JP4861868B2 - Image processing apparatus, image processing method, image processing program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, an image processing program, and a recording medium, and more particularly to selection of an information addition method when adding information to image information.

  In recent years, there has been a tendency to digitize information, and image forming apparatuses such as printers and facsimiles and image processing apparatuses used for outputting digitized information have become indispensable devices. Such an image processing apparatus is often configured as a multifunction machine that can be used as a printer, a facsimile, a scanner, a copier, and the like by providing an imaging function, an image forming function, a communication function, and the like. In such an image processing apparatus, it is known to additionally embed information in an original image for various purposes such as preventing digital content copying and linking digital data and print data. As a method of embedding information in an image, for example, in addition to a method of embedding information in a document image using a character interval or a visible method of superimposing a dot pattern or the like on the original image, the background of the original image There is an invisible method of embedding information by processing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Thus, in recent years, various methods have been proposed as information embedding methods in images. Under such circumstances, a digital watermark embedding device corresponding to a plurality of types of methods has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Patent Document 2 discloses that image data is converted into a frequency component, and an appropriate digital watermark embedding method is selected based on the data amount of the high-frequency component.

On the other hand, when embedding information in an original image, it has been proposed to select either a copyright protection mode or a falsification detection mode and change the strength of information embedding according to the selected mode (for example, (See Patent Document 3). However, the method described in Patent Document 3 does not correspond to a plurality of digital watermark embedding methods, but determines the information embedding strength in one method, and has a different purpose from the present invention.
JP 2004-48380 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-264683 JP 2005-26745 A

  The method of Patent Document 2 focuses mainly on whether or not a necessary amount of information can be embedded. Therefore, the embedding method cannot be selected according to the information to be embedded or the use of the image. Functions provided by embedding information in an image include a copy restriction function, a trace function for confirming the origin of a document, a function for detecting falsification of an image, and the like. Different. Also, depending on each embedding method, the influence on the original image, the amount of information that can be embedded, the image area required for information embedding, and the like are different. Therefore, when adding information to an image, it is preferable to select an optimum method according to the purpose of adding the information, the use of the target image, or the like. However, it is difficult for a general user to select a method according to the purpose after understanding the characteristics of each information addition method. In particular, when adding information for the purpose of security, if the wrong method is selected, there is a possibility that the security strength will be reduced.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and when adding information to an image, it is possible to easily select an information addition method according to the purpose of use of the additional information and the purpose of the image. An object is to provide an image processing apparatus.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 is an image processing apparatus for adding additional information to image information, and a request for generated image information generated by adding the additional information and Usage mode information acquisition means for acquiring usage mode information relating to usage modes of the generated image information including usage of the generated image information, and information addition for adding the additional information based on the acquired usage mode information An addition method determining means for determining a method, and an information adding means for adding the additional information to the image information by the determined information addition method to generate the generated image information.

  Further, the invention according to claim 2 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 1, in which question information display means for visually displaying question information related to a usage mode of the generated image information, and answer information to the question information Answer information input means for inputting the information, and the usage mode information acquisition means generates the usage mode information based on the input answer information.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the second aspect, the question information display means displays a plurality of pieces of the question information.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the third aspect, the question information display means displays the plurality of question information divided into a plurality of times and responds to the displayed question information. The question information to be displayed next is selected based on the answer information.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the question information display means preferentially displays question information related to security of the generated image information.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the usage mode information acquisition unit is configured to use the usage mode information based on information included in the image information. It is characterized by acquiring.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the usage mode information acquisition unit acquires information of an application that generated the image information as the usage mode information. And

  The invention according to claim 8 is the image information according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the usage mode information acquisition unit acquires character information included in the image information as the usage mode information. And

  The invention according to claim 9 is the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the image information is document information, and the usage mode information acquisition unit is a document of the image information. The usage mode information is acquired based on the type of the item.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the additional method determining means includes additional method determining condition information relating to a condition for determining the additional method. Is generated based on the usage mode information, and the information addition method is determined based on the generated additional method determination condition information.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the tenth aspect, the additional method determining means stores a function type that can be provided by each of the plurality of information addition methods. Having the information, and determining the information addition method based on the addition method determination condition information and the provable function type information.

  The invention according to claim 12 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the addition method determining means determines the function type required for the usage mode, thereby determining the addition type. The method determination feature information is generated.

  The invention according to claim 13 is the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the addition method determining means selects the information addition method based on the use mode information. And an information addition method display means for displaying the selected information addition method.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect, the information addition method display means sets the characteristics of the selected information addition method as information for identifying the information addition method. It is characterized by being displayed in association with each other.

  The invention according to claim 15 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the addition method determining means allows the user to select one of the displayed information addition methods. And

The invention according to claim 16 is an image processing method for adding additional information to image information, a request for generated image information generated by adding the additional information, and use of the generated image information A usage mode information acquisition procedure for acquiring usage mode information relating to a usage mode of the generated image information, and an additional mode determination procedure for determining an information addition mode for adding the additional information based on the acquired usage mode information And an information addition procedure for adding the additional information to the image information by the determined information addition method and generating the generated image information.

  The invention described in claim 17 is an image processing program, and causes an information processing apparatus to execute the image processing method described in claim 16.

  The invention according to claim 18 is a recording medium, wherein the image processing program according to claim 17 is recorded in a format readable by the information processing apparatus.

