JP5054562B2 - Image forming apparatus, image reading apparatus, image forming method, image reading method, image forming program, and image reading program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image reading apparatus, an image forming method, an image reading method, an image forming program, and an image reading program capable of forming or reading an image that artificially represents an intermediate density color. Is.

  In recent years, a monochrome code called a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED) has become popular. As a next-generation code, a color code called a color barcode such as Microsoft's High Capacity Color Barcode is attracting attention. These codes have a geometric pattern that cannot be understood by human eyes. However, as with normal barcodes, if these codes can be read correctly, they can be converted into information using a computing device such as a computer. it can.

  In a normal barcode, information is represented by the thickness or combination of black lines, but in a two-dimensional code or color code, information is represented by a cell color. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a QR code. As shown in FIG. 22, the QR code is composed of black single-colored squares called cells arranged vertically and horizontally according to a predetermined rule. A black cell represents 1 and a white cell represents 0. It represents data. On the other hand, since the color code is composed of cells of a plurality of colors including intermediate densities, multivalued digital data can be expressed, so that the amount of information expressed with the same code area can be increased.

  A code including cells having an intermediate density needs to be expressed as a pseudo binary image by halftone processing or the like when printed by a printer or a copier. Halftone processing is one of the methods for expressing the shade of an image by changing the size of a dot called a halftone dot. In the case of color halftone processing, a halftone dot pattern is created for each color material of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and an intermediate density is expressed by superimposing these patterns. . The pseudo color printed in this way looks uniform to the human eye, but when it is read by a reading device such as a scanner, scattered dots are detected. Therefore, in order to identify the color of a cell having an intermediate density and convert it to information, it is necessary to estimate the density that each color material is to express from the pseudo-expressed color.

  Several methods have been proposed for back-calculating the density of the color that the binary image represents in a pseudo manner from a black and white binary image obtained by halftone processing. For example, in Patent Document 1, a reference range called a window is set in a black and white binary image obtained by halftone processing, and the density of each pixel is determined from the ratio of the white area ratio and the black area ratio included in the window. A multi-value conversion method for reconstructing a multi-value image by estimating the value is disclosed. In Patent Document 2, pattern matching using a dither threshold matrix is performed on a black and white binary image obtained by halftone processing, and the density of each pixel is estimated from the size of a halftone dot. A multi-value conversion method for restoring a multi-value image is disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 3091935 JP 2003-134338 A

  However, each of the methods disclosed in these documents has a problem that the density estimation accuracy is low because the density is calculated based on the total area of the halftone dots in the reference range. The cause is an error at the time of printing that the halftone dot of the size determined by the halftone process cannot be printed accurately, and an error at the time of reading that the size of the printed halftone dot cannot be read accurately. When representing colors in a pseudo manner, the resolution of a printer and a scanner is often about 300 to 600 dpi.

  The error at the time of printing is caused by problems such as dot gain and dot loss in which the halftone dot size to be originally printed cannot be reproduced due to the degree of ink bleeding or spreading. Since the degree of the dot size error is determined by the material of the printing medium, the printing speed, and the change over time of the printing device, it is difficult to correct. On the other hand, the reading error is caused by the fact that both reading elements read an isolated point that exists at the boundary between adjacent reading elements, and that the isolated point is recognized as having a size larger than the actual size. Yes. Therefore, the accuracy of density estimation using these conventional methods is not sufficient. Theoretically, even though a large amount of information can be expressed in many different colors, the types of colors that can be used in cells are actually limited.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to realize formation of a code capable of expressing more information with a smaller code area. It is another object of the present invention to make it possible to accurately recognize a code expressed in a color including an intermediate density.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention provides an intermediate density color, a first line of a first color material, and a second color with respect to a reference code. An angle generated by the intersection of the second line of the color material, a first ratio in which the first line occupies the unit area, and a second ratio in which the second line occupies the unit area. storage means for proportions and, intermediate density definition information put corresponds is stored in, by referring to the intermediate density definition information stored in the storage unit searches the reference code corresponding to the input data, it is searched In addition, in accordance with the color code data generated by the generation unit for generating color code data for forming a color code corresponding to the reference code, within an area corresponding to the unit region of the print medium, The first line and the second A writing unit that simulates the color of the intermediate density by printing at the first rate and the second rate so as to intersect the line at the angle. Features.

In the image reading apparatus of the second invention , the intermediate density color, the first line of the first color material, and the second line of the second color material intersect with the reference code. angle and, said first and percentage of the first parallel line occupies a unit area, the intermediate density definition information second parallel line is attached a second ratio and a corresponds occupying the unit area caused by Storing means storing a cell unit, a reading unit that optically reads a cell image corresponding to the unit region to generate cell image data, and the cell image data created according to the intermediate density definition information, Corresponding to the intermediate density color, referring to the intermediate density definition information stored in the storage means based on the specified intermediate density color, and the reference code corresponding to the intermediate density color JP by comprising an analysis unit for acquiring To.

