JP4749083B2 - Image processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that reads an original and generates image data, such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a scanner, and an image forming apparatus including the image processing apparatus.

  A device that reads an image using an optical line sensor, such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a scanner, places a document on a reading glass and reads the image while moving the light source and line sensor at a constant speed. There is a sheet feed method in which a light source and a line sensor are fixed and an image is read while moving an original at a constant speed. In the case of the flatbed method, since the light source and the line sensor can be visually observed as they move under the platen glass, it can be easily determined that the surface to be read should be placed in the direction in contact with the platen glass when placing the document. . On the other hand, in the case of the sheet feed method, it is different depending on the device how the document placed on the document table is transported and reaches the front of the light source and line sensor, so determine the correct orientation when placing the document. Is difficult. As a result, it is easy to make an operation mistake that the wrong side is installed and the back side of the surface to be read is read.

  For example, in the case of an application in which a copy image is printed immediately from a device that reads a document, such as a copy operation, the user immediately notices an operation error. However, in the case of an application in which a copy image of a document is output from another device, such as facsimile transmission or scanner distribution, an operation error may not be noticed until the receiver indicates it. In both cases, since the original must be correctly placed and then the reading operation must be performed again, it takes time and effort. In particular, when paying a usage fee and using a copier, facsimile, scanner, etc., the cost is also doubled.

  In order to prevent such a user's operation mistake, it is determined whether or not a correct surface is read using an image processing function during reading of a document. Several image processing apparatuses equipped with a warning function have been proposed.

  As a method for determining whether or not a correct surface is read using an image processing function, a method called “blank paper detection” is generally used. Specifically, for example, in the case of a single-sided original, only one side is printed with character information or image information, and a general document is printed on white paper. Is likely. Using these characteristics, when reading a document, the ratio of the white area included in the scanned document image is calculated. If the ratio is equal to or greater than a certain ratio, it is determined that the back side of the document is being read. Is the method.

Such a method is proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example. Patent Document 1 proposes an image reading apparatus that detects whether an input page of a document is blank, reads the back side of the input document if it is blank, and outputs image information on the back side if there is image information on the back side. Yes. In Patent Document 2, image filing is performed in which only a document surface on which an image exists is stored at the time of registration of a series of documents in which double-sided originals and single-sided originals are mixed, and is output in the order of the front page and back page of the document when output by a conversion table. A device has been proposed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-48835 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-174075

  However, the above-described prior art performs blank sheet detection for all documents to be read, and in the case of checking whether the document is a single-sided document, excessive detection is performed. For example, a blank sheet is intentionally inserted to insert a separator. Even if it is pinched, a problem may occur that detection is performed and necessary information is deleted.

  The present invention has been made in view of the actual situation of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to detect a document placement error at an early stage when reading a document.

In order to achieve the object, the first means includes a reading means for reading an original and generating image data, a blank sheet detecting means for detecting whether or not the original is blank from the image data generated by the reading means, An image processing apparatus comprising display means for displaying information necessary for operation and input, wherein when the reading means reads a plurality of documents continuously, only the first page is read on both the front and back sides. performed, before SL blank detecting means determines whether the blank by the front and rear surfaces of the read data, when the surface is set to read the first page is determined to be blank original, blank on said display means A message for warning that the document is a document is displayed .
The second means is characterized in that the image forming apparatus includes the image processing apparatus according to the first means.

According to the present invention, it is possible to detect the installation mistakes originals, by installing the front and back of the document incorrectly it is possible to correct easily even when subjected to read.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention. This image processing apparatus includes a scanner board unit (hereinafter referred to as SBU) 11 that is a unit for optically reading a document, a blank sheet detection unit (hereinafter referred to as WIU) 12 that performs blank sheet detection processing, and a unit between the units. A compression / decompression and data interface (hereinafter referred to as CDIC) 13 which is a control unit for smoothly performing various data transfer performed, and image processing for digital image data transferred from the CDIC 13 An image processing processor (hereinafter referred to as IPU) 14 which is a unit, a network control unit (hereinafter referred to as NCU) 16 which is a unit for communicating with terminals other than its own device connected to the IP network 15, and a digital image A memory module (hereinafter referred to as MEM) which is a memory for storing ) 17, an image memory access control unit (hereinafter referred to as IMAC) 18, which is a unit for performing digital image compression / decompression processing and reading / writing digital images to / from the MEM 17, when the user uses the image processing apparatus Controls the operation of the liquid crystal touch panel 19, NCU 16, MEM 17, IMAC 18, and liquid crystal touch panel 19, which are units for displaying necessary information for each, performs necessary settings for each, and starts, ends, and processes The main components are a process controller 22 that controls the operation of the system controller 21, SBU 11, WIU 12, CDIC 13, and IPU 14 to be monitored, makes necessary settings for each, and monitors start, end, processing progress, and the like. . Although not shown, the system controller 21 is connected with a speaker. This speaker is a unit for generating a confirmation sound when the user touches a soft key on the liquid crystal touch panel 19 or for a user's attention for other reasons. In this embodiment, the image data processed by the image processing apparatus is visualized by the printer 23 connected to the IPU 14.