  According to the present invention, when adding information to an image, it is possible to provide an image processing apparatus capable of easily selecting an information addition method in accordance with the purpose of using the additional information and the purpose of the image. Become.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The present invention, when adding additional information to image information, determines the suitability of a plurality of information embedding methods based on information on the purpose of use of the additional information input by the user, the purpose of the image, and the request for the image. is there.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a controller 100, an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 101, a scanner unit 102, a paper discharge tray 103, a host I / F 104, a display panel. 105, a paper feed table 106, a print engine 107, a paper discharge tray 108, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 110. The controller 100 includes a main control unit 111, an engine control unit 112, an input / output control unit 113, an image processing unit 114, an HDD controller 115, and an information embedding unit 116. In FIG. 1, the electrical connection is indicated by a solid arrow, and the flow of a sheet or a document bundle is indicated by a broken arrow.

  The host I / F 104 is an interface when the image processing apparatus 1 communicates with other devices such as a host device. A print job transmitted from the host apparatus is input to the controller 100 via the host I / F 104, and image forming processing based on the print job is executed under the control of the controller 100. The display panel 105 is an output interface that visually displays the state of the image processing apparatus 1, and is also an input interface when the user directly operates the image processing apparatus 1 as a touch panel.

  The controller 100 is configured by a combination of software and hardware. Specifically, control programs such as ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable ROM), and firmware stored in a nonvolatile recording medium such as HDD 110 and an optical disk, DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), etc. The controller 100 is configured by a software control unit that is loaded into a volatile memory (hereinafter referred to as a memory) and configured according to the control of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and hardware such as an integrated circuit. The controller 100 functions as a control unit that controls the entire image processing apparatus 1.

  The main control unit 111 plays a role of controlling each unit included in the controller 100, and gives a command to each unit of the controller 100. The engine control unit 112 serves as a driving unit that controls or drives the print engine 107, the scanner unit 102, and the like. The input / output control unit 113 inputs a print job input via the host I / F 104 and operation information input by the user from the display panel 105 to the main control unit 111, and displays the display panel according to a command from the main control unit 111. Information is displayed on 105 or information is transmitted to the host device via the host I / F 104. The image processing unit 114 generates drawing information based on information included in the print job, an accumulated document stored in the HDD 110, and the like, under the control of the main control unit 111. This drawing information is information for drawing an image to be formed by the print engine 107 in the image forming operation. The image processing unit 114 processes image data input from the scanner unit 102 and generates image data. The image data is information that is stored in the HDD 110 via the HDD controller 116 as a result of scanning operation (result information) or transmitted to the host device via the host I / F 104.

  The HDD controller 115 controls the storage of information in the HDD 110 and the reading of information from the HDD 110 according to the control of the main control unit 111. The HDD 110 stores image information input as a print job, image information read by the scanner unit 102, and the like as stored documents, as well as network address information of a host device connected via the host I / F 104, An address book such as transmission destination information when the image processing apparatus 1 operates as a facsimile, and setting values that are referred to in various operations of the image processing apparatus 1 are stored. The information embedding unit 116 embeds information in an image output by the print engine 107 or an image read by the scanner engine 102. The information embedding unit 116 can embed (add) information according to a plurality of information embedding methods (information adding methods). The information embedding unit 116 will be described in detail later.

  When the image processing apparatus 1 operates as a printer, first, the input / output control unit 113 receives a print job via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or a LAN (Local Area Network) connected to the host I / F 104. The main control unit 111 receives a print job from the input / output control unit 113 and causes the image processing unit 114 to execute image processing. The image processing unit 114 generates drawing information based on image information included in the print job, an accumulated document stored in the HDD 110, and the like in accordance with an instruction from the main control unit 111. The drawing information generated by the image processing unit 114 is sequentially spooled in the HDD 110. The engine control unit 112 drives the paper feed table 106 under the control of the main control unit 111 and conveys printing paper to the print engine 107. Further, the engine control unit 112 reads the drawing information spooled in the HDD 110 and inputs it to the print engine 107. The print engine 107 executes image formation on the paper conveyed from the paper feed table 106 based on the drawing information received from the engine control unit 112. That is, the print engine 107 operates as an image forming unit. As a specific aspect of the print engine 107, an image forming mechanism using an ink jet method, an image forming mechanism using an electrophotographic method, or the like can be used. A document on which image formation has been performed by the print engine 107 is discharged to a discharge tray 108.

  When the image processing apparatus 1 operates as a scanner, the input / output control unit 113 operates as a main control unit in response to a user operation on the display panel 105 or a scan execution instruction input from an external host device via the host I / F 104. A scan execution signal is transmitted to 111. The main control unit 111 controls the engine control unit 112 based on the scan execution signal received from the input / output control unit 113. The engine control unit 112 drives the ADF 101 and conveys the document to be imaged set on the ADF 101 to the scanner unit 102. In addition, the engine control unit 112 drives the scanner unit 102 and images a document conveyed from the ADF 101. If no original is set on the ADF 101 and the original is directly set on the scanner unit 102, the scanner unit 102 images the set original under the control of the engine control unit 112. That is, the scanner unit 102 operates as an imaging unit.

