JP4816499B2 - Image processing apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and a program.

  In recent years, the necessity of crisis management for disasters has been strongly screamed. In particular, in the case of large-scale disasters such as earthquakes, storms and floods, and volcanic disasters, it is important to quickly confirm the safety of residents in disaster-affected areas, and services and systems that support this are proposed and provided.

As this type of prior art, for example, a service “disaster message dial” provided by East Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT East) and West Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT West) (see Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example) There is.
Moreover, as a prior art described in the publication, for example, a central remote control device and a remote control device are provided, and the district remote control device reports disaster prevention information and records a voice call of the disaster prevention information, and automatically when necessary. There is a technique that can report the contents recorded by redialing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Further, as a prior art described in another publication, the center device confirms the safety of the owner of the terminal in the area where transmission is restricted, stores the result and location information, and sends a response to an inquiry about safety from the outside. There is a system in which a safety confirmation proxy reply unit that is not related to a restricted area returns a stored safety information as a proxy (see, for example, Patent Document 2). This system also determines the risk level from the safety information of each terminal, and contacts the contact information (emergency center, fire brigade, etc.) determined according to the risk level together with the terminal position information.

“Approach to Disaster”, [online], East Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT East), [Search September 8, 2006], Internet <URL: http://www.ntt-east.co.jp/ saigai / ＞ "Disaster Message Dial Internet Information", [online], Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation (NTT West), [Search September 8, 2006], Internet <URL: http://www.ntt-west.co. jp / dengon / ＞ Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-5884 JP 2005-217622 A

In order to collect information about a disaster quickly and accurately in the event of a disaster, it is more advantageous for the operator to input mechanically from some source than to manually input the input device. is there.
An object of the present invention is to realize automatic input of personal information or the like in an image processing apparatus used for collecting information in the event of a disaster.

In order to solve such a technical problem, an image processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied includes a display unit that performs display for an operator, a reception unit that receives an operation of the operator for the display of the display unit, and the reception unit Instruction specifying means for specifying an instruction relating to image processing based on an operation received by the means; reading means for optically reading an image to acquire image data; and image processing means for processing image data acquired by the reading means And an image forming means for forming on the medium a copy image based on the image data acquired by the reading means and processed by the image processing means, and an information registration form type in which items for registering information relating to the disaster are registered. and form generating means for generating form information registered by embedding item of information, resulting et based on the occurrence of a disaster By the acquisition means for acquiring the disaster information, the arrangement information holding means for holding the arrangement information of the information on the standard medium in which the specific information is recorded in the specific arrangement, and the reading means according to the output instruction of the information registration form A range based on the arrangement information held in the arrangement information holding unit is cut out from the acquired image data, extracted as registration item information, and used as at least part of the registration item information embedded in the mold by the form generation unit. Information extraction means . The display means can change the display according to the acquisition of the disaster information by the acquisition means and accept an output instruction for the information registration form .

More specifically, the information input means further includes an operation receiving unit that receives an operation for specifying a certain range in the image read by the image reading unit. Then, the information extraction unit of the information input unit cuts out the range specified by the operation received by the operation receiving unit from the image obtained by the image reading unit.
More preferably, the form generation unit changes the registration item according to the information input by the information input unit.

Another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is based on display means for displaying to the operator, receiving means for receiving an operation of the operator for the display of the display means, and an operation received by the receiving means. Obtained by an instruction specifying means for specifying an instruction related to image processing, a reading means for optically reading an image to acquire image data, an image processing means for processing image data acquired by the reading means, and a reading means Image forming means for forming a copy image based on the image data processed by the image processing means on the medium, and information arrangement information on a standard medium in which specific information is recorded in a specific arrangement, and read by the reading means An information extraction means for extracting a specific range of the obtained image based on the arrangement information and extracting information; Information recognizing means for recognizing information entered in the image from the image read by the above, transmitting means for transmitting the information recognized by the information recognizing means to the registration server, and disaster information obtained based on the occurrence of the disaster Obtaining means for obtaining. The display means can accept an output instruction of an information registration form in which an item for registering information related to disaster is changed by changing the display according to the acquisition of the disaster information by the acquisition means. When the receiving unit receives an instruction to output the information registration form, the image forming unit forms a registration image in which the information extracted by the information extracting unit is embedded in the information registration form and outputs the registration image. The information recognizing means extracts information for the item from the completed registration image when the registered registration image in which the information for the item is entered in the registration image output by the image forming means is read by the reading means. Recognize .

More specifically, the information extraction unit accepts an operation for specifying a certain range in the image by the operator, and cuts out the range specified by the operation of the operator from the image.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a display means for displaying to an operator, a receiving means for receiving an operator's operation for the display on the display means, and an instruction specifying means for specifying an instruction relating to image processing based on the operation received by the receiving means. Reading means for optically reading an image to acquire image data, image processing means for processing image data acquired by the reading means, and image data acquired by the reading means and processed by the image processing means A computer that controls an image processing apparatus including a copy image based on a medium, an acquisition unit that acquires disaster information obtained based on the occurrence of a disaster, and specific information in a specific arrangement Holds the information arrangement information on the recorded standard medium and optically reads it from a predetermined medium using a reading means. Acquired information extracting means for extracting information is cut out on the basis of the arrangement information specific range of images, the type of information registration form which describes items for registering information on disaster, by the function of the information extracting means It functions as a form generation unit that generates information registration form by embedding the information of registration items including the extracted information, and changes the display of the display unit according to the acquisition of disaster information by the acquisition unit and generated by the form generation unit The information registration form is also realized as a program that realizes a function of receiving an instruction to output by the image forming means .