The SBU 11 includes a light source and an optical line sensor (not shown), the positions of which are fixed, and scanning is performed by moving the document at a constant speed. The light emitted from the light source is reflected by the original, and the reflected light is collected by the optical line sensor. The optical line sensor is a device for converting the intensity of collected light into an analog electric signal. In this embodiment, an electro-coupled element (hereinafter referred to as a CCD) is used. The analog electrical signal output from the CCD is quantized and then transferred from the SBU 11 to the WIU 12 as digital image data.
The WIU 12 executes the image data transferred from the SBU 11 using a blank page detection algorithm, and if it is determined to be a blank page document, the WIU 12 notifies the process controller 22 to that effect. In the process of executing the blank page detection algorithm, the WIU 12 transfers the image data transferred from the SBU 11 to the CDIC 13 as it is.

The CDIC 13 switches data paths when performing a Network to Memory operation or a Memory to Print operation which will be described later.
The IPU 14 optimizes the frequency characteristics and gradation characteristics of the image for the digital image data transferred from the CDIC 13 in accordance with the characteristics of the own device and the user's request. The digital image that has been optimized is transferred to the CDIC 13 again.

At the time of data transmission, the NCU 16 divides the transmission data into packets according to the communication protocol of the IP network 15 and outputs the packet to the IP network 15. At the time of reception, the original received data is reproduced from the data divided in accordance with the communication protocol of the IP network 15.
The liquid crystal touch panel 19 can also perform various settings by the user touching the display screen. When the WIU 12 detects a blank document from the read image, a message is displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 19.

  A first RAM 25 and a second ROM 26 are connected to the IMAC 18 via a local bus 24. The first and second RAMs 25 and 26 store information necessary for the system controller 21, the IMAC 18, the liquid crystal touch panel 19, the MEM 17, and the NCU 16 to perform processing. For example, protocol information for the NCU 16 to receive image data via the IP network 15, character information and bitmap information for displaying characters and symbols on the liquid crystal touch panel 19, and digital images that can be stored in the MEM 17 The total amount and remaining amount, information input by the user from an operation unit (not shown) displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 19 are stored.

  The CDIC 13, NCU 16, and IMAC 18 are connected to each other by a parallel bus 27, and the SBU 11, WIU 12, CDIC 13, IPU 14, and process controller 22 are connected to each other by a serial bus 28. A second RAM 29 and a second ROM 31 are also connected to the serial bus 28. These second RAM 2 and ROM 2 store information required when the SBU 11, WIU 12, CDIC 13, IPU 14, and process controller 22 perform processing. For example, a program for the WIU 12 to perform blank sheet detection processing by SIMD calculation, a characteristic value of a CCD mounted on the SBU 11, and the like are stored.

  Next, a Scan to Memory operation and a Memory to Network operation that are basic operations of the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

  The Scan to Memory operation is an operation of reading an original with the SBU 11 and storing the digital image in the MEM 17. The user places a document on a document table placed in the SBU 11 and sets various reading conditions from the operation unit displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 19 as shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing various reading conditions displayed on the operation unit. In other words, the scanning side of the original to be scanned is designated as one or both sides, and the scanning range is set such as whether automatic setting or A4 original is scanned vertically, and the scanning resolution is set to 1200 dpi or 600 dpi. When the image quality is clearly set (whether it is a picture image or a character image) and the confirmation button 19a is pressed, the reading conditions set by the user are transferred to the process controller 22 and the system controller 21.