  In the imaging operation, an imaging element such as a CCD included in the scanner unit 102 optically scans the document, and imaging information is generated based on the optical information. The engine control unit 112 transfers the imaging information generated by the scanner unit 102 to the image processing unit 114. The image processing unit 114 generates image information based on the imaging information received from the engine control unit 112 according to the control of the main control unit 111. Image information generated by the image processing unit 114 is sequentially spooled in the HDD 110. The image information generated by the image processing unit 114 and spooled in the HDD 110 is stored in the HDD 110 or transmitted to an external host device via the input / output control unit 113 and the host I / F 104 according to a user instruction. When the image processing apparatus 1 operates as a copying machine, the image processing unit 114 is based on the image information received by the engine control unit 112 from the scanner unit 102 or the image information generated by the image processing unit 114 and stored in the HDD 110. Generates drawing information. Based on the drawing information, the engine control unit 112 drives the print engine 107 as in the case of the printer operation.

  Next, an information embedding operation according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the information embedding operation according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in the information embedding operation according to the present embodiment, first, information of an embedding destination image that is an information embedding target is input to the information embedding unit 116 (S201). Next, the information embedding unit 116 acquires information embedding conditions (S202). This information embedding condition is information relating to effects obtained by embedding information. The information embedding unit 116 selects (selects) a recommended method from a plurality of information embedding methods based on the input information embedding condition (S203), and notifies the main control unit 111 of the selected method. S202 and S203 will be described in detail later. The main control unit 111 controls the input / output control unit 113 to display the information embedding method notified from the information embedding unit 116 on the display panel 105 (S204).

  The user confirms the information embedding method displayed on the display panel 105, and determines the embedding method by operating the display panel 105 (S205). At this time, when a plurality of embedding methods are displayed on the display panel 105, the user determines an embedding method by selecting one method from the plurality of methods. A command for determining the embedding method input by the user operating the display panel 105 is input to the main control unit 111 via the input / output control unit 113. The information embedding unit 116 recognizes the determination of the embedding method based on the notification from the main control unit 111. When the embedding method is determined, the information embedding unit 116 performs information embedding on the image input in S201 (S206), and ends the process.

  Next, the information embedding condition acquisition operation shown in S202 will be described in more detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When acquiring the information embedding condition, first, a check item related to the usage mode of the image information is displayed on the display panel 105 (S301). FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for specifying how to use image information displayed on the display panel 105. As shown in FIG. 4, the image information usage mode designation screen according to the present embodiment includes a designation item for a request (requirement) for an image (generated image) in which information is embedded, a designation item for a use purpose of the generated image, It is divided into. The request for the generated image also has a meaning as a purpose of using the embedded information. The user checks the corresponding item for each item and presses (touches) the “OK” button at the bottom of the screen. Thereby, usage mode information is input to the input / output control unit 113 via the display panel 105. The information embedding unit 116 acquires usage mode information by transfer from the main control unit 111 (S302). That is, the display panel 105, the input / output control unit 113, the main control unit 111, and the information embedding unit 116 function as usage mode information acquisition means.

  When acquiring the usage mode information, the information embedding unit 116 refers to the check item total table of the function corresponding to each check item, and totals the check results (S303). FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a scoring table (check item totaling table) of functions corresponding to the check items described above. As shown in FIG. 5, the check item totaling table is a matrix of check items shown in FIG. 4 and functions such as functions obtained by embedding information in images (hereinafter referred to as function items). A score is set for each function item required for each check item. For example, when the item “I do not want to be copied” (Q1-1) among the check items shown in FIG. 4 is checked, as shown in FIG. 5, “copy restriction”, “suppression character”, “necessary area” "And" Cut resistance "are assigned points respectively. In other words, in the table of FIG. 5, in order to satisfy the request “I do not want to be copied”, information such as “copy restriction”, “suppression character”, “necessary area”, and “cut-off resistance” is embedded by embedding information in the image. Indicates that a function needs to be added.

  In the check item aggregation table, weighting is assigned to the point allocation to each function item. For example, in the assignment of points to the “inhibited character” item, if the item “I do not want to be copied” is checked, 4 points will be assigned, but “I want to determine whether it is an original document printed” (Q1 -2) If you check the item, 5 points will be assigned. This makes it possible to more suitably determine the function required for each check item.

  Here, the function items shown in FIG. 5 will be described in more detail. “Copy restriction” is a function of embedding information indicating that copying is prohibited for image information. The embedding method is not particularly limited, and can be applied to a plurality of embedding methods. “Trace” embeds user ID, document ID, date and time, output device identification information (manufacturing number, Mac address, IP address, etc.), etc., in the image information. As a result, when information leakage occurs, it is possible to determine the information leakage source. “Inhibiting characters” is a function of adding a predetermined dot pattern to an image so that a predetermined figure or character emerges when copied. Thereby, it is possible to discriminate the original document and prevent forgery. “Falsification detection” is a function of detecting falsification of image information based on the presence or absence of the falsification detection information by adding predetermined falsification detection information to the entire image information. That is, falsification is detected by the fact that there is no falsification detection information where the falsification detection information should be embedded.

  “Appearance” relates to how much the original image information changes visually by embedding information in the image information. In other words, the smaller the visual influence on the original image information, the better the appearance. For example, if items such as “I want to reduce the influence on the original image” or “Distribute outside the company” among the check items shown in FIG. 4 are checked, a score is assigned to this “appearance” function item. . The number of points assigned to the “Look” function item affects the visibility of information embedded in the original image. In this embodiment, there are three methods of “visible”, “hardly visible”, and “invisible”, and these methods are selected according to the number of points assigned to “look”. The method will be described in detail later.