More specifically, this program receives, as a function of the information extraction means, an operation for specifying a certain range in the image by the operator, and executes processing for cutting out the range specified by the operation of the operator from the image on the computer Let

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when an information registration form for collecting information relating to a disaster is generated, predetermined information such as personal information can be automatically input by reading from a fixed medium.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 2 , the automatic input of the predetermined information from an atypical medium is realizable.
According to the third aspect of the invention, various information registration forms can be generated based on the information obtained by reading from the medium.
According to the invention of claim 4 , by reading from a fixed medium, an information registration form in which predetermined information such as personal information is automatically input is output, and information relating to a disaster is collected and collected in a registration server. it can.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 5 , the automatic input of the predetermined information from an atypical medium is realizable.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when an information registration form for collecting information related to a disaster is generated in a computer in which this program is installed, predetermined information such as personal information is read by reading from a fixed medium. Can be automatically entered.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, automatic input of predetermined information from an atypical medium can be realized in a computer in which this program is installed.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image processing apparatus 10 to which the present exemplary embodiment is applied.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing apparatus 10 is a built-in computer integrated with an image forming apparatus that functions as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copier, or the like, a personal computer externally connected to the image forming apparatus, or a scanner. This is realized by an embedded computer integrated with a functioning image input device, a personal computer externally connected to the image input device, or the like. The image processing apparatus 10 is installed, for example, in a so-called convenience store that is a retail store that handles a large number of varieties in a small space. The image processing apparatus 10 installed in this so-called convenience store, for example, as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, a scanner, or a device that prints out a photograph taken with a digital camera or a kiosk terminal (unmanned information) during normal operation. Terminal).

  The image processing apparatus 10 is an external device that executes communication with an external device such as acquiring various information from a central management server (not shown) that is a management apparatus that centrally manages the image processing apparatus 10 via a network. An IF (interface) 11 is provided. The external IF 11 is connected to a server via, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. For connection, a dedicated line or VPN (Virtual Private Network) is used. In addition, the image processing apparatus 10 includes a disaster recognition unit 12 that recognizes disaster information (information related to disasters), a diagnosis execution unit 13 that performs diagnosis using information such as the disaster impact level output from the disaster recognition unit 12, and the like. It has. In addition, a mode switching unit 14 that determines and switches mode candidates to be used from the diagnosis result output from the diagnosis execution unit 13 is provided.

  Further, the image processing apparatus 10 includes a presentation unit that presents information to a user (operator), a receiving unit configured to include a position pointing device such as a mouse and a touch panel, or an input device such as a keyboard, and accepting a user operation, A user interface unit (UI unit) 15 including an instruction specifying unit that specifies an instruction related to image processing based on an operation received by the receiving unit is provided. The UI unit 15 reads out and expands predetermined UI information from a UI information storage unit (not shown) in which various user interface information is stored.

The presentation unit included in the UI unit 15 is for a user (including a user, an operator, an operator, or a store clerk of a retail store) who uses the image processing apparatus 10 by using a display function such as a display. Predetermined information is visually presented. The display is realized by a VFD (fluorescent display tube) or a liquid crystal display with various resolutions as required. In addition to visual presentation, for example, presentation by voice using a voice generator such as a speaker, presentation by blinking light using a lamp or the like, presentation by vibration using a vibration generating element such as a vibrator may be used.
The accepting unit is realized by a sensor provided on a display for detecting an operation on virtual switches such as buttons displayed on the display, a hardware switch, and the like, and is operated by a user who uses the image processing apparatus 10. Accept. The receiving unit may receive a voice operation using a microphone or the like that performs voice input.
The instruction specifying unit is realized by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program held in a memory, and specifies an instruction related to image processing from the received operation.

  The UI unit 15 having such a function is provided in the image processing apparatus 10 itself, and for example, an information processing device such as a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), an electronic notebook, or a personal computer is connected by wire or wirelessly. You may comprise as follows. In some cases, information input from the user such as disaster information is accepted using various input functions.

  Furthermore, the image processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes an apparatus control unit 16 that controls the entire image processing apparatus 10. As various functions involved in image processing, for example, an image acquisition unit 17 that acquires image data to be processed, an image processing unit 18 that processes the acquired image data, and image formation that outputs the processed image data Part 19. Here, the image acquisition unit 17 may include a scanner that optically reads an image drawn on a medium such as paper, or acquires an image from a scanner provided as an external device via the external IF 11. You may comprise as follows. Further, image data may be received from an external device (such as a personal computer) connected via a telephone line or a LAN. In addition, the image forming unit 19 employs an image forming method in which a toner image is formed on a medium such as paper by an electrophotographic method or an ink jet method in which an image is formed by ejecting ink onto a medium such as paper. You may comprise so that a formation apparatus may be included. Note that the image forming unit 19 may not be executed until an image is actually formed on a medium, but may be configured to output image data to an image forming apparatus connected via the external IF 11. .

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining in detail the various functions of the disaster recognition unit 12, the diagnosis execution unit 13, and the mode switching unit 14 shown in FIG. In some cases, these function blocks may be implemented as an information processing apparatus.
The disaster recognition unit 12 includes a disaster information acquisition unit 21 that acquires disaster information and a disaster determination unit 22 that outputs a disaster impact level.
For example, the disaster information acquisition unit 21 acquires information about a disaster using information distributed from a central management server via a network. Also, for example, emergency alert broadcasts distributed through public broadcasts in the event of a disaster, information from a disaster button operated by a user in the event of a disaster, an earthquake sensor that detects earthquake shaking, a sensor that detects inundation, etc. In some cases, information related to disasters is acquired from information obtained from directly connected sensors. The types of disasters here include earthquakes, storms and floods, fires, volcanoes, and power outage information.