  The process controller 22 stores the transferred reading conditions in the second RAM 29 and instructs the SBU 11, the WIU 12, the CDIC 13, and the IPU 14 to operate in accordance with the reading conditions. The system controller 21 stores the transferred reading conditions in the first RAM 25 and instructs the NCU 16, the MEM 17, and the IMAC 18 to perform operations according to the reading conditions. When the instruction to each unit is completed, the SBU 11 reads a document placed on the platen and transfers digital image data to the WIU 12. The WIU 12 executes a blank page detection algorithm on the digital image, and transfers the digital image data to the IPU 14 via the CDIC 13. Here, the IPU 14 performs image processing for compensating the optical characteristics of the SBU 11 and returns the digital image data to the CDIC 13.

  The CDIC 13 transfers the digital image data received from the IPU 14 to the IMAC 18 via the parallel bus 27. The IMAC 18 compresses the digital image data into a storage format that can be stored in the MEM 17 and stores it in the MEM 17. During operation, the states of SBU 11, WIU 12, CDIC 13, and IPU 14 are notified to sequential process controller 22, and the states of IMAC 18 and MEM 17 are notified to sequential process controller 22. When the storage of the digital image data is completed, the process controller 22 displays a message to that effect on the operation unit and ends the Scan to Memory operation.

  The Memory to Network operation is an operation for transmitting digital image data stored in the MEM 17 to an information processing terminal other than the own device. The IMAC 18 reads the digital image data from the MEM 17 and expands it to the image format before saving. Then, the digital image data is transferred to the CDIC 13 via the parallel bus 27. The CDIC 13 transfers the digital image data transferred from the IMAC 18 to the IPU 14. The IPU 14 performs image processing for optimizing the frequency characteristics and gradation characteristics of the digital image data. The digital image data image-processed by the IPU 14 is transferred to the CDIC 13 again. The CDIC 13 transfers the digital image data transferred from the IPU 14 to the NCU 16 via the parallel bus 27. The NCU 16 converts the digital image into a general-purpose file format such as TIFF format or JPEG format and generates an image file. Then, the image file is transmitted to the destination information processing terminal according to the communication protocol of the IP network. During operation, the statuses of the NCU 16 and the MEM 17 IMAC 18 are sequentially notified to the system controller 21. When the transmission of the digital image by the NCU 16 is completed, the system controller 21 displays that fact on the operation unit, and ends the Memory to Network operation.

  Scan to Memory jobs and Memory to Network jobs are not necessarily executed alternately. For example, when the IP network 15 is congested, only the Scan to Memory job may be performed in advance. By doing so, it is possible to perform a document reading operation at a stable speed regardless of the congestion status of the IP network 15. Also, there are file formats that can store a plurality of scanned images in one image file, such as PDF format and multi-TIFF format, so the number of times to execute Scan to Memory jobs and the number of times to execute Memory to Network jobs are not necessarily limited. Not equal. These job managements are performed by the system controller 21.

  Next, in the first embodiment of the present invention, an example of an operation from when a user reads a document using the image processing apparatus and transfers the image file to an external image file server is introduced. The system operation of blank sheet detection processing will be described.

  Although the contents of the present invention will be described with an operation example related to a file server this time, the object is the same for facsimile and copying, and it goes without saying that the present invention is applied although the description is omitted.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the system operation in the first embodiment of the present invention. First, the user reserves a place in the image file server where a document image file to be read can be stored. Then, using the operation unit, the IP address of the image file server and the path name of the image file storage destination are set in the image processing apparatus.

  Next, the user places a document on the document table and inputs various reading conditions from the operation unit. When all inputs are complete, press the start button. When the start button is pressed, the liquid crystal touch panel 19 notifies the process controller 22 to that effect and stores the reading conditions in the second RAM 29. When the reading conditions are stored in the second RAM 29, the image processing apparatus conveys the document to the scanner unit as many as the number of installed documents (step S101), repeats the Scan to Memory operation, and stores the image data in the MEM 17. accumulate.

  At this time, the WIU 12 reads both the front and back surfaces of the first page regardless of the reading setting mode (step S102). Then, a blank sheet detection algorithm is executed (step S103). It is not executed for the second and subsequent read images. If the side set to read the first page is determined to be a blank document, the process controller 22 is notified of this fact. If there is a blank original on the first page, the process controller 22 displays a warning message on the liquid crystal touch panel 19 that it is a blank original as shown in FIG. 5 (step S104). FIG. 5 shows a warning message. At that time, it is also possible to call attention by sounding a warning sound using a speaker or warning using a voice. In step S103, if there is no blank document on the first page, processing based on the designation is performed (step S105).