  “Information amount” relates to the information amount of information to be embedded. In the present embodiment, when a request that requires a large capacity when embedding information is checked among the check items shown in FIG. 4, a score is assigned to this “information amount” function item. It should be noted that points may be assigned when it is desired to reduce the amount of embedded information. The “necessary area” relates to a range in which information is embedded in the original image. In the present embodiment, when a request to reduce the information embedding range is checked among the check items shown in FIG. 4, a score is assigned to the function type of this “necessary area”. Note that points may be assigned when a wide information embedding range is required.

  The “embedding time” relates to the time required for the information embedding unit 116 to embed information in S206 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, when a request that needs to quickly process information embedding is checked among the check items shown in FIG. 4, a score is assigned to the function type of “embedding time”. For example, in the case where the function type “distribute in large quantities” shown in FIG. 4 is checked, if different identification numbers are assigned to each part, different image processing is executed for each part. It is necessary to generate drawing information. In such a case, if an information embedding method that requires a long time is selected, it will take a very long time until the print output is finally completed. By selecting a method with a short time required for information embedding, such a problem is solved.

  “Extraction time” refers to the time required to read the embedded information by referring to the generated image. In this embodiment, when a check is made on a request that needs to quickly extract embedded information from a generated image among the check items shown in FIG. 4, a score is assigned to this “extraction time” function item. . “Cutout resistance” means resistance to deletion of embedded information by cutting out a part of the output paper with scissors or the like when a generated image is printed out. The same applies to the case where a part of the generated image is cut out on the electronic data. For example, when embedding information by attaching a barcode or the like to image information, the embedded information becomes invalid if the barcode portion is cut off. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a request that requires resistance to invalidation of embedded information due to partial deletion of an image is checked among the check items shown in FIG. Points are assigned to events.

  “Embedding strength” relates to an extraction (success) rate at the time of reading embedded information by referring to a generated image, the number of interleaving, a parity length (for error correction), and the like. For example, it is conceivable that the original image gradually deteriorates when copying the printed image is repeated, when converting the image information of electronic data, or when writing a filter in the image information. It relates to whether embedded information can be extracted even from such a degraded image. In the present embodiment, among the check items shown in FIG. 4, this “embedding” is performed when a request that the embedding information needs to be valid is checked even when image copying and conversion are repeated. Points are assigned to “strength”.

  The information embedding unit 116 assigns points to each function type as shown in FIG. 5 according to the checked items among the check items shown in FIG. 4, and totals the results. FIG. 6 is a histogram (embedding condition information histogram) showing an example of the check item count result. FIG. 6 shows a case in which “I don't want to be copied” (Q1-1) and “I want to locate the leak source” (Q1-2) are checked in the check items shown in FIG. The histogram in FIG. 6 is a total of the points assigned according to the items checked by the user as described above, and indicates a user request for embedding information in the image information. In other words, the histogram of FIG. 6 indicates a condition that must be satisfied when additional information is embedded (added) in the original image information, and indicates an additional condition that determines the embedding method (addition method). Used as system decision condition information. By such processing, acquisition of the information embedding condition is completed.

  Next, selection of the recommended information embedding method shown in S203 of FIG. 2 will be described. In the selection of the information embedding method, the information embedding unit 116 refers to the method-specific function type table stored in itself. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a function-specific function table according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, in the function-specific function table according to the present embodiment, each information embedding method and function items are arranged in a matrix. Then, the degree of provision of each function item for each information embedding method is shown in three stages: “◯”, “Δ”, and “×”. In other words, the method-specific function item table according to the present embodiment shows effects that can be obtained in each information embedding method. In other words, the method-specific function item table is used as the function item information that can be provided that stores the functions, operations, and effects that can be provided by the respective information embedding methods.

  Here, an example of the information embedding method shown in FIG. 7 will be described. In this embodiment, for example, “copying control technology”, “visible digital watermark”, “non- / hardly visible digital watermark”, “suppress character”, “barcode”, and the like can be cited. “Copy control technology” is a technology that restricts copying of an image output on paper by embedding a predetermined mask pattern in the image. In this embedding method. Since the predetermined mask pattern can be easily embedded, it is advantageous that the mounting is easy. On the other hand, in order to exhibit the copy control function, the copying machine side needs to be compatible with the technology, and the disadvantage is that the function depends on the copying machine and the appearance of the original image is impaired. “Visible digital watermark” is a technique for embedding information by drawing a mask pattern in image information. In this method, since the mask pattern (watermarking process) is visible, there is an advantage that there is an effect of suppressing fraud. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that the appearance of the original image is impaired.

  The “non- / hardly visible digital watermark” is a technique for embedding information in the invisible or difficult-to-recognize state as the name implies. For example, there are a technique for changing the spacing and shape of one character in a document image, and a technique for embedding information by minute changes such as gradation and frequency. In this method, since it is impossible or difficult to visually recognize the embedded information, it is advantageous that the appearance of the original image is not impaired. On the other hand, there is a demerit that the amount of information that can be embedded is small compared to other methods. “Suppressed characters” is a technology that embeds a predetermined dot pattern in an original image, and when copied by a copier, characters, symbols, etc. appear in correspondence with the embedded dot pattern, and a copy document is displayed. . This method is advantageous in that no detection function is required for the above-mentioned “copy control technology”. On the other hand, it is a disadvantage that copying itself is performed and that the appearance of the original image is impaired.