In the image forming method of the third invention , the medium density color, the first line of the first color material, and the second line of the second color material intersect the reference code. angle and, said first and percentage of the first parallel line occupies a unit area, the intermediate density definition information second parallel line is attached a second ratio and a corresponds occupying the unit area caused by Generating a color code data for forming the color code corresponding to the searched reference code, searching for the reference code corresponding to the input data with reference to the input data, and the generating step according color code data, the in area corresponding to the unit area of the print medium, the pre-Symbol first ten thousand lines and the second parallel line to intersect at the angle, and each of the first rate The intermediate density color is simulated by printing at a second rate. Image forming method characterized by comprising a writing step, a of representation.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reading method in which a cell image corresponding to a unit region is optically read to generate cell image data, and the cell image data has an intermediate density with respect to a reference code. And the angle produced by the intersection of the first line of the first color material and the second line of the second color material, and the first line occupying the unit area 1 of the ratio, and determine whether the second parallel line and a second ratio of occupying the unit area, made in accordance with the intermediate concentration definition information attached corresponds to, correspond to any of the intermediate density color, An analysis step of referring to the intermediate density definition information based on the specified intermediate density color and obtaining a reference code corresponding to the intermediate density color .

According to the first and third inventions, the first line of the first color material and the second color material of the second color material are within the area corresponding to the unit region of the print medium based on the intermediate density definition information. Since the intermediate density color is simulated by printing at a predetermined ratio so that the lines of the line intersect each other at a predetermined angle, each color is read when reading the printed intermediate density color. It is not necessary to estimate the density to be expressed by the material, and it is possible to specify the color of the intermediate density expressed in a pseudo manner by only recognizing the colors of the first and second lines and the angle. There is an effect. Therefore, an error that has occurred when printing and reading a color that is pseudo-expressed by a halftone dot is unlikely to be a problem, and there is an effect that it is possible to realize formation and reading of an intermediate density color with high recognizability. In addition, the improvement in the recognizability also brings about an effect that the combination of the ratio and the angle can be set for a larger number of pseudo colors than in the prior art and more pseudo colors can be expressed.

In addition, according to the second and fourth inventions, each of the predetermined lines is set so that the first line and the second line intersect at a predetermined angle within an area corresponding to a unit region of the print medium. When the intermediate density color is expressed in a pseudo manner by printing at a ratio, when reading the printed intermediate density color, it is not necessary to estimate the density to be expressed by each color material. Based on the density definition information, it is possible to easily specify a color having an intermediate density expressed in a pseudo manner. Therefore, an error that has occurred when printing and reading a color that is pseudo-expressed by a halftone dot is unlikely to be a problem, and there is also an effect that a medium density color can be correctly recognized. In addition, by improving the recognition, the combination of the ratio and the angle is set for more pseudo colors than in the past, and there is an effect that more pseudo colors can be recognized.

  Exemplary embodiments of an image forming apparatus, an image reading apparatus, an image forming method, an image reading method, an image forming program, and an image reading program according to the present invention are explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment. Also, the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between the thickness and spacing of each line, the relationship between the thickness and spacing of each line and each region, the ratio of dimensions between these elements, and the like are different from the actual ones. Furthermore, even if the same part is shown between drawings, the dimension and ratio may be shown differently.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes an operation unit 102, a code generation unit 103, a writing unit 104, a system controller 105, and a RAM 106 connected to an internal bus 101. A ROM 107, a frame memory (hereinafter FM) 108, and a database (hereinafter DB) 109.

  The operation unit 102 has a touch panel screen, receives input of text information composed of characters, numbers, symbols, and the like to be encoded from the user, and displays the text information and other information on the screen. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of contents displayed on the operation unit 102. In the example of FIG. 2, English alphabets A to Z (upper case) and a to z (lower case), numbers 0 to 9, keys for inputting various symbols, and a confirmation button are displayed on the screen. ing. When the user touches the confirmation button after inputting text information including letters, numbers, symbols, etc. using these keys, the operation unit 102 expresses the input content in a predetermined character code such as an ASCII code. The input data is stored in the RAM 106. The operation unit 102 is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, as means for receiving input of text information, a keyboard for inputting characters and the like by pressing may be provided.

  The code generation unit 103 receives the input data generated by the operation unit 102 and refers to the DB 109 to generate bitmap data composed of a maximum of four channels of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black from the input data. This bitmap data represents a code composed of a plurality of cells including pseudo color cells, and corresponds to a color code to be printed.

  The writing unit 104 can be filled with, for example, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) color materials, and print paper or the like according to the bitmap data generated by the code generation unit 103. On this medium, a color code composed of a plurality of cells including pseudo-color cells is printed by attaching color materials in the order of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

  The system controller 105 functions as a processor that controls operations of the operation unit 102, the code generation unit 103, and the writing unit 104, and performs necessary settings for these units, instructions for starting and ending these units, and the like. .