  During the Scan to Memory operation, the reason why the blank page detection algorithm is executed only for the first page, despite all the read images being transferred from the SBU 11 to the WIU 12, is to detect a document placement error. This is for the purpose. Even if the second and subsequent documents are determined to be blank documents, this is not necessarily due to a document placement error. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, it is considered that a blank original for margin adjustment is inserted in the fourth sheet so that the original can be easily viewed by opening it. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a read document. However, there are few manuscripts that start with a blank page. Even if such a document exists, the user can be warned by warning at an early stage of the system operation of the first sheet that a user has a blank sheet.

  When the Scan to Memory operation is completed, the Memory to Network operation is repeated for the number of image files to be transmitted, and the image file is transmitted to the image file server.

  When the image file server receives the image file, the image file server saves it with a unique file name in the location created by the user first. Here, the unique file name is a name by which each image file can be identified. For example, if a plurality of image files are not saved at the same time, the reception time may be included in the unique name. As an example, if an image file in TIFF format was saved on October 01, 2010 at 12:25:40, the numbers were enumerated. It can also be saved under the name TIFF. After the image file has been saved, you can use an image browsing software such as a personal computer to view the image stored on the image file server or to another information processing terminal when it is convenient for you. Can be output after moving.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the system operation in the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, even when the reading surface is set to the single-side mode, the image on both sides of the first page is read to determine whether to detect a blank page.

  First, after placing the document on the document table, the user sets the reading surface as one side by the operation unit of the liquid crystal touch panel 19, and then sets other reading conditions and presses the start button. As a result, as in the first embodiment described above, when the start button is pressed, the liquid crystal touch panel 19 notifies the process controller 22 to that effect and stores the reading conditions in the second RAM 29. When the reading conditions are stored in the second RAM 29, the image processing apparatus conveys the document to the scanner unit (step S201).

  Even if the reading surface is designated as one side, the WIU 12 reads only the first page on both the front and back sides (step S202), and executes a blank page detection algorithm. Blank sheet detection is not executed for the second and subsequent read images. Also, for the second and subsequent sheets, only one-side image data is stored in the MEM 17 according to the set mode.

  On the first page, it is checked whether or not the front side is a blank document (step S203). If it is determined that the front page is not a blank page, it is checked whether or not the back side is blank (step S204). If it is determined in step S204 that the back side is blank, that is, if it is determined that the front side is not blank and the back side is blank, the original placement method is not wrong, and processing based on the designation is performed as it is (step S205). ). If it is determined in step S204 that the back surface is not blank, that is, if it is determined that neither the front surface nor the back surface is blank, a warning screen based on the setting of the reading surface as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed (step S206). . FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a warning message when image data is detected on a non-designated surface.

  If it is determined in step S203 that the front side is blank, it is checked whether the back side is blank (step S207). If the back side is blank, that is, if it is determined that both the front and back sides are blank, a blank page installation warning screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed (step S208). FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a warning message when image data is not detected on both sides.

  If it is determined in step S207 that the back side is not blank, that is, if it is determined that the front side is blank and the back side is not blank, setting of the installation method as shown in FIG. 5 is performed as in the first embodiment described above. A warning screen based on is displayed (step S209). After the display is performed in steps S206, S208, and S209, step S205 is performed. At each warning display, a warning sound can be generated using a speaker to call attention.

  Even when processing is performed with the reading side set to one side in this way, the warning screen can be changed depending on the document status by detecting blank pages on both sides of the first page. It is possible to easily determine whether this is a malfunction.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the system operation in the third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, when a warning is displayed, the operation is temporarily stopped. That is, as in each of the above-described embodiments, first, after a user places a document on the document table, the reading surface is set as one side by the operation unit of the liquid crystal touch panel 19, and then other reading conditions are set. Press the start button. As in the above-described embodiments, when the start button of the liquid crystal touch panel 19 is pressed, the process controller 22 is notified of this and the reading conditions are stored in the second RAM 29. When the reading conditions are stored in the second RAM 29, the image processing apparatus conveys the document to the scanner unit (step S301), and the WIU 12 has both the front and back sides of the front page only even if the reading side is designated as one side. Is read (step S302), and a blank page detection algorithm is executed. Blank sheet detection is not executed for the second and subsequent read images. Also, for the second and subsequent sheets, only one-side image data is stored in the MEM 17 according to the set mode.