  “Barcode” is a technique for embedding information in a pattern or the like in the margin of the original image. This method includes a one-dimensional graphic pattern and a two-dimensional graphic pattern. This method is advantageous in that the amount of information that can be embedded is larger than other methods. On the other hand, it is a demerit that the embedded information can be easily deleted by cutting out the graphic pattern portion and the cutting resistance is poor. These methods can be applied in combination with a plurality of methods in addition to the case where each method is used alone.

  When selecting the information embedding method in S203 of FIG. 2, the information embedding unit 116 refers to the function-specific function type table and forms a histogram of the degree of provision possible set in each information embedding method. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the method B shown in FIG. 7 as a histogram. The information embedding unit 116 compares the shape of the histogram (providable function item histogram) obtained based on the function-specific function item table as shown in FIG. 8 and the embedding condition information histogram obtained in S202, and determines the shape. Is calculated as an evaluation value. FIG. 9 is a diagram in which an embedding condition information histogram and an available function item histogram are superimposed. In FIG. 9, the function function histogram that can be provided is indicated by diagonal lines. When determining the closeness of the shape between the embedding condition information histogram and the providable function item histogram, for example, the degree of overlap between the two histograms is calculated. The information embedding unit 116 makes such a determination in all information embedding methods stored in the function-specific function item table, and selects (selects) an embedding method whose evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold as a recommended embedding method. An embedding method whose evaluation value is less than the predetermined threshold is excluded from the candidates. This completes selection of the recommended embedding method.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a method selection screen displayed on the display panel 105 in S204 as a result of selection of the recommended embedding method in S203 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the method selected as the recommended embedding method in S203 is displayed in descending order of evaluation value. At this time, the features of the respective embedding methods are associated with each other as a function description and displayed at the same time. Thereby, it is possible to assist the user in determining the final embedding method, and it is possible to make the user's decision making easier. The user selects one embedding method and presses (touches) the embedding button in accordance with the display of the screen shown in FIG. 10, and the embedding method is determined (S205). That is, in this embodiment, the display panel 105, the input / output control unit 113, the main control unit 111, and the information embedding unit 116 also operate as information addition method determination means. When there is only one embedding method displayed on the screen, it is asked whether or not that embedding method is acceptable. In such a case, the user determines the appropriateness of the displayed embedding method and operates the display panel 105. The information embedding unit 116 executes information embedding according to the embedding method determined in S205 (S206). That is, the information embedding unit 116 operates as information adding means.

  As described above, in the information embedding method according to the present embodiment, the image processing apparatus capable of easily selecting an information embedding method without requiring the user to have knowledge of a plurality of information embedding methods. It becomes possible to provide. The image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment generates information embedding condition information such as a purpose of embedding information and a request for information embedding processing based on usage mode information input by the user. Then, based on the generated information embedding condition, a suitable information embedding method is determined. This makes it possible to select an embedding method that satisfies a user's request for information embedding over a plurality of function types.

  In contrast to the above embodiment, a method of directly assigning points to the information embedding method based on usage mode information input by the user is also conceivable. In such a case, there is a merit that the processing can be simplified with respect to the above embodiment. However, when a score is directly assigned to the information embedding method and the method is determined according to the score, a method that obtains a high score with only a specific function may be selected. Accordingly, there is a possibility that the items required when the user embeds information is not satisfied across a plurality of functions. Such a problem can be solved by using the selection method described above. In addition, when the matter requested by the user when embedding information relates to, for example, one function item, the processing can be simplified as described above by using a method in which points are directly assigned to the information embedding method. Therefore, it is preferable to use them appropriately.

  In addition, the question contents of the check items shown in FIG. 4 are set so as to be associated with the information embedding method on a one-to-one basis, so that any one of the check items is selected and the embedding method is determined. good. It is also possible to narrow down the embedding method by checking one item from each of “request for generated image” and “use of generated image” shown in FIG.

  In the above description, an example in which the method in which the evaluation value exceeds the predetermined threshold is displayed in S204 has been described. However, all methods may be displayed in descending order of evaluation value, and the evaluation value is the highest. Only the high method may be displayed. In the above description, as shown in FIG. 10, an example in which information embedding is performed by selecting one method from a plurality of methods has been described, but the method with the highest evaluation value is automatically selected, Embedding may be performed. Similarly, when only one method exceeds a predetermined threshold, information embedding may be automatically executed based on the method.

  In the above description, as shown in FIG. 9, the example in which the degree of overlap between the embedding condition information histogram and the provided function item histogram is calculated to obtain the evaluation value has been described. As a specific aspect of this example, the ratio of the function item histogram that can provide the area of the embedding condition information histogram can be used as the evaluation value. In addition, for example, a threshold value is provided for each function type in the embedding condition information histogram. If the value is higher than this threshold value, “◯” is set. If the value is lower than this threshold value and the value is not 0, “△” is set. If 0, there is a method of creating an embedding condition information table by converting the value into three stages as “x” and comparing it with the function-specific function table shown in FIG. FIG. 11 shows an embedding condition information table corresponding to the embedding condition information histogram shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 11, the case where 3 is set as the threshold is shown.