  The RAM 106 is a memory for storing information required when the operation unit 102, the code generation unit 103, and the writing unit 104 perform processing such as input data described later. The ROM 107 is a memory in which a control program and basic data required when the operation unit 102, the code generation unit 103, and the writing unit 104 perform processing are stored. The FM 108 is a dynamic memory for temporarily storing bitmap data (cell bitmap described later) generated by the code generation unit 103.

  The DB 109 is a memory in which definition information referred to by the code generation unit 103 is recorded. The DB 109 may be constructed in a part of the storage area of the ROM 107.

  First, definition information recorded in the DB 109 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the definition information in the DB 109. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the DB 109 includes 16 reference codes 121 represented by hexadecimal numbers 0x0 to 0xF, 16 colors 122 corresponding to the reference codes 121, and color components representing the colors 122 in a pseudo manner. The ratio 123 and the line screen definition 124 created based on the color component ratio 123 are associated with each other. In other words, the DB 109 defines one cell with a color pattern of a line screen so that one cell can be identified as 16-value data.

  The definition information in the DB 109 is not limited to the example in FIG. 3, and is set as appropriate according to the accuracy of image formation and image reading and the amount of information desired to be expressed. For example, by defining colors corresponding to each of 36 reference codes with a color component ratio and a line screen, one cell can be expressed with 36 values. In this example, numbers 0 to 9 and 26 alphabets can be identified by one cell. As described above, if the color resolution of one cell is increased, information that can be expressed by combining a plurality of cells can be increased. However, since the number of intermediate densities of each cell also increases, the accuracy of the line screen due to these intermediate densities is increased. Printing and accurate reading become difficult. The 16-value data shown in FIG. 3 is the optimum definition content in consideration of this point.

  The color component ratio 123 indicates the degree to which each of the color materials cyan, magenta, yellow, and black necessary for expressing the cell color 122 occupies the cell during printing so that one cell is completely filled with the color material. It is expressed as a percentage when the amount required for the maximum value is 100%. In addition, in the example of FIG. 3, cells of 16 colors are expressed using four color materials. However, if the cell color resolution may be low, the cell color (dark / light) ) May be expressed in a pseudo manner. For example, in the reference code 121 in FIG. 3, the three colors 0xB, 0xE, and 0xF are gray scales using only black, and therefore these three colors and colorless (the ground color of the print medium) represented by 0x0 Can be used to represent quaternary data using only black.

  The line screen definition 124 includes the presence / absence of line processing, the color of the line to be used, the line of the color material used as a reference in the case of line processing to use two or more colors, and the lines of other color materials. (Hereinafter referred to as “line angle”). Normally, the line screen is composed of regularly arranged parallel lines called line lines, and is a gradation expression that artificially represents the shade of color with the thickness of this line. Then, as will be described later, it also includes an expression that artificially represents the shade of the color by the difference in the interval between the parallel lines.

  In addition, the line processing defined in the line screen definition 124 field refers to a process of superimposing different lines with different inclinations so as to intersect at a specified line angle. Therefore, in the same column, as described above, the line angle and the line color material that becomes the reference line of the line angle are defined. In FIG. 3, the color lines described above (left side) are defined as reference lines.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an angle generated by the intersection of two lines. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an angle generated by the intersection of three lines. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a plurality of angles are formed between lines having different inclinations. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a rule for uniquely determining the line angle defined in the DB 109. There is. In the case of this embodiment, the writing unit 104 gives priority to the color materials in the reverse order of adding the color materials on the medium such as printing paper, that is, the order of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. A high-priority color material line is used as a reference line, and the clockwise angle from this reference line to another line is determined as a line angle.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a line screen created by line processing, out of 16 cell colors 122 defined by the table of FIG. For example, color 2 is expressed by superimposing a magenta line screen and a cyan line screen, but according to the above priority, the priority of magenta is superior, so the magenta line is used as a reference line. The direction of the cyan line is determined so that the clockwise angle from the reference line is 120 degrees (see cell of color 2 in FIG. 6).

  Color 12 is expressed by superimposing a cyan line screen, a magenta line screen, and a yellow line screen, but yellow has the highest priority, so the yellow line is the reference line. The direction of the magenta line is determined so that the clockwise angle from the reference line is 30 degrees, and the direction of the cyan line is determined so that the clockwise angle from the reference line is 90 degrees. (See cell of color 12 in FIG. 6).

  In this way, if the priority order is reversed to the order in which the color materials are applied on the medium such as printing paper, the reference line screen is always drawn on the uppermost surface. There is an advantage that identification becomes easy.

  Here, in FIG. 3, the contents of “no line processing unnecessary” defined for color 0, color 1, color 7, color 10, and color 11 will be described. First, color 0 indicates colorlessness that does not use any color material, and naturally no line processing is required. That is, color 0 corresponds to the ground color (white in this case) of the print medium, and can be easily detected by a color sensor that constitutes a reading unit described later. Color 1, color 7, and color 10 are colors in which the color component ratio of two color materials of cyan, magenta, and yellow is 100%, and the color component ratio of the remaining color material and black is 0%. Yes, it means that the cells are uniformly filled with 100% of the coloring material. Specifically, color 1, color 7, and color 10 are reproduced as blue, red, and green solid cells, respectively. Since these three colors correspond to the three primary colors of light, they can be reliably identified by the color sensor. Color 11 is a color in which the color component ratio of black is 100% and the color component ratio of other color materials is 0%, which means that the inside of the cell is uniformly painted with black. The black indicated by the color 11 can also be easily detected by the color sensor.