  The disaster determination unit 22 performs determination for shifting to the next diagnosis operation and disaster occurrence mode from the information from the disaster information acquisition unit 21. As this determination, it is determined whether or not the degree of influence exceeds a preset threshold value by using the record of disaster information such as the type of disaster and the occurrence time and the degree of influence of the disaster on the image processing apparatus 10. . The threshold is set in advance for each image processing apparatus 10 and stored in a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory). For example, switching the mode when the influence is too low is not preferable as an excessive reaction. This threshold value is preferably determined in consideration of the urgency at the time of disaster occurrence and the maintenance continuity of the function. Based on the result of this determination, the diagnosis execution unit 13 and the mode switching unit 14 execute the next diagnosis operation and the transition process to the disaster occurrence mode.

The impact of the disaster here is
(I) When the influence level is input from the central management server or user,
(Ii) When calculated from sensor input values such as earthquake and flooding,
(Iii) When the image processing apparatus 10 itself calculates,
There is. In particular, in the case of (iii) above, the degree of influence is calculated from the scale of the disaster and the approximate (approximate) distance from the disaster occurrence site from wide-area information such as warning broadcasts. In other words, even if the scale of the disaster is small, the degree of influence on the image processing apparatus 10 is large if the distance from the occurrence site is short, and the degree of influence is small if the distance is long even if the distance is large. Therefore, as shown in the following formula, the distance factor is added to the degree of influence of the disaster.

Impact of disaster = disaster type coefficient x disaster scale x 1 / distance (or1 / square of distance) ... (1) equation

For example, the disaster type coefficient is 1 to 5, the disaster scale is 1 to 7, the distance is 1 to 5, and the like are set based on information stored in a predetermined memory as shown in FIG.
Moreover, in the disaster determination part 22, when there is disaster information from a plurality of inputs, priority is given to a disaster having a large influence degree.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the disaster-specific information table used by the disaster determination unit 22 to calculate the disaster impact level.
This disaster-specific information table is information stored in a memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) described later of the image processing apparatus 10 and is read by a CPU that executes a processing program. For example, it is temporarily stored in RAM (Random Access Memory) which is a working memory. As shown in FIG. 3, this disaster-specific information table stores information used for determining the disaster type coefficient, the disaster scale, and the distance value for each disaster type. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the disaster types include earthquake disaster, storm and flood disaster, volcanic disaster, nuclear disaster, snow disaster disaster, accident disaster, and other disasters. In FIG. 3, an earthquake disaster is selected.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the disaster type coefficient is set to “5” as the evaluation item of the earthquake disaster. The disaster scale is set to “1” “3” “7” depending on the magnitude of the epicenter or the seismic intensity of the device itself. Furthermore, the distance is set to “5” “3” “1” for the distance from the own device to the epicenter. The disaster determination unit 22 acquires each value from the table information as shown in FIG. 3 based on the disaster information acquired by the disaster information acquisition unit 21, and substitutes a numerical value in the above-described equation (1). To calculate the degree of disaster impact.

As described above, the disaster recognition unit 12 executes a process for recognizing a disaster from the acquired disaster information. However, the disaster recognition performed by the disaster recognition unit 12 includes other modes. For example, when the power of the image processing apparatus 10 is turned on, it is determined whether or not the final power-off operation has been normally performed. When it is determined that the image processing apparatus 10 has not ended normally, a UI screen for inputting a power-off cause is displayed via the UI unit 15. To display. Then, the user information on the UI screen is recognized by the disaster information acquisition unit 21 via the UI unit 15, and in the case of a disaster, the user is prompted to input disaster information. Here, the power-off operation that is not normally terminated includes (i) power failure, (ii) power-off by receiving disaster information, and (iii) power-off by disaster detection (for example, shaking detection).
Note that there is also a method in which a UI screen for confirming whether or not to return from the occurrence of a disaster when the power is turned on is displayed on the UI unit 15 and disaster information is acquired by input from the user.

  Next, the diagnosis execution unit 13 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the diagnosis execution unit 13 includes a diagnosis sequence determination unit 31 that determines a diagnosis to be performed using information on the degree of disaster impact from the disaster recognition unit 12, and a self that performs diagnosis of the main body of the image processing apparatus 10. And a diagnosis unit 32. Further, a network diagnosis unit 33 that diagnoses an external communication network such as an Internet line or a telephone line, and a diagnosis result recording unit 34 that records the diagnosis results of the network and the image processing apparatus 10 in a memory are provided. The diagnosis result recording unit 34 may be provided in the mode switching unit 14.

The diagnosis execution unit 13 usually diagnoses the main body when the image processing apparatus 10 is powered on. In the present embodiment, in addition to this, the diagnosis content is changed based on the information on the disaster impact determined by the disaster recognition unit 12.
That is, the diagnosis sequence determination unit 31 is provided with a plurality of diagnosis sequences (predetermined order of operations for diagnosis) according to the type of disaster, the distance from the disaster occurrence location, and the degree of influence of the disaster. Determine the sequence. For example, in the case of water damage, it is diagnosed whether or not paper feeding is possible for all the paper trays. In addition, for example, when a large-scale power outage has occurred, the stability of the power supply is confirmed and the network is diagnosed in time to determine whether communication with an external server is possible. In this way, in order to better realize, for example, appropriate diagnosis and / or faster diagnosis, self-diagnosis and network environment diagnosis are performed in accordance with the acquired information on the disaster. In other words, for example, diagnosis execution corresponding to information related to disasters is realized, such as diagnosis location pickup, prioritization of diagnosis locations, and diagnosis of specific locations not performed in diagnosis in the normal mode.