When “△” is indicated in the embedding condition information table, it is determined that the condition is satisfied when the corresponding function item is “△” or “O” in the method-specific function item table, and “O” is indicated. In this case, it is determined that the condition is satisfied when the corresponding function type is “◯”. It is possible to select a recommended information embedding method by performing such a determination on all the function types of the all embedding method and evaluating the satisfaction of the embedding condition information. Specifically, the determination may be made based on the number of function items that satisfy the condition, or an embedding method that has one function item that does not satisfy the condition may be excluded from the candidates. In addition, the tabulation results for the check items shown in FIG. 4 are represented by a broken line with the horizontal axis as the function item and the vertical axis as the assigned score, and the method-specific functional item table is similarly broken into lines, and both are formulated into patterns. A recommended method may be selected by performing matching. In the above description, as shown in FIG. 7, the function-specific function table is shown in three stages “◯”, “Δ”, and “×”, but it may be indicated by a numerical value as in the case of the embedding condition information. .

  In the above description, as shown in FIG. 2, the process from when the original image is input to the information embedding unit 116 until the information embedding is completed has been described. Here, the manner in which an image is input to the information embedding unit 116 includes, for example, a case where information is embedded in a document stored in the HDD 110, a case where the information is input as a print job from a host device, and a case where the scanner unit 102 reads the image. May be input as an image. When the document stored in the HDD 110 is input, the operation is performed by the user operating the display panel 105 or a command from the host device. When the operation is performed from the host device, the main control unit 111 controls the input / output control unit 113 based on the notification from the information embedding unit 116, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 10 via the host I / F 104. Display information for displaying a simple screen is transmitted to the host device.

  Similarly, when input as a print job from the host device, the main control unit 111 controls the input / output control unit 113 based on the notification from the information embedding unit 116, and FIG. 4 via the host I / F 104. Display information for displaying a screen as shown in FIG. 10 is transmitted to the host device. Further, the host device may have an information embedding process application to execute the same operation as described above. Image information generated as a result of the information embedding is input to the image processing unit 114, and image formation is executed. In addition, instead of embedding information in the original image, the embedded information may be generated separately from the original image and superimposed in the drawing information generation step by the image processing unit 114.

  When an original image is input as an image read by the scanner unit 102, when the user operates the display panel 105 to execute scanning, a screen as shown in FIGS. 4 and 10 is displayed on the display panel 105. Thus, the information embedding method is determined. In addition, image information that has been subjected to image processing by the image processing device 114 is not input to the information embedding unit 116, but embedded information is input to the image processing unit 114, and the image data and the embedding input from the scanner engine 102 are embedded. Image processing may be executed based on the information, and image information (generated image in the above description) in which the information is embedded may be generated by the image processing unit 114.

  In the first embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4, an example in which usage mode information is input by checking a plurality of check items has been described. However, the request for the generated image shown in FIG. 4 or the use application of the generated image may include items that cannot be realized at the same time. If both such conflicting items are checked, a suitable information embedding method may not be selected. In the present embodiment, such a problem is solved by adopting an interactive format from input of usage mode information to acquisition of information embedding conditions. In addition, about the structure which attaches | subjects the code | symbol similar to Example 1, the same or equivalent part as Example 1 is shown, and description is abbreviate | omitted. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing input of usage mode information, information embedding condition acquisition, and information embedding method sorting operation according to the present embodiment. That is, the operation shown in FIG. 12 corresponds to the operations of S202 to S204 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when inputting usage mode information according to the present embodiment, one of the check items shown in FIG. 4 included in the request for the generated image is displayed as a question item on the display panel 105. (S1201). That is, in this embodiment, a plurality of question items are displayed in a plurality of times. The user operates the display panel and inputs “Yes” or “No” to the displayed question to input the answer to the question (S1202). The input answer information is notified from the main control unit 111 to the information embedding unit 116. The information embedding unit 116 refers to the check item tabulation table shown in FIG. 5 and digitizes the answer (S1203) to generate embedding condition information.

  When the embedding condition information is generated, the information embedding unit 116 refers to the function-specific function table shown in FIG. 7 as in the case of the first embodiment, and determines whether or not the embedding method is narrowed down to one. Confirmation is made (S1204). When the embedding method is narrowed down to one (S1204), the narrowed down information embedding method is displayed on the display panel 105 in the same manner as S204 shown in FIG. 2 (S1205), and the process is terminated. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10, it is preferable to simultaneously display features such as the function of the embedding method. On the other hand, when the embedding method is not narrowed down (S1204), the information embedding unit 116 realizes the contradictory question or the already narrowed embedding method capability based on the answer (S1202) to the previous question (S1201). A question asking whether or not a difficult function is necessary is removed from the candidates, and the next question is notified to the main control unit 111 (S1206). Thereafter, the operation from S1201 is repeated a plurality of times until the embedding method is narrowed down.

  As described above, in the usage mode information input method according to the present embodiment, it is possible to avoid questions and answers that require a plurality of functions that are difficult to be compatible, and to appropriately select an information embedding method. Can be done. In the above description, an example in which “Yes” / “No” is input in each check item has been described. In addition, contradictory question items are displayed at a time, and any one of two or plural items is displayed. One may be selected. Furthermore, by setting the display priority for each question item (check item), it is possible to prevent the embedding method from being narrowed down without displaying a question asking whether or not a function necessary for the user is displayed. it can. For example, the question item display priority is set so that questions that require the necessity of security-related functions such as “copy restriction”, “trace”, “suppression character”, and “tamper detection” are displayed preferentially. Various embodiments are possible.