  Further, in the case of using a line screen that artificially expresses shades by the thickness of parallel lines at equal intervals, in FIG. 3, a line having a large color component ratio 123 is thick and a line having a small color component ratio 123 is thin. The line is drawn thin. Therefore, it is preferable that the lines having a large color component ratio 123 are determined so that the line angle is close to a right angle.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state where lines with a large component ratio intersect at a small angle. In this way, the line with a high component ratio is thick, so if it intersects at a small angle, there will be many overlapping parts, making it difficult to read the line. Easy to read even if thick. For example, in FIG. 3, in a color expressed by a plurality of color materials, a line angle between a line of color materials having a color component ratio of 60% or more and a line of color materials having a color component ratio of 20% or more is 90 degrees. (See color 3, color 12, and color 13).

  Further, in the present embodiment, in the case of a cell composed of parallel lines having different monochromatic inclinations such as the color 14 and the color 15 defined in FIG. 3, the smaller angle of the intersection angles is the line angle. It stipulates. Therefore, the black lines of the color 14 and the color 15 are drawn like the cells of the color 14 and the color 15 shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, a multi-line screen that artificially expresses shading by the number of parallel lines at equal intervals instead of the thickness of the parallel lines at equal intervals may be used. In this case, in FIG. 3, when the color component ratio 123 is large, the number of lines in one cell is large, and in the case of a color with a small color component ratio 123, the number of lines in one cell is small. .

  FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the line of cells of color 3 when the color component ratio is expressed by the thickness of the line. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the lines of cells of color 3 when the color component ratio is expressed by the number of lines. According to the definition shown in FIG. 3, color 3 is composed of 60% cyan and 30% magenta, and the clockwise angle of the cyan line from the magenta line is defined as 90 degrees. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 8, the thickness of the cyan line is twice the thickness of the magenta line. Further, since the number of cyan lines and the number of magenta lines are the same, the distance d between cyan lines and the distance d between magenta lines are also the same. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 9, the number of cyan lines is twice the number of magenta lines. In other words, the interval between the cyan lines is ½ of the interval between the magenta lines. Here, the interval between parallel lines refers to the interval between parallel lines of the same color.

  In the above description, the DB 109 associates the cell color 122, the color component ratio 123, and the line screen definition 124 with the reference code 121, but the line code bitmap data with the reference code 121. It may be associated with itself (see FIG. 6). In this case, a line screen generation process is not necessary.

  Next, a mechanism when the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment prints a color code will be described in detail with a specific example. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of text information for which the operation unit 102 receives input. When receiving the input of the character string “COLOR-BARCODE” shown in FIG. 10, the operation unit 102 stores the character string in the RAM 106 as input data expressed in ASCII code. In the example of this character string, a hexadecimal character code string “434F4C4F522D4241424434F4445” is input data.

  Next, the code generation unit 103 refers to the DB 109 and generates a color code from the input data stored in the RAM 106. For this purpose, the code generation unit 103 sequentially extracts a hexadecimal character code string from the top, and reads the color component ratio 123 and the line screen definition 124 corresponding to the extracted code (reference code 121) with reference to the DB 109. . The code generation unit 103 generates a line screen for each extracted code based on the read color component ratio 123 and line screen definition 124 and stores it in the FM 108.

  For example, when the character string “COLOR-BARCODE” shown in FIG. 10 is expressed as a hexadecimal ASCII code string as described above, the leading code is “4”. Therefore, the code generation unit 103 first searches for “0x4” from the column of the reference code 121 of the DB 109 shown in FIG. 3 and expresses color 4 with 30% cyan for 30% and yellow for 30%. The lines are overlapped so that the clockwise angle of the cyan line from the yellow line as the reference line is 60 degrees. The result of superimposing corresponds to bit map data (hereinafter referred to as cell bit map) of the line screen. Each pixel value constituting this cell bitmap indicates a maximum value or a value of 0. The reason will be described below.

  The pixel value can originally take various values to express the intermediate density. However, the above-described line screen expresses the shade of the color by the thickness (or interval) of the line, and therefore, the individual pixel has a different value. On the other hand, no shading information is required. In other words, the line screen is composed of binary information such as whether to use any of the four color materials, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. For example, when the above-described cell bitmap indicating color 4 is divided into four channels of CMYK and expressed, a cyan channel in which a line of the maximum pixel value with a thickness of 30% is drawn, and a thickness of 30%. It is composed of a yellow channel in which a line having the maximum pixel value is drawn, and a magenta channel and a black channel in which no line is drawn.