  Next, on the first page, it is checked whether or not the front side is a blank document (step S303). If it is determined that the front page is not a blank page, it is checked whether or not the back side is blank (step S304). If it is determined in step S304 that the back side is blank, that is, if the front side is not blank and the back side is blank, the original placement method is not wrong, and processing based on the designation is performed as it is (step S305). ). If it is determined in step S304 that the back surface is not blank, that is, if it is determined that neither the front surface nor the back surface is blank, a warning screen based on the reading surface setting as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed (step S306). . If it is determined in step S303 that the front side is blank, it is checked whether the back side is blank (step S307). When the back side is blank, that is, when it is determined that both the front side and the back side are blank, a blank page installation warning screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed (step S308). If it is determined in step S307 that the back side is not blank, that is, if it is determined that the front side is blank and the back side is not blank, a warning screen based on the setting of the installation method as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed (step S309). At the time of displaying each warning screen, after the display is performed in steps S206, S208, and S209, the system operation is temporarily stopped (step S310). It is also possible to sound a warning sound using a speaker when a warning screen is displayed.

  After the system operation is temporarily suspended, a screen as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed to ask the user's judgment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display for selecting continuation of the operation at the time of pause. As a result, it is possible to ask the user whether to continue the system operation as it is, or to interrupt and reset the original.

As described above, in the third embodiment, blank sheet detection is first performed on the front surface set as the reading surface, and then the same processing is performed on the back surface. The warning display for warning is changed according to the determination result of the double-sided blank paper detection, the system operation is temporarily suspended, and the user's judgment is asked. Even when processing is performed with the reading side set to one side in this way, the warning screen can be changed depending on the document status by detecting blank pages on both sides of the first page. It is possible to easily determine whether it is a malfunction of the system, and it is possible to omit an extra operation by temporarily interrupting the system operation.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus. In the figure, the image forming apparatus is for monochrome image formation, and includes a main body 400, an image reading device 500 installed on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus main body 400, an ADF 550 mounted thereon, and an image forming apparatus. The main body 400 basically includes a large-capacity paper feeding device 700 disposed on the right side in FIG. 11 and a paper post-processing device 800 disposed on the left side in FIG. 11 of the image forming apparatus main body 400.

  The image forming apparatus main body 400 includes an image writing unit 410 including an optical writing device, an image forming unit 420, a fixing unit 430, a duplex conveying unit 440, a paper feeding unit 450, a vertical conveying unit 460, and a manual feeding unit. 470.

  The image writing unit 410 modulates a laser diode, which is a light emitting source, based on the image information of the document read by the image reading device 500, and writes laser on the photosensitive drum 421 by a scanning optical system such as a polygon mirror and an fθ lens. Is what you do. The image forming unit 420 is a known electrophotographic image forming element such as a photosensitive drum 421 and a developing unit 422, a transfer unit 423, a cleaning unit 424, and a charge eliminating unit provided along the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 421.

  The fixing unit 430 fixes the image transferred by the transfer unit 423 on the transfer paper. The double-sided conveyance unit 440 is provided downstream of the fixing unit 420 in the transfer sheet conveyance direction, and includes a first switching claw 441 that switches the transfer sheet conveyance direction to the sheet post-processing device 800 side or the double-side conveyance unit 440 side, , The reverse conveying path 442 guided by the switching claw 441, the image forming side conveying path 443 that conveys the transfer paper reversed by the reverse conveying path 442 to the transfer unit 423 again, and the reverse transfer paper after the sheet post-processing device 800. A second switching claw 445 is disposed at a branch portion between the image forming side conveying path 443 and the post processing side conveying path 444.

  The sheet feeding unit 450 includes four sheet feeding stages, and transfer sheets stored in the sheet feeding stages selected by the pickup roller and the sheet feeding roller are drawn out and guided to the vertical conveyance unit 460. The vertical conveyance unit 460 conveys the transfer paper fed from each paper feed stage to the registration roller 461 immediately upstream in the paper conveyance direction of the transfer unit 423, and the registration roller 461 provides a visible image on the photosensitive drum 421. The transfer paper is fed into the transfer unit 423 in time with the leading edge. The manual feed portion 470 includes an openable and closable manual feed tray 471, and opens the manual feed tray 471 as needed to supply transfer paper manually. Also in this case, the transfer timing of the transfer paper is taken by the registration roller 461 and is transported.

  The large-capacity paper feeding device 700 supplies a large amount of transfer paper of the same size, and the bottom plate 702 rises as the transfer paper is consumed, so that the paper can always be picked up from the pickup roller 701. ing. The transfer paper fed from the pickup roller 701 is conveyed from the vertical conveyance unit 460 to the nip of the registration roller 461.