  Further, in the above description, the mode in which the embedding method is narrowed down to one has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of methods may be displayed when the embedding method is narrowed down to some extent. For example, as described above, a question asking whether or not a security-related function is required is displayed, the embedding method selected when the security-related function is narrowed down, and the function introduction as shown in FIG. The user can also select based on this. In addition, the target number of narrowing of the embedding method may be set as an arbitrary number, and displayed when the target number is narrowed below this target number.

  In Example 1, the example which acquires embedding condition information based only on the usage condition information input by the user was demonstrated. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which a more suitable embedding method is selected by referring to input original image information. In addition, about the structure which attaches | subjects the code | symbol similar to Example 1, the same or equivalent part as Example 1 is shown, and description is abbreviate | omitted. The image information includes various information such as information on the application that created the document, text information on the document, and information on the image itself. In this embodiment, these pieces of information are also extracted as usage mode information and added to the generation of embedding condition information. As a result, the burden on the user in the embedding method evaluation can be reduced, and the evaluation accuracy can be further increased. For example, when the information of the application that generated the original image is included, the suitability of each embedding method may differ depending on the characteristics of each application (such as a small margin when printing). The effect is taken into account in the evaluation. Another possible method is to extract a keyword such as “contract” from the text information of the document, infer its purpose, and add it to the evaluation.

  Specifically, when the margin at the time of printing is small, it is conceivable to additionally assign points to the function type of “necessary area” shown in FIG. Further, when the number of pages of an image input as an original image is large, it is conceivable to additionally assign points to the function type of “embedding time”. Furthermore, when keywords such as “contract” and “confidential” are extracted as text information of the original image, security such as “copy restriction”, “trace”, “deterrence character”, and “tamper detection” It is conceivable to assign additional points to related functional items. As described above, in the method for acquiring embedding condition information according to the present embodiment, in addition to the usage mode information input by the user, the information acquired from the original image is taken into account, thereby reducing the burden on the user or A more suitable embedding method can be selected.

  In the above description, an example has been described in which information extracted from image information is used as usage mode information in addition to information input by the user (answer information for a question item). However, the embedding method may be determined based only on the information extracted from the image information described in the present embodiment. Thereby, it becomes possible to further reduce the user's information input work. Further, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate embedding method from being selected due to an information input error by the user.

  In the first embodiment, the method of adding points based on the check item aggregation table shown in FIG. 5 by checking the check items shown in FIG. 4 has been described. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which weighting is applied to security-related function types when the points are added. In addition, about the structure which attaches | subjects the code | symbol similar to Example 1, the same or equivalent part as Example 1 is shown, and description is abbreviate | omitted. A security level may be set as a document management method. Therefore, based on the items checked on the screen shown in FIG. 4, when assigning points with reference to the check item aggregation table shown in FIG. It is possible to select an embedding method. Moreover, it is possible to prevent other functions such as appearance from being sacrificed by applying higher security than necessary.

  When inputting usage mode information according to the present embodiment, first, the security level of the original image is set. This setting may be information input by the user, or may be automatically estimated from the contents of the document. Alternatively, the security level may be estimated from the check items by checking the “use of generated image” shown in FIG. In that case, for example, the level is changed according to the distribution destination information. For example, when the security level is assigned in three stages of “high” / “medium” / “low”, and when the level is “high”, the points are assigned by referring to the check item aggregation table shown in FIG. Functions that are not directly related to security such as appearance and embedding time are excluded or the score is lowered (for example, 50%, 70%, etc. of the score set in the check item totaling table are assigned a lower score) Points are added mainly to functions necessary for security. In the case of “medium”, points are assigned according to the check item tabulation table shown in FIG. If it is “Low”, lower the score of the security-related items (same as above, so that the score is assigned to a lower value such as 50% or 70% of the score set in the check item count table) The score is assigned to other items such as “,“ embedding time ”.

In this manner, the information embedding unit 116 can generate and acquire embedding condition information corresponding to the security level, and can select an information embedding method that is more realistic. As described above, in the present embodiment, by changing the point allocation mode according to the security level, embedding condition information that emphasizes security-related functions is acquired when the security level is high. You can make it.
In addition to the above aspect, for example, after the embedding condition information is acquired, it can be reflected in the stage of comparison between the embedding condition information histogram shown in FIG. 9 and the available function item histogram. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the degree of overlap between both histograms is calculated, if the security level is “high”, the evaluation value is calculated with an emphasis on the overlap of security-related function items. On the other hand, for functional items other than security-related, the evaluation value is calculated by neglecting the degree of overlap. This makes it possible to obtain the same effect as described above. In the above description, an example in which security-related function items are emphasized or neglected based on the security level has been described. However, not only the security level but also a mode in which other function items are emphasized depending on the purpose of use of each original image is conceivable.

  In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which a score is assigned to each function type based on the check item aggregation table illustrated in FIG. 5 when the user checks the check items illustrated in FIG. On the other hand, in the usage mode information input method according to the present embodiment, a specific function item is emphasized by inputting a document type. For example, it is considered that contracts and receipts are always treated in the same manner according to the security policy. Since it is highly possible to use the same embedding method for such a document, it is possible to narrow down the functions. For example, the information embedding unit 116 has a table as shown in FIG. 13, and determines the function type to be emphasized according to the type of the input document. Further, a table as shown in FIG. 13 may be set by the user.