  The code generation unit 103 sequentially generates cell bit maps for the codes constituting the ASCII code string in the same procedure as described above. All the generated cell bitmaps are finally combined, and the combined result is bitmap data indicating a color code (hereinafter referred to as a color code bitmap). The writing unit 104 prints this color code bitmap on a medium such as printing paper.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a color code corresponding to the above example of input data from the viewpoint of color identification. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the color code shown in FIG. 11 as a combination of line screens that are actually printed, and corresponds to the color code bitmap described above. In FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the first character “C” of the input character string is represented by a combination of two cells, a cell 130 having color 4 and a cell 131 having color 3. Similarly, cells 132 and 133 are “0”, cells 134 and 135 are “L”, cells 136 and 137 are “0”, cells 138 and 139 are “R”, cells 140 and 141 are “−”, cell 142 And 143 are “B”, cells 144 and 145 are “A”, cells 146 and 147 are “R”, cells 148 and 149 are “C”, cells 150 and 151 are “0”, and cells 152 and 153 are “D”. ”, Cells 154 and 155 represent“ E ”.

  In the color code shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, a maximum of 8 cells (cell bitmap) are arranged in one row and line feed is made every 8 cells. However, the arrangement of the cells in the color code is limited to this. Not. For example, if the amount of information is small, it may be a color code in which all cells are stored in one line, or may be a two-dimensional code composed of cells having an array that can be read in a plurality of directions in the same way, such as paper The cell arrangement may be determined as appropriate in accordance with the size and shape of the printed medium.

  6 to 9 and FIG. 12, the number of lines is smaller than the actual number so that the lines can be easily seen, but the number of lines is set in accordance with the printing and reading accuracy of the code. In this embodiment, actually, about 200 lines per inch are drawn. In addition, the shape of the cell is not limited to the square as shown in the figure, but if the area occupied when arranging a plurality of cells is small and printing and reading are easy even when arranged closely, a shape having another polygon or curve It may be.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the image forming method executed by the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the image forming method includes entry processing (step S201) performed by the operation unit 102, design processing (step S202) performed by the code generation unit 103, and printing processing (step S202) performed by the writing unit 104. S203). The processing of each step will be described in detail below.

  First, the entry process will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the entry processing procedure. As shown in FIG. 14, the operation unit 102 waits for a key operation by the user, and sequentially displays alphanumeric characters or symbols corresponding to the operated key on the screen (step S301). This key operation process is repeated until the input of the character string is confirmed, that is, until the confirmation button is touched (step S302: No). When the input of the character string is confirmed (step S302: Yes), the operation unit 102 converts the input character string into a predetermined character code string such as an ASCII code, and stores the character code string in the RAM 106 as input data. (Step S303).

  Next, the design process will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the design process. As shown in FIG. 15, the code generation unit 103 reads the input data stored in step S303 of the entry process from the RAM 106 (step S401), refers to the DB 109, and converts the input data into a color code bitmap. (Step S402), and the color code bitmap is stored in the FM 108 (Step S403).

  Next, the print process will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the printing process. As shown in FIG. 16, the writing unit 104 reads the color code bitmap stored in step S403 of the design process from the FM 108 in the order of cyan channel, magenta channel, yellow channel, and black channel (step S501). In this order, printing is performed on a medium such as printing paper (step S502).

  FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment. The image reading apparatus is an apparatus configured to be able to read a color code formed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, an image reading apparatus 160 according to the present embodiment includes an operation unit 161, a reading unit 162, a color conversion unit 163, and a code analysis unit, which are mutually connected via an internal bus 171. 164, a system controller 165, a RAM 166, a ROM 167, a media interface unit 168, a DB 169, and an FM 170.

The operation unit 161 is operated by a user to receive input of information necessary for using the image reading apparatus 160 and displays the information and other information on the screen. The reading unit 162 includes color sensors respectively corresponding to red, green, and blue, thereby optically reading an image (color code), and a digital image composed of pixel values of three channels of red, green, and blue. Data (hereinafter referred to as RGB digital image data) is generated.
The color conversion unit 163 converts the RGB digital image data into digital image data (hereinafter referred to as CMYK digital image data) composed of four channel pixel values of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The FM 170 is a dynamic memory for temporarily storing CMYK digital image data.

The code analysis unit 164 analyzes the code included in the CMYK digital image data stored in the FM 170 and extracts information.
The DB 169 is information necessary for the code analysis unit 164 to convert the code into digital information. Since the contents of the DB 169 are the same as the contents of the DB 109 of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  The media interface unit 168 writes information on a portable recording medium. The system controller 165 functions as a processor that controls the operation of the operation unit 161, the reading unit 162, the color conversion unit 163, the code analysis unit 164, and the media interface unit 168. Instructions etc. are performed.

