 in a printer 4, and an original to be read by the scanner 5 in the image input / output apparatus. Reading area input means 1 for receiving an input of the size of the reading area, a printing area input means 2 for receiving an input of the size of the printing area, and a reading input by the reading area input means 1 prior to reading the original. the size of the area, the size of the print area input by the print area inputting unit 2, and a reading resolution determination means 3 determines the reading resolution of the scanner 5 from the resolution of the printer 4 to print an image, a provided, the Read resolution determination
The means determines the reading resolution of the scanner as "the size of the printing area.
X resolution of printer / size of reading area ".

Further, a region display means for displaying by freely moving the reading area input size of the frame corresponding to the magnitude of the reading realm that is more input hand stage in the screen, displayed by the region display means Area setting means for receiving setting input of an area from which data is to be taken in from the position of the frame.

Further, the print area can be set by the print area input means based on the maximum and minimum values of the read resolution of the scanner, the resolution of the printer, and the read area input by the read area input means. A setting range limiting means for limiting the range is provided.

[0011]

According to the present invention, the reading resolution of the scanner is determined from the size of the reading area input by the reading area input means, the size of the printing area input by the printing area input means, and the resolution of the printer for printing an image. "Print area
Size * printer resolution / read area size ” . Therefore, since the scanner reads an image with a resolution according to the size of the print area and the resolution of the printer, it is not necessary to make adjustments such as overlapping and deletion of dots when printing by the printer, and the printed image is not deformed. .

Further, the size of the reading area is increased by the area holding means.
The size of the frame corresponding to the movably displayed on the display screen is. Therefore, it is possible to move the position of the frame displayed on the display screen to set the area where the image is to be captured.

Further, the settable range of the printing area is limited based on the maximum and minimum values of the resolution of the scanner, the resolution of the printer, and the reading area of the document by the scanner. Therefore, the print area is not set in the range in which the proper resolution cannot be set in the scanner.

[0014]

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit of an image input / output device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Image input / output device 11
The control unit is a CPU with a ROM 13 and a RAM 14.
It is composed of twelve. An image memory 15 is connected to the CPU 12, and a scanner 20, a keyboard 21, a display 22 and a printer 23 are connected via an interface. ROM1
A program for defining the operation of the CPU 12 is written in advance in 3. The CPU 12 controls each input / output area in accordance with this program. RAM14 has this CPU
Data input / output in the control of 12 is temporarily stored. The image data processed by the image input / output device 11 is stored in the image memory 15. The scanner 20 reads an image of a document and inputs the image data to the CPU 12 via the interface 16.

The keyboard 21 stores operation data by the operator in the CPU 12. Display 22 is CP
The display screen is displayed according to the display data supplied from U12. The printer 23 is driven by the print image data supplied from the CPU 12.

The CPU 12 stores the image data read by the scanner 20 in the image memory 15, and appropriately changes the image data set by the operation data of the keyboard 21 and supplies the image data to the printer 23 as print image data.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the control unit of the image input / output apparatus. First, the CPU 12 displays the reading area setting screen shown in FIG. 6A on the display 22 (n1), and the horizontal and vertical lengths indicating the size of the reading area input by the operation of the keyboard of the operator. When Sx and Sy are input (n2), they are stored in a predetermined memory area of the RAM 14. Next, the print area setting screen shown in FIG. 6B is displayed on the display 22, and the input of the horizontal and vertical lengths Px and Py representing the size of the print area is accepted (n3, n).
4). The process of setting and inputting the print areas Px and Py is shown in detail in FIG.

Based on the minimum and maximum settable resolutions Sdmin and Sdmax of the scanner 20 and the resolutions Pd and n2 of the printer, the CPU 12 sets the horizontal and vertical lengths Sx and Sy of the reading area. , Minimum and maximum values Pxmin, Pxmax, Pymin of the vertical and horizontal sides of the print area that can be set and input
Pymax is calculated (n21 to n24). Next, the operator's operation of the left, right, up, and down cursor keys of the keyboard 21 is accepted (n25 to n28), and when the right cursor key is operated, the length Px of the horizontal side of the print image is n2.
The value is increased by a constant amount α in a range not exceeding the maximum value Pxmax of the horizontal side obtained in 2 (n29, n30). When the left cursor key is operated, the horizontal side Px of the print image is shortened by a certain amount α within a range larger than the minimum side length Pxmin obtained in n21 (n31, n3).
2). Similarly, when the up cursor key is operated, n
The length Py of the vertical side of the print image is increased by a constant amount α in a range that does not exceed the maximum value Pymax of the vertical side obtained in step 24 (n
33, n34). When the down cursor key is operated, the length Py of the vertical side of the print image is shortened by a constant amount α in a range larger than the minimum value Pymin of the vertical side obtained in n23 (n35, n36).

This fixed amount α is α = Sdinc × Sx /
Pd, α = Sdinc × Sy / Pd.
Here, Sdinc is the minimum increase / decrease value of the scanner resolution Sd. That is, in the scanner 20, the resolution can be changed from the minimum value to the maximum value in units of Sdinc. The reason why the constant value α is determined in this way is that, if it can be determined arbitrarily, an unprintable area may be set in the printer 23.

Through the processes of n25 to n36, the horizontal length Px or the vertical length Py of the print image is updated each time the cursor key is operated, and the set range is displayed on the display 22 with the updated contents. Display (n37). That is,
When setting and inputting the size of the printing area, a frame is displayed on the display 22 in a size corresponding to the operation of the cursor key by the operator. This frame can be changed only within a predetermined range defined by the resolution of the scanner and the printer and the size of the reading area that has already been set, and no unprintable area is set.