  The self-diagnosis unit 32 performs a diagnosis for each subsystem of the image processing apparatus 10 such as the image acquisition unit 17, the image processing unit 18, and the image forming unit 19. For example, the image acquisition unit 17 has subsystems such as an illumination system, an imaging optical system, a photoelectric conversion element, and an automatic document feeder, and these are diagnosed. Further, the image processing unit 18 has a subsystem such as an HDD, and a diagnosis for these is performed. Further, for the image forming unit 19, a charging unit, an exposure unit, a developing unit (C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), K (black) in the case of an apparatus for forming a color image)) Diagnosis is performed on subsystems such as a transfer unit, a fixing unit, and a paper feed unit (paper tray).

  Next, the network diagnosis unit 33 diagnoses communication with an external network. Specifically, whether the communication line connected to the image processing apparatus 10 such as the Internet line (LAN) or the telephone line can be communicated with the central management server or can be communicated with surrounding image processing apparatuses. Check whether it is a test. The diagnosis result recording unit 34 records the diagnosis results from the self-diagnosis unit 32 and the network diagnosis unit 33 in a predetermined memory and outputs the results to the mode switching unit 14.

  Next, the mode switching unit 14 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the mode switching unit 14 includes a mode determination unit 41 that determines a mode candidate to be used from the output results from the diagnosis execution unit 13 and the disaster recognition unit 12, and a normal determination that returns to the normal mode. A mode return determination unit 42. The operation modes determined by the mode determination unit 41 include (i) safety mode and (ii) function-limited mode as disaster occurrence modes. Moreover, (iii) normal operation mode is provided as an operation mode at the normal time when no disaster has occurred.

  The safety mode, which is one of the disaster occurrence modes, is an operation mode for continuing the service of the image processing apparatus 10 longer than the normal operation mode. Specific operations include stopping power supply to HDD for information protection and prohibiting access, controlling toner consumption, suppressing color image formation for energy saving, lowering fixing temperature, lowering charging voltage, liquid crystal For example, lowering the backlight brightness. Further, the counter that records the number of processed documents after the transition to the safety mode is recorded by a counter different from the normal mode.

  The function-limited mode, which is another disaster occurrence mode, is an operation mode when it is diagnosed that some subsystems have failed, and without stopping all operations due to some errors. In this mode, the operation is performed in an unaffected part. For example, even when a failure occurs in the image reading unit and the image cannot be read, the operation is performed by limiting the operation only to the printer output. Conversely, when there is a failure in the paper transport system but the image reading unit and the communication unit are normal, facsimile transmission or data communication using the image reading unit may be performed. Furthermore, when communication with an external network is impossible, it may function as a stand-alone device.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the image processing apparatus 10 as described above is installed in a store such as a company or a so-called convenience store, and the vicinity of employees or stores of the company using the image processing apparatus 10 is assumed. To collect safety information about residents of the city. As the method, a medium (for example, paper) on which a specific form (form) for entering safety information or the like is formed is output, and desired information is collected by reading the information entered on the form. The collected information is transmitted to the central management server. Hereinafter, a configuration for realizing this will be described.

When the disaster information is acquired by the disaster recognition unit 12, the image processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment activates a function for collecting information according to a place (company or store) where the apparatus is installed.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining in detail the functions of the device control unit 16 when a disaster occurs in the present embodiment.
The apparatus control unit 16 shown in FIG. 4 includes a registration form generation unit 51 that generates an information registration form, an entry information extraction unit 52 that extracts information entered in the form, and the extracted information to the central management server. And an information transmission unit 53 for transmission. In addition, a registration information extraction unit 54 that extracts specific information from the image read by the image reading unit 71 is provided.

  Furthermore, the apparatus control unit 16 includes a template database (template DB) 61 and an embedded information database (embedded information DB) 62 used for form generation, and a form database (form DB) 63 for registering the generated forms. And an entry information database (entry information DB) 64 for registering information extracted by the entry information extraction unit 52. The UI unit 15 includes a UI operation holding unit 65 that holds the contents of the user operation accepted by the UI unit 15 and a disaster information holding unit 66 that holds the disaster information acquired by the disaster recognition unit 12. In addition, a fixed medium layout database (standard medium layout DB) 67 that holds layout information of a medium (hereinafter referred to as a fixed medium) in which specific information is recorded in a specific layout is provided.

  The template DB 61 is realized by a non-volatile storage unit such as a ROM or a magnetic disk device, and holds a template as type information for specifying a form format (layout or the like). A plurality of templates are prepared according to the disaster type, disaster scale, information to be collected, etc., and an appropriate template is read based on the disaster type and scale information recognized by the disaster recognition unit 12. ,used.

The embedded information DB 62 is realized by non-volatile storage means such as a ROM or a magnetic disk device, and holds information added to a template for generating a form. Specifically, information about an individual whose safety is to be confirmed (for example, name, etc.), installation location of the image processing apparatus 10, choices by item, neighboring shelters, dangerous areas, maps (images) of these locations, etc. This is registration item information.
The form DB 63 is realized by a non-volatile storage unit such as a ROM or a magnetic disk device, and holds the form generated by the registered form generation unit 51. This form is used for detecting the entry portion when the entry information extraction unit 52 extracts the information entered in the form.