The RAM 166 stores information necessary when the operation unit 161, the reading unit 162, the color conversion unit 163, the code analysis unit 164, and the media interface unit 168 perform processing such as a line angle and various calculation results described later. It is a memory to do.
The ROM 167 is a memory in which a control program and basic data required when the operation unit 161, the reading unit 162, the color conversion unit 163, the code analysis unit 164, and the media interface unit 168 perform processing are stored.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the image reading method executed by the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 18, the image reading method is performed by a scanning process (step S601) performed by the reading unit 162 and the color conversion unit 163, an analyzing process (step S602) performed by the code analysis unit 164, and a system controller 165. This is realized by an output process (step S603). The processing of each step will be described in detail below.

  First, the scan process will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the scan process. When the medium on which the color code is printed is installed in the reading unit 162, the reading unit 162 waits for an instruction to start reading from the user via the operation unit 161 (Step S701, Step S702: No). Upon receiving an instruction to start reading (step S702: Yes), the reading unit 162 optically reads the color code, generates RGB digital image data, and transfers the generated RGB digital image data to the color conversion unit 163. (Step S703). The color conversion unit 163 converts the received RGB digital image data into CMYK digital image data (step S704), and stores the CMYK digital image data in the FM 170 (step S705).

  Next, the analysis process will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the analysis process. As shown in FIG. 20, the code analysis unit 164 reads the CMYK digital image data stored in step S704 of the scan process from the FM 170, and extracts the first cell of the color code from the CMYK digital image data (step S801). This cell extraction can be easily performed by a known technique. For example, this can be realized by specifying a color code area by scanning an image including a color code by a raster scan method, and fitting a window of a color code cell in the specified color code area.

  When the code analysis unit 164 extracts a cell, the code analysis unit 164 determines whether or not line processing has been performed on the cell for each color channel (step S802). This determination can be made based on a detection result indicating whether or not there are a plurality of equally-spaced parallel lines in the cell, for example.

  If the code analysis unit 164 determines that no line processing has been performed for any of the four color channels (step S802: No), it calculates the average of the pixel values in the cell for each color (step S802). S803), referring to DB 169, the corresponding cell color (cell color 122 shown in FIG. 3) is specified from the average ratio of each color (step S804). For example, assume that the extracted cells are 255-bit gradation bitmap data, and the average pixel values of the cyan channel, magenta channel, yellow channel, and black channel are 248, 10, 242 and 35, respectively. In this case, since the cyan channel and the yellow channel are configured with pixel values that are very large compared to the pixel values of the magenta channel and the black channel, the code analysis unit 164 causes the cell to be filled with cyan and yellow. It is determined that the cell is formed, and from this result, it is further determined by referring to the DB 169 that the cell represents the reference code “0xA”.

  If the code analysis unit 164 determines in step S802 that the line processing has been performed on the cell (step S802: Yes), the code analysis unit 164 determines whether the line screen is composed of two or more colors. (Step S805). If it is determined that the line screen is not more than two colors (step S805: No), two types of line screens with different orientations are extracted and the angle of their intersection is measured. The line angle is stored in the RAM 166 (step S806).

  If the code analysis unit 164 determines that the line screen is composed of two or more colors in step S805 (step S805: Yes), the code analysis unit 164 extracts the line screen of each color channel (step S807). Next, the code analysis unit 164 recognizes the highest priority color line as the reference line (step S808), and measures the angle of the intersection of the reference line and the other color lines clockwise. Then, the angle is stored in the RAM 166 as a line angle (step S809).

  The code analysis unit 164 reads the line angle stored in the RAM 166 after the process of step S806 or step S809, and the relationship between the read line angle and the color of the line forming the line angle is DB 169. Which line screen definition 124 corresponds to the line screen definition 124, and the reference code 121 corresponding to the determined line screen definition 124 is stored in the RAM as a code represented by the cell (step S810).

  The code analysis unit 164 determines whether or not the identification of the reference code 121 has been completed for all the cells in the color code (step S811), and determines that the reference code 121 has not been completed (step S811: No). ), The next cell is extracted (step S812), and the process returns to step S802. When the code analysis unit 164 determines in step S811 that the identification of the reference code 121 for all the cells in the code has been completed (step S811: Yes), the reference code string corresponding to all the cells from the RAM 106. The read reference code string is converted into text using a predetermined character code, and the text (alphanumeric / symbol) is stored in the RAM 106 (step S813).

  Next, the output process will be described. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the output process. As shown in FIG. 21, the system controller 165 reads from the RAM 166 the text stored in the RAM 106 in step S813 of the analysis process (step S901), and outputs the read text (step S902). The output format in step S902 of the output process is not particularly limited. For example, if the text read in step S901 is a character string as shown in FIG. 10, the character string may be displayed on the operation unit 161 as an output process. Further, for example, when all the cells (color codes) are converted into text (when the analysis process in step S811 in FIG. 20 is completed), the text is binary data indicating a command that can be executed by the system controller 165. In the case of binary data, the binary data may be executed as output processing. Further, when it is desired to take information to be output to the outside of the image reading device 160, the media interface unit 168 may record the text on a portable recording medium as an output process.

  Next, an image forming program and an image reading program executed by the image forming apparatus and the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. These programs are recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) in an installable or executable format file. Provided.