When the print area setting input is completed, the CPU
12 calculates the resolution Sd of the scanner 20 (n5), sets this resolution Sd in the scanner 20, and waits for the start of the reading process (n6, n7). When the scanner 20 starts reading an image of a document and image data is input from the scanner 20, the CPU 12 stores the image data in the image memory 15.
(N8). After that, a setting input process of which range of the read image is to be printed is performed (n9).

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing in detail the processing relating to the setting input of the printing range. In inputting the setting of the print range, the CPU 12 determines the reduction ratio Z of the image data from the number of dots in the horizontal and vertical directions of the read image and the number of dots in the horizontal and vertical directions of the display screen of the display 22 (n41). ~ N43). This reduction ratio Z
Is the smaller one of the reduction ratio Zx in the horizontal direction and the reduction ratio Zy in the vertical direction. Image data is supplied at this reduction ratio (n44). Further, a frame representing the reading area is displayed over the image displayed on the display 22 (n45). The size of this frame can be obtained by multiplying the size Sx and Sy of the reading area set and input in n2 by the scanner resolution Sd and the reduction ratio Z.

In this state, the CPU 12 moves the frame representing the print range according to the operation of the cursor key (n46, n4
7) The print range in the image read by operating the enter key is determined (n48).

As described above, the operator can determine the range to be printed by moving the frame on the image displayed on the display 22 by operating the cursor keys.

When the print range setting input is completed, the CPU
The printer 12 waits for the operation of the print key (n10), and when the print key is operated, the image data is sequentially called from the image memory 15 for the set print range and supplied to the printer 23 (n11, n12).

As described above, according to this embodiment, the proper resolution Sd of the scanner 20 is calculated from the size of the reading area and the size of the printing area set and input by the operator, and the resolution of the printer that performs the printing process. Can be set by setting the Therefore, the dot pattern of the image data read by the scanner 20 can be supplied to the printer as print data without destroying the dot pattern.
The image quality can be improved. Further, since the resolution value of the scanner, which is not familiar to general users, is automatically set to the optimum value, there is an advantage that the work of the operator can be extremely facilitated. Also, there is no excess or deficiency in resolution, no deterioration in image quality occurs, no unnecessary increase in data amount, a long reading process, and no waste of a storage medium.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, since the value Sx representing the size of the reading area and the value Px representing the size of the printing area are both 0.025 inches, the resolution Sd of the scanner 20 is the printer. It is set to be the same as the resolution Pd of 23. Therefore, in the printer of 320 DPI, the scanner 2
320 DPI is set as the resolution Sd of 0, the image data read by the scanner 20 is directly supplied to the printer 23, and is printed in the state shown in FIG. The resolution of the connected printer 23 is 160D.
If it is PI, the resolution of the scanner 20 is 16
0DPI is set, and printing is performed in the state shown in FIG.

The resolution Pd of the printer 23 may be stored in the RAM 14 when the image input / output device 11 is installed, or may be set by a dip switch (not shown) or the like, which is a conventional method.

In this embodiment, the print area can be set while watching the display on the display 22, and the size of the area is the resolution Sd of the scanner 20, the resolution Pd of the printer 23, and the size of the reading area. Sx,
The resolution Sd that can be set with respect to the scanner 23 can always be calculated because the resolution is not set beyond the range defined by Sy.

Further, in the image read by the scanner 23, the range to be printed can be set according to the display on the display 22, so that the work can be performed very easily.

[0031]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the proper scanner resolution is automatically calculated and set by setting and inputting the size of the reading area and the size of the printing area. There is an advantage that it is possible to very easily output a high-quality printed image that does not cause image quality deterioration or distortion due to excess or deficiency of scanner resolution.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the range to be printed of the image read by the scanner can be extremely easily performed by moving the frame according to the display content of the area display means.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the settable range of the printing area is limited so that the resolution of the scanner does not become a value that cannot be set, so that the resolution that is always appropriate for the scanner is set. There is an advantage that can be set.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit of the image input / output device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a control unit of the image input / output apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the same.

FIG. 5 is the same flowchart.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display screen of a display connected to the image input / output device.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a print image in the image input / output device.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a document image, a read image, and a print image in a conventional image input / output device.

[Explanation of symbols]

20-scanner 22-display 23-Printer

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 1/04 107 H04N 1/387 101

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image input / output device for printing an image of an original read by a scanner in a printer, comprising: a reading area input means for receiving an input of a reading area of an original to be read by the scanner; A print area input means for receiving an input, and a size of the read area input by the read area input means, a size of the print area input by the print area input means, and an image are printed before reading the original. a reading resolution determining means reading resolution of the scanner Ru determined Teisu from resolution of the printer, the provided, the reading resolution determination means, the reading resolution of the scanner,
“Size of print area x resolution of printer / large reading area
Kisa ” image input / output device. 2. A region displaying means for displaying in the movable frame of the reading area input hand stage to a size corresponding to more magnitude of the input read realm in the screen, displayed by the region display means Area setting means for receiving setting input of an area from which data is to be taken in from the position of the frame.
The image input / output device described in 1. 3. A print area can be set by the print area input means based on the maximum and minimum values of the read resolution of the scanner, the resolution of the printer, and the read area input by the read area input means. The image input / output device according to claim 1, further comprising setting range limiting means for limiting the range.