  The entry information DB 64 is realized by a nonvolatile storage means such as a ROM or a magnetic disk device, and holds information extracted by the entry information extraction unit 52. This information may be updated in response to changes in the disaster situation over time.

  The UI operation holding unit 65 and the disaster information holding unit 66 are realized by a readable / writable storage unit such as a RAM. Information held in these storage means is used for selecting a template when generating a form.

  The fixed medium layout DB 67 is realized by nonvolatile storage means such as a ROM or a magnetic disk device, and holds layout information of the fixed medium. Typical media includes a driver's license, health insurance card, passport, resident card, utility bill receipts and invoices. In these standard media, since specific information (personal information, etc.) such as an individual's name and address is described in a predetermined layout, desired information can be obtained by designating the type of medium and a certain range. Therefore, the fixed medium layout DB 67 associates information of the type of information (name, address, etc.) and the location (position on the medium) where the information is described as layout information for each type of the fixed medium. Hold.

  The registration form generation unit 51 is realized by a program-controlled CPU, generates a registration form such as safety information, and causes the image forming unit 19 to output the registration form. Details of the process for generating the form will be described later.

  The entry information extraction unit 52 is realized by a program-controlled CPU, and extracts information entered from an image of a completed form input via the external IF 11 and the image acquisition unit 17. Details of the information extraction process will be described later.

  The information transmission unit 53 is realized by a program-controlled CPU, and accesses the central management server via the external IF 11. Then, the information extracted by the entry information extraction unit 52 is transmitted to the central management server.

  The registration information extraction unit 54 is realized by a program-controlled CPU, and extracts specific information such as personal information from the image of the fixed medium or the non-standard medium read by the image reading unit 71. Here, as described above, the fixed medium is a medium in which specific information is described in a predetermined layout. The non-standard medium is a medium in which specific information similar to that of the standard medium is described but not described in a fixed layout. For example, various insurance policies, postal items, name lists, telephone books, address books and the like can be mentioned. Although details will be described later, desired information is extracted from the fixed medium based on the layout information held in the fixed medium layout DB 67. With respect to the non-standard medium, a range designation operation by the user is accepted, and desired information is extracted by cutting out the designated range.

  In FIG. 4, an image reading unit 71 is a unit that reads an image of a fixed medium or an atypical medium, and is realized by the image acquisition unit 17 shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the scanner is provided.

  The operation accepting unit 72 is a means for accepting various operations such as a range designating operation for cutting out an arbitrary range from the image of the atypical medium read by the image reading unit 71 from the user. The UI unit shown in FIG. 15 is realized. Specifically, the image of the atypical medium read by the image reading unit 71 is presented to the presentation unit of the UI unit 15 and waits for an operation by the user. When the user designates a desired range of the image presented by an input unit such as a touch panel, the accepting unit of the UI unit 15 accepts this operation, and a specific range of the image on the atypical medium is designated.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the overall operation flow when the occurrence of a disaster is detected and information is collected.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the occurrence of a disaster is detected by notification from the sensor of the own device or the central management server (step 501), and disaster information is acquired by the disaster recognition unit 12 (step 502), image processing is performed. The device 10 shifts to the disaster occurrence mode. And the display of the presentation part of UI part 15 is changed, and the output preparation of the information registration form is completed (step 503).

  When an information registration form output instruction is input, the registration form generation unit 51 of the apparatus control unit 16 performs an information registration form generation process (step 504), and an image is generated based on the output information registration form. The forming unit 19 forms an image on a medium such as a sheet and outputs it as a registered sheet (step 505). Details of the process for generating the information registration form will be described later. The user enters information on the registration form and inputs an image of the registration form using a scanner or the like (step 506). The input image is sent to the entry information extraction unit 52 via the image acquisition unit 17.

The entry information extraction unit 52 of the image processing apparatus 10 extracts information entered by the user from the input registration sheet image (step 507), and performs recognition processing of the extracted information (step 508). Details of this information extraction processing will be described later.
Thereafter, the information transmission unit 53 transmits the information (registration information) extracted and recognized by the entry information extraction unit 52 to the central management server via the external IF 11 (step 509). In the central management server, for example, registration information sent from the image processing apparatuses 10 at various places is collectively registered in a database, and used for confirmation and analysis of overall damage information of a disaster.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of the information registration form generation processing shown in step 504 of FIG.
In this process, the registration form generation unit 51 first selects a template for determining the form type based on the designation by the user, information on the type and scale of the disaster (step 601), and embeds necessary information in this template. A form is generated (step 602). Details of these processes will be described later.
Thereafter, the registration form generation unit 51 embeds an ID in the generated form (step 603) and registers it in the form DB 63 (step 604).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of the template selection processing shown in step 601 of FIG.
The registration form generation unit 51 first determines the type of form designated by the user based on the operation information stored in the UI operation holding unit 65 (step 701). Further, the type and scale of the disaster are determined based on the disaster information stored in the disaster information holding unit 66 (steps 702 and 703). Then, an appropriate template is selected from the templates stored in the template DB 61 according to these determination results, read out, and the process is terminated (step 704).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of the information embedding process in the template shown in step 602 of FIG.
The registration form generation unit 51 first reads a template in step 601 (details are shown in FIG. 7), and then determines whether a special instruction has been received from a higher level organization such as an administrative organization or a company (step 801). This instruction is assumed to be received via the external IF 11 and held in a memory such as a RAM. If there is an instruction from a higher organization, the necessary embedded information item condition is acquired based on the instruction (step 802). Other than that, the items set in the selected template are the items of the embedded information.