  Thereby, the user only has to input the document type and select further items as necessary. The information embedding unit 116 narrows down the embedding method by referring to the table shown in FIG. 13 based on the type of the input document, and uses information on other items, information obtained from the document, embedding possibility information, and the like. It is possible to select an optimal embedding method. As described above, in the usage mode information input method according to the present embodiment, the user can reduce the burden of the user by narrowing down the information embedding method by inputting the document type, and the device Processing can be simplified.

[Other Examples]
As a result of the comparison between the embedding condition information and the function items that can be provided as shown in FIG. 9, the amount of information that can be embedded is insufficient in the relationship between the original image and the embedding method, and a suitable embedding method may not be found. Even in such a case, it may be necessary to embed information from the viewpoint of ensuring security. Therefore, it is conceivable that the information embedding unit 116 performs some image processing on the original image in accordance with a user instruction to forcibly make an image that can be embedded. By doing so, it is possible to embed information with a higher security level. Note that image processing to be added to the original image may include image size reduction, compression method conversion, compression cancellation, and the like. In addition, when processing is performed on an image in accordance with a user instruction, the image processing unit 114 may execute part or all of the processing.

  In the description of the first to fifth embodiments, the example in which the additional information is added to the original image in the image processing apparatus 1 having the scanner unit 102 and the print engine 107 has been described as shown in FIG. However, when the additional information is added to the original image and stored in the HDD 110, or when it is transmitted to the host device via the host I / F 104, the scanner unit 102 and the print engine 107 are not particularly necessary. possible. Therefore, the image processing method according to the present invention can also be realized by operating a general information processing apparatus as an image processing apparatus, and in particular, an image reading apparatus having the scanner unit 102 and an image formation having the print engine 107. The present invention is not limited to devices and their multifunction devices.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the information addition operation | movement which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the usage condition information acquisition operation | movement which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the screen display of a display panel at the time of the usage condition information acquisition which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the check item total table which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the histogram of the addition system determination condition information which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the table of the function item information which can be provided based on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the histogram of the function item information which can be provided which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a histogram which shows the comparison aspect of the additional method determination condition information which concerns on the Example of this invention, and the function item information which can be provided. It is a figure which shows the addition system selection screen which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the table of the addition method determination condition information which concerns on the other Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the usage condition information acquisition operation | movement which concerns on the other Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the table of the function item for every document type which concerns on the other Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 image processing apparatus 100 controller 101 ADF
102 Scanner unit 103 Output tray 104 Host I / F
105 Display Panel 106 Paper Feed Table 107 Print Engine 108 Paper Discharge Tray 110 HDD
111 Main Control Unit 112 Engine Control Unit 113 Input / Output Control Unit 114 Image Processing Unit 115 HDD Controller 116 Information Embedding Unit

Claims (18)

An image processing apparatus for adding additional information to image information,
Usage mode information acquisition means for acquiring usage mode information regarding a usage mode of the generated image information including a request for generated image information generated by adding the additional information and a usage application of the generated image information ;
An addition method determining means for determining an information addition method for adding the additional information based on the acquired usage mode information;
An image processing apparatus comprising: an information addition unit configured to add the additional information to the image information by the determined information addition method and generate the generated image information. Question information display means for visually displaying question information relating to a usage mode of the generated image information;
Answer information input means for inputting answer information for the question information;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the usage mode information acquisition unit generates the usage mode information based on the input answer information.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the question information display unit displays a plurality of pieces of the question information. The question information display means displays the plurality of question information divided into a plurality of times,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the question information to be displayed next is selected based on the answer information with respect to the displayed question information.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the question information display unit preferentially displays question information related to security of the generated image information.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the usage mode information acquisition unit acquires the usage mode information based on information included in the image information.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the usage mode information acquisition unit acquires information of an application that generated the image information as the usage mode information. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the usage mode information acquisition unit acquires character information included in the image information as the usage mode information . The image information is document information;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the usage mode information acquisition unit acquires the usage mode information based on a document type of the image information. The additional method determining means includes
Generating additional method determination condition information on a condition for determining the additional method based on the usage mode information;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information addition method is determined based on the generated addition method determination condition information. The additional method determining means has a function type information that can be provided in which a function type that can be provided by each of the plurality of information addition methods is stored,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the information addition method is determined based on the addition method determination condition information and the provideable function type information.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the additional method determining unit generates the additional method determining condition information by determining the function type required corresponding to the usage mode. . The addition method determining means, a selection means for selecting the information addition method based on the usage mode information;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an information addition method display unit that displays the selected information addition method.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the information addition method display unit displays characteristics of the selected information addition method in association with information for selecting the information addition method.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the addition method determination unit causes a user to select one of the displayed plurality of information addition methods. An image processing method for adding additional information to image information,
A usage mode information acquisition procedure for acquiring usage mode information relating to a usage mode of the generated image information including a request for generated image information generated by adding the additional information and a usage application of the generated image information ;
An addition method determination procedure for determining an information addition method for adding the additional information based on the acquired usage mode information;
An image processing method comprising: an information addition procedure for adding the additional information to the image information by the determined information addition method and generating the generated image information.   An image processing program causing an information processing apparatus to execute the image processing method according to claim 16.   18. A recording medium in which the image processing program according to claim 17 is recorded in a format readable by an information processing apparatus.

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