  Further, the program may be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. Further, it may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. Furthermore, it may be configured to be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The image forming program executed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units (the operation unit 102, the code generation unit 103, and the writing unit 104). The CPU (processor) reads out and executes the image forming program from the storage medium, and the units are loaded onto the main storage device, and the units are generated on the main storage device. .

  The image reading program executed by the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a module including the above-described units (operation unit 161, reading unit 162, color conversion unit 163, code analysis unit 164, media interface unit 168). As actual hardware, a CPU (processor) reads out and executes an image reading program from the storage medium, and the units are loaded onto the main storage device. The units are stored in the main storage device. It is supposed to be generated above.

  In addition, each component including each unit mentioned above is a functional concept, and the functional and physical structure and structural relationship are not limited to what is shown in figure. All or a part of each component can be configured to be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in an arbitrary unit according to various loads and usage conditions. The processing procedure described above can be changed as appropriate according to the distribution and integration of each component.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a database in which the reference code is associated with the color component ratio and the line angle of the line screen is prepared, and by referring to the database, the intermediate density color is simulated. A color code composed of expressible cells can be printed on a medium such as printing paper. Therefore, when reading the color code, it is not necessary to estimate the density to be expressed by each color material, and it is simply expressed by simply recognizing the color type and line angle of the line screen. At the same time as recognizing the color of a cell, the cell can be converted into a reference code. Therefore, even in the case of a color code including a cell that expresses the intermediate density in a pseudo manner, an error that has occurred when printing and reading a color that is expressed in a pseudo manner by a halftone dot is unlikely to be a problem. High code formation and reading can be realized. In addition, the combination of the color component ratio and the line angle can be set for more pseudo colors than the conventional one and the correspondence to more reference codes by improving the recognition. This means that the amount of information that can be reliably represented with the same code area is significantly increased.

  It can be used for forming and reading a color code or a code including an intermediate density that can be converted into information by optical reading.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic concept of a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of content displayed on an operation unit 102. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the definition information of DB109. It is a figure which shows the angle produced by the crossing of two lines. It is a figure which shows the angle which arises by the intersection of three lines. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a line screen created by line processing among the colors 122 of 16 colors defined by the table of FIG. 3. It is a figure which shows the state where the line with a large component ratio crossed at a small angle. It is a figure which shows typically the line of the cell of the color 3 at the time of expressing a color component ratio with the thickness of a line. It is a figure which shows typically the line of the cell of the color 3 at the time of expressing a color component ratio with the number of lines. It is a figure which shows an example of the text information which the operation unit receives the input. It is the figure which showed the color code corresponding to the said example of input data from the viewpoint of the identification of a color. It is the figure which showed the color code shown in FIG. 11 as the coupling | bonding of the line screen actually printed. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of an image forming method executed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of an entry process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a design process. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of print processing. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic concept of a schematic configuration of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of an image reading method executed by the image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a scanning process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of an analysis process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of an output process. It is a figure which shows an example of QR code (a registered trademark of Denso Wave Inc.).

Explanation of symbols

100 Image forming apparatus 101, 171 Internal bus 102, 161 Operation unit 103 Code generation unit 104 Writing unit 105, 165 System controller 106, 166 RAM
107,167 ROM
108,170 FM
109,169 DB
121 Reference Code 122 Cell Color 123 Color Component Ratio 1,240,000 Line Screen Definition 130-155 Cell 160 Image Reading Device 162 Reading Unit 163 Color Conversion Unit 168 Media Interface Unit

Claims (44)