  If the item of the embedded information is determined (step 803), the registration form generation unit 51 then inquires of the user whether or not to read the image of the fixed medium or the non-standard medium via the operation receiving unit 72. (Steps 804 and 805). FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a guidance screen for prompting the user to determine whether or not to read an image. This screen is displayed on the presentation unit of the UI unit 15. In FIG. 9, if the user selects the button icon “input from driver's license / health insurance card”, the registration form generation unit 51 determines that reading of an image on a standard medium has been instructed. If the user selects the button icon “input from other printed matter (such as postal matter)”, the registration form generation unit 51 determines that an instruction to read an image on an atypical medium has been given. Also, if the user selects the button icon “fill directly on paper”, the registration form generation unit 51 determines not to read the image. As described above, various media are assumed as the standard media. Instead of the button icon “Input from driver's license / health insurance card”, a button icon such as “Input from standard document” is presented. When this is selected, a screen for selecting the type of the standard medium may be displayed.

  When the registration form generation unit 51 determines not to read an image in response to a user operation (No in Step 804), the registration form generation unit 51 reads information on the item determined in Step 803 from the embedded information DB 62 (Step 812). 6 is embedded in the template read in step 601 (detailed in FIG. 7) (step 813).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that reading of the image on the standard medium is selected (Yes in Step 804, Yes in Step 805), the registration form generation unit 51 then receives an image generated by the user's operation via the operation reception unit 72. Is read (step 806). FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a guidance screen in an operation for reading an image on a standard medium. This screen is displayed on the presentation unit of the UI unit 15. When the user performs an operation according to an instruction on the screen, the image of the standard medium is read by the scanner of the image reading unit 71 and sent to the registration information extracting unit 54.

  When the registration information extraction unit 54 receives an image from the image reading unit 71, the registration information extraction unit 54 reads out the layout information of the fixed medium from the fixed medium layout DB 67 and collates the received image (step 807). Then, information is extracted by cutting out an image of an area in which information to be read is described based on the layout information (step 808). At this time, an image (information) of the clipped area may be displayed on the presentation unit of the UI unit 15 to receive confirmation from the user. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays an image (information) cut out for confirmation by the user. The extracted information is sent to the registration form generation unit 51.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that reading of an image on an atypical medium has been selected (Yes in Step 804, No in Step 805), the registration form generation unit 51 then receives the user via the operation reception unit 72. The image is read by the operation (step 809). In this case, a guidance screen for the image reading operation on the atypical medium is displayed on the presentation unit of the UI unit 15. The guidance screen for reading an image from an atypical medium is the same as that shown in FIG. 10 except that the message content is changed from “driving license / health insurance card” to “printed matter”. When the user performs an operation according to an instruction on the screen, the image of the non-standard medium is read by the scanner of the image reading unit 71 and sent to the registration information extracting unit 54.

  When the registration information extraction unit 54 receives an image from the image reading unit 71, the registration information extraction unit 54 sends the image to the operation reception unit 72 and causes the presentation unit of the UI unit 15 to display the image. Then, a range designation operation by the user is accepted (step 810), and information is extracted by cutting out the image of the designated area (step 811). In this case, for example, messages such as “Please specify the region where the name is described” and “Please specify the region where the address is described” are sequentially displayed on the presentation unit of the UI unit 15, and each time the region specified by the user is displayed. A region including desired information is obtained by an interactive operation such as cutting out an image as a region where the corresponding information is described. In addition, after cutting out the area, as described in reading the image of the standard medium, a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed so that the user can reconfirm whether there is an error in the designation of the area. good. The extracted information is sent to the registration form generation unit 51.

  Next, the registration form generation unit 51 reads information on the item determined in step 803 from the embedded information DB 62 (step 812), and the information extracted by the registration information extraction unit 54 in step 808 or 811 together with the step of FIG. It is embedded in the template read in 601 (details are shown in FIG. 7) (step 813).

  As described above, the registration form generation unit 51 functions as a form generation unit. The registered information extraction unit 54, the fixed medium layout DB 67, the image reading unit 71, and the operation receiving unit 72 function as an information input unit or an information extraction unit. The image forming unit 19 functions as an output unit. Furthermore, the entry information extraction unit 52 functions as an information recognition unit, the image acquisition unit 17 functions as a reading unit, and the information transmission unit 53 functions as a transmission unit.

12 and 13 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the information registration form generated by the above-described information registration form generation processing (FIGS. 6 to 8).
FIG. 12 shows an example of an information registration form when reading from a fixed medium or an atypical medium. FIG. 13 shows a case where reading from a fixed medium or an atypical medium is not performed (information is printed on paper). This is an example of an information registration form. The information registration form shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is a safety information registration form. In the example shown in the figure, “1. Name”, “2. Address”, “3. Age”, “4. Safety”, “5. Damage to the home”, and “6. "7. Free entry field" is provided.