  The sheet post-processing apparatus 800 performs predetermined processes such as punching, alignment, stapling, and sorting. In this embodiment, the sheet post-processing apparatus 800 includes a punch 801, a staple tray (alignment) 802, a stapler 803, and a shift tray 804 for the functions. I have. In other words, the transfer paper carried from the image forming apparatus 400 to the paper post-processing apparatus 800 is punched one by one with the punch 801 when punching, and then if there is nothing to be processed, the proofing is performed. When sorting, stacking, and sorting to the tray 805, the sheets are discharged to the shift tray 804, respectively. In this embodiment, the sorting is performed by reciprocating the shift tray 804 by a predetermined amount in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction. In addition, sorting can be performed by moving the paper in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction on the paper transport path.

  In the case of alignment, the transfer paper that has been punched or not punched is guided to the lower transport path 806 and the staple tray 804 is aligned in the direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction by the rear end fence. In the jogger fence, alignment in the direction parallel to the paper transport direction is performed. Here, when binding is performed, a predetermined position of the aligned sheet bundle, for example, a predetermined position such as a corner portion and two central positions is bound by the stapler 803 and discharged to the shift tray 804 by the discharge belt. In this embodiment, a pre-stack conveyance path 807 is provided in the lower conveyance path 806, and a plurality of sheets are stacked at the time of conveyance to avoid interruption of the image forming operation on the image forming apparatus main body 400 side during post-processing. Be able to.

The image capturing device 500 is placed on the contact glass 510 by the ADF 550, optically scans the stopped original, and reads a read image formed by the imaging lens through the first to third mirrors. Read by the photoelectric conversion element. The read image data is subjected to predetermined image processing by an image processing circuit (not shown) and temporarily stored in a storage device. Then, it is read from the storage device by the image writing unit 410 during image formation, modulated according to the image data, and optical writing is performed.
The ADF 550 has a double-sided reading function, and is attached to the contact glass 510 installation surface of the image reading device 500 so as to be freely opened and closed. In the ADF 550, the document placed on the document placement table 551 is automatically sent onto the contact glass 510 when the document is read. When the original is placed on the contact glass 510 for reading, the ADF 550 is opened with a hinge (not shown) on the rear side of the apparatus as a rotation center to expose the contact glass 510.

  Although the image forming apparatus of FIG. 11 is for monochrome image formation, it is needless to say that the image processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 can be applied to a color image forming apparatus. For example, the four color image data obtained by arranging cyan, magenta, yellow, and black developing units along the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 421 of the image forming unit 420 and performing color conversion processing by the IPU 14 in FIG. According to the above, each color is visualized and transferred to a sheet.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a blank page is detected from the read image data, and if it is determined that the page is blank, the warning content is changed depending on the situation, and the operation is temporarily stopped. Since the situation is notified, it is possible to easily correct even if the original is placed in the wrong direction and read.

It is a block diagram which shows typically an example of a structure of the image processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the various reading conditions displayed on an operation part. It is a figure which shows an example of the reading original. It is a flowchart which shows the system operation | movement in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a warning message when image data is not detected on the designated surface. It is a flowchart which shows the system operation | movement in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the warning message when image data is detected in the surface which is not specified. It is a figure which shows a warning message when image data is not detected on both sides. It is a flowchart which shows the system operation | movement in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the display for selecting continuation of operation | movement at the time of a pause. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

11 Scanner board unit (SBU)
12 Blank paper detection unit (WIU)
13 Communication control unit (CDIC)
14 Image processing unit (IPU)
15 IP network 16 Network control unit (NCU)
17 Memory unit (MEM)
18 Memory Control Unit (IMAC)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 19 Liquid crystal touch panel 21 System controller 22 Process controller 400 Image forming apparatus main body 500 Image reader 4510 Image writing part 420 Image forming part 430 Fixing part

Claims (2)

Reading means for reading an original and generating image data, blank sheet detecting means for detecting whether or not the original is blank from image data generated by the reading means, and display means for displaying information necessary for operation and input An image processing apparatus comprising:
When the reading unit reads a plurality of documents continuously, only the front page reads both the front and back sides,
Before SL blank detecting means determines whether the blank by the front and rear surfaces of the read data,
An image processing apparatus for displaying a message warning that a blank document is displayed on the display means when it is determined that the side set to read the first page is a blank document . An image forming apparatus comprising the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

Images