With respect to the reference code, the intermediate density color, the angle generated by the intersection of the first line of the first color material and the second line of the second color material, and the first number a first ratio of occupying a line unit area, and a second ratio of said second parallel line occupy the unit area, storage means for intermediate density definition information attached corresponds is stored,
The reference code corresponding to the input data is searched with reference to the intermediate density definition information stored in the storage means, and color code data for forming a color code corresponding to the searched reference code is generated. A generating unit;
According to the color code data generated by the generation unit, the first line and the second line are crossed at the angle within an area corresponding to the unit region of the print medium, respectively. A writing unit that artificially represents the intermediate density color by printing at the first ratio and the second ratio;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first color material and the second color material are the same color and are any one of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first color material and the second color material are any two of cyan, magenta, and yellow. The writing unit prints the second line after printing the first line within the area of the print medium;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the angle is an angle from the second line to the first line. The first ratio and the second ratio are proportional to the thickness of each line of the first line and the thickness of each line of the second line,
5. The angle according to claim 1, wherein the angle is set to be close to a right angle as each line of the first line and each line of the second line become thicker. The image forming apparatus described in 1. Before Symbol generation unit according to the contents of the intermediate density definition information corresponding to the reference code specified on the basis of the input data, the cell image data is an image to be printed in the area of the print medium by the writing unit Generate
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the writing unit prints a cell image indicated by the cell image data within the area of the print medium. The storage means includes a color other than an intermediate density, a third ratio in which the first color material occupies the unit area, and a second ratio in which the second color material occupies the unit area with respect to a reference code . non intermediate density definition information attached 4 ratio and a corresponds is further stored,
The generating unit searches the reference code corresponding to input data with reference to the non-intermediate density definition information stored in the storage means, and generates the color code data corresponding to the searched reference code. ,
In accordance with the color code data generated by the generation unit, the writing unit distributes the first color material and the second color material within the area of the print medium, respectively, and the third ratio. Expressing colors other than the intermediate density by printing at the fourth ratio,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the third ratio and the fourth ratio is a maximum ratio or 0 that can be taken in the unit area. Before Symbol generation unit according to the contents of the non-intermediate density definition information corresponding to the reference code specified on the basis of the input data, the cell images by the writing unit is an image to be printed in the area of the print medium Generate data,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the writing unit prints a cell image indicated by the cell image data within the area of the print medium. An operation unit that accepts input of text information is further provided,
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the generation unit assigns the reference code to the input text information and generates at least one cell image data representing the text information.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the text information includes an ASCII code. The text information is composed of a plurality of characters arbitrarily selected from letters, numbers, and symbols,
The generation unit generates a plurality of the cell image data for the plurality of characters,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the writing unit prints a code including a plurality of cell images indicated by the plurality of cell image data arranged in a predetermined direction.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the writing unit prints the plurality of cell images side by side not only in the predetermined direction but also in a direction different from the predetermined direction. With respect to the reference code, the intermediate density color, the angle generated by the intersection of the first line of the first color material and the second line of the second color material, and the first number a first ratio of occupying a line unit area, and a second ratio of said second parallel line occupy the unit area, storage means for intermediate density definition information attached corresponds is stored,
A reading unit that optically reads a cell image corresponding to the unit region and generates cell image data;
The intermediate density stored in the storage means is specified based on the specified intermediate density color, which cell color data is created according to the intermediate density definition information and corresponds to which intermediate density color. An analysis unit that refers to the definition information and obtains the reference code corresponding to the intermediate density color ;
An image reading apparatus comprising:   The image reading apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first color material and the second color material are the same color and are any one of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.   The image reading apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first color material and the second color material are any two colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow.   The analysis unit extracts the first line and the second line from the cell image data, and measures the angle of the intersection of the first line and the second line. Referring to the intermediate density definition information, based on the extracted color of the first line, the extracted color of the second line, and the measured angle, the cell image data includes the intermediate color The image reading apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image reading apparatus identifies an intermediate density color created according to the density definition information.   The analysis unit measures an angle from one of the extracted first and second lines to the other line defined as a reference line based on the color of the line. The image reading apparatus according to claim 16. The storage means includes a color other than an intermediate density, a third ratio in which the first color material occupies the unit area, and a second ratio in which the second color material occupies the unit area with respect to a reference code . non intermediate density definition information attached 4 ratio and a corresponds is further stored,
The analysis unit calculates an average of pixel values for the colors of the color materials of the cell image data, and refers to the non-intermediate density definition information to determine an average ratio of the colors other than the intermediate density represented by the cell image data. Identifying the color of the image , referring to the non-intermediate density definition information stored in the storage unit based on the specified color other than the intermediate density, and obtaining a reference code corresponding to the color other than the intermediate density The image reading apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that: The analysis unit, the image reading apparatus according to claim 16 or 18, characterized in that converting the reference code identified in the text information. The image reading apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the text information includes an ASCII code. The reading unit optically reads a code image composed of a plurality of the cell images to generate code image data composed of a plurality of the cell image data,
The analysis unit, the identifying the reference code for each cell image data constituting the code image data, according to claim 16 or 18, characterized in that to convert all of the reference code specific to text information Image reading apparatus. With respect to the reference code, the intermediate density color, the angle generated by the intersection of the first line of the first color material and the second line of the second color material, and the first number a first ratio of occupying a line unit area, the said reference code by the second parallel line corresponding to the input data with reference to the intermediate density definition information attached second ratio and a corresponds occupying the unit area And generating color code data for forming a color code corresponding to the searched reference code ;
In accordance with the color code data generated in the generation step, in the area corresponding to the unit area of the print medium, the pre-Symbol first ten thousand lines and the second parallel line to intersect at said angle, A writing step for simulating the color of the intermediate density by printing at the first rate and the second rate, respectively;
An image forming method comprising: 23. The image forming method according to claim 22 , wherein the first color material and the second color material are the same color, and are any one of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. 23. The image forming method according to claim 22 , wherein the first color material and the second color material are any two colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow. Printing the second line after printing the first line within the area of the print medium in the writing step;
The image forming method according to claim 24 , wherein the angle is an angle from the second line to the first line. The first ratio and the second ratio are proportional to the thickness of each line of the first line and the thickness of each line of the second line,
26. The angle according to any one of claims 22 to 25 , wherein the angle is set so as to approach a right angle as each line of the first line and each line of the second line become thicker. The image forming method described in 1. In previous SL generation step, according to the contents of the intermediate density definition information corresponding to the