Comparing FIGS. 12 and 13, the information registration form shown in FIG. 12 already has the name, address, and age information embedded by reading from the fixed medium or the non-standard medium. In the information registration form of FIG. 13, these pieces of information are blank. However, as for the address, if the address of the installation location of the image processing apparatus 10 itself is registered in the embedded information DB 62 or the like, this is limited to some extent. Therefore, in the example of FIG. In FIG. 12, a blank for correction is provided for each item in which information is already embedded.
Further, in the information registration form of FIG. 12, since the address information is already embedded, candidates for the evacuation site and the like are specifically determined based on this information. Therefore, the option of the item “6. Current whereabouts” is more specific than the information registration form of FIG.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to the examples (safety registration form) shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, various information registration forms are generated by appropriately selecting and combining templates and embedded information. Information estimated based on information obtained by reading from a fixed medium or an atypical medium in advance is embedded in each item as appropriate.

  FIG. 14 is an example of a necessary material registration form. In the example shown in the figure, each item of “1. Kind of goods” and “2. Location where goods are needed” and “3. Free entry column” are provided. Here, when the information registration form is generated, gender and age information is acquired by reading from a fixed medium or an atypical medium, and it is estimated that the user of the information registration form is a woman with a child. It is assumed that For this reason, in the information registration form of FIG. 14, options such as “underwear (for women)”, “clothes (for women)”, and “milk diapers” are embedded in the item of item type.

  FIG. 15 is an example of a damage registration form. In the example shown in the figure, items of “1. Entry name”, “2. Address”, “3. Damage type”, “4. Damage location” and “5. Free entry field” are provided. Here, it is assumed that when the information registration form is generated, the name and address information is acquired by reading from the fixed medium or the non-standard medium. Therefore, in the information registration form of FIG. 15, the name and address of the writer are embedded. In addition, a map including the acquired address is presented in “4.

  As described above, in this embodiment, a template and embedded information are combined, and information obtained by reading from a fixed medium or an atypical medium in advance and information estimated based on this information are appropriately embedded. Various information registration forms are generated. In these information registration forms, an identification code (ID) for identifying each information registration form or a registration sheet on which the information registration form is printed is embedded in a specific place (upper right in the illustrated example). Yes. The identification code may be embedded by any method. For example, an arbitrary code image such as a barcode or a QR code may be used.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the entry information extraction processing shown in step 507 of FIG.
In this process, the entry information extraction unit 52 first detects identification information embedded in a specific location from the read image of the registration sheet (step 1601), and identifies the form of the identification sheet (step 1602). Next, the specified form is read from the form DB 63 and compared with the read image, and the entry information written by the user is extracted (step 1603). More specifically, options marked in items such as safety information and the quantity of necessary supplies are extracted. Thereafter, the entry information extraction unit 52 registers and saves the extracted entry information in the entry information DB 64 (step 1604).
As described above, the entry information extraction unit 52 functions as a reception unit or entry information extraction unit.

Finally, a hardware configuration of a part of the image processing apparatus 10 that functions as a computer will be described.
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a part that functions as a computer of the image processing apparatus 10, for example. The computer shown in FIG. 17 includes a CPU 201 which is a calculation means, a mother board (M / B) chipset 202, and a main memory 203 connected to the CPU 201 via a system bus. A display interface 204 and a display 210 are connected to the CPU 201 via the M / B chipset 202. Further, for example, a hard disk device (HDD) 205, a network interface 206, and a keyboard / pointing device 207 connected to the M / B chipset 202 via an input / output bus are provided. As the display interface 204, for example, a video card using a graphics processor is used.

  Here, the CPU 201 executes various software such as an OS (Operating System) and an application to realize the various functions described above. The main memory 203 functioning as a working memory has a storage area for storing various software, data used for executing the software, and the like. Further, the hard disk device 205 is a memory having a storage area for storing input data for various software, output data from various software, and the like. Instead of the hard disk device 205, a semiconductor memory represented by a flash memory may be used.

  As described above, the various processes shown in the present embodiment are realized by the CPU 201 executing the application program read into the main memory 203 which is a working memory. When the application program is provided to a customer (including a user) for the image processing apparatus 10 that is a computer, the application program is a program that is executed by the computer in addition to a case where the application program is installed in the apparatus. A form provided by a storage medium or the like stored in a computer-readable manner can be considered. Further, these programs may be provided via a network interface 206 via a network by a program transmission apparatus such as a centralized management server.

  In the present embodiment, the apparatus for generating the information registration form and outputting the registration form and the apparatus for reading the completed registration form and extracting the entry information have been described as the same apparatus. You may go in. That is, it is also possible to output a registration form from a predetermined image processing apparatus 10 and extract entry information by another image processing apparatus 10. Further, a device including a registration form generation unit 51 and a registration information extraction unit 54 and a device including an entry information extraction unit 52 and an information transmission unit 53 are individually prepared. May be performed.

  In this embodiment, the registration form based on the information registration form is output, and the image of the completed registration form on which information is entered is read to extract the entry information. A configuration is also possible in which an information registration form is displayed, information is collected by accepting a user operation at the accepting unit as input to the form.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the structural example of the image processing apparatus to which this embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining in detail various functions of a disaster recognition unit, a diagnosis execution unit, and a mode switching unit shown in FIG. 1. It is the figure which showed the example of the information table classified by disaster used in order to calculate a disaster influence degree in a disaster determination part. It is a block diagram for explaining in detail the function of the apparatus control part at the time of disaster occurrence in this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the whole flow of operation | movement at the time of occurrence of a disaster and collecting information. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the production | generation process of an information registration form. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the selection process of a template. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the information embedding process to a template. In this embodiment, it is a figure which shows the example of the guidance screen for prompting a user to judge whether the image reading from a fixed form medium or an atypical medium is performed. It is a figure which shows the example of the guidance screen in the reading operation of the image of a fixed form medium. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen which displays the image (information) cut out for the confirmation by a user. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the information registration form, and is a figure which shows the example of the information registration form at the time of reading from a fixed form medium or an atypical medium. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the information registration form, and is a figure which shows the example of the information registration form when reading from a fixed form medium or an atypical medium is not performed. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the information registration form, and is a figure which shows the example of a required material registration form. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the information registration form, and is a figure which shows the example of a damage registration form. It is a flowchart explaining the detail of extraction processing of entry information. It is the figure which showed the hardware structural example in the part which functions as a computer of an image processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Image processing apparatus, 11 ... External IF (interface), 12 ... Disaster recognition part, 15 ... User interface part (UI part), 16 ... Apparatus control part, 19 ... Image formation part, 51 ... Registration form generation part, 52 ... Entry information extraction unit, 53 ... Information transmission unit, 54 ... Registration information extraction unit, 61 ... Template database (template DB), 62 ... Embedding information database (embedding information DB), 63 ... Form database (form DB), 64 ... Entry information database (entry information DB), 65 ... UI operation holding unit, 66 ... Disaster information holding unit, 67 ... Standard medium layout database (standard medium layout DB), 71 ... Image reading unit, 72 ... Operation receiving unit

Claims (7)

Display means for displaying to the operator;
Receiving means for receiving an operation of the operator with respect to the display of the display means;
Instruction specifying means for specifying an instruction related to image processing based on an operation received by the receiving means;
Reading means for optically reading an image to obtain image data;
Image processing means for processing the image data acquired by the reading means;
Image forming means for forming on the medium a copy image based on the image data acquired by the reading means and processed by the image processing means;
Form generating means for generating the information registration form by embedding information of registration items in a type of information registration form in which items for registering information on disaster are described;
An acquisition means for acquiring disaster information obtained based on the occurrence of a disaster;
Arrangement information holding means for holding arrangement information of the information in a fixed medium in which specific information is recorded in a specific arrangement;
From the image data acquired by the reading unit in response to the output instruction of the information registration form, a range based on the arrangement information held in the arrangement information holding unit is cut out and extracted as information on the registration item, An information extracting means for making at least a part of information of the registration item embedded in the mold by the form generating means ,
The image processing apparatus , wherein the display unit is capable of accepting an instruction to output the information registration form by changing the display according to the acquisition of the disaster information by the acquisition unit. The information input means further includes an operation receiving unit that receives an operation for specifying a certain range in the image read by the image reading unit,
The image processing according to claim 1, wherein the information extraction unit of the information input unit cuts out a range specified by an operation received by the operation receiving unit from the image obtained by the image reading unit. apparatus. It said foam generating means, in response to the input by the information input means information, the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that to change the registration item. Display means for displaying to the operator;
Receiving means for receiving an operation of the operator with respect to the display of the display means;
Instruction specifying means for specifying an instruction related to image processing based on an operation received by the receiving means;
Reading means for optically reading an image to obtain image data;
Image processing means for processing the image data acquired by the reading means;
Image forming means for forming on the medium a copy image based on the image data acquired by the reading means and processed by the image processing means;
Holds the arrangement information of the information on a standard medium in which specific information is recorded in a specific arrangement, extracts a specific range of an image obtained by reading by the reading unit based on the arrangement information, and extracts the information Information extraction means;
Information recognition means for recognizing information entered in the image from the image read by the reading means;
Transmitting means for transmitting information recognized by the information recognition means to a registration server;
An acquisition means for acquiring disaster information obtained based on the occurrence of a disaster,
The display means can accept an output instruction of an information registration form describing an item for registering information on disaster by changing the display according to the acquisition of the disaster information by the acquisition means,
The image forming unit forms a registration image in which information extracted by the information extracting unit is embedded in the information registration form on a medium when the receiving unit receives an instruction to output the information registration form. Output,
The information recognizing unit is configured to read from the completed registration image when the registered registration image in which information on the item is entered in the registration image output from the image forming unit is read by the reading unit. An image processing apparatus for extracting and recognizing information on the item . The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the information extraction unit receives an operation for specifying a certain range in the image by an operator, and cuts out the range specified by the operation from the image. Display means for displaying to the operator;
Receiving means for receiving an operation of the operator with respect to the display of the display means;
Instruction specifying means for specifying an instruction related to image processing based on an operation received by the receiving means;
Reading means for optically reading an image to obtain image data;
Image processing means for processing the image data acquired by the reading means;
Image forming means for forming on the medium a copy image based on the image data acquired by the reading means and processed by the image processing means;
A computer for controlling an image processing apparatus comprising:
An acquisition means for acquiring disaster information obtained based on the occurrence of a disaster;
Based on the arrangement information, a specific range of the image obtained by holding the arrangement information of the information in a fixed medium in which specific information is recorded in a specific arrangement and optically reading the information from a predetermined medium by a reading unit and information extraction means for extracting information cut out Te,
Form generation for generating the information registration form by embedding information of registration items including information extracted by the function of the information extracting means in the type of information registration form in which items for registering information relating to disaster are described Function as a means ,
Realizing a function of changing the display of the display unit according to the acquisition of the disaster information by the acquisition unit and receiving an instruction to output the information registration form generated by the form generation unit by the image forming unit A program characterized by As a function of said information extracting means, receives a manipulation for specifying a predetermined range in the image by the operator, a process of cutting out a range specified by the operation from the image, characterized in that causing the computer to execute claims Item 7. The program according to item 6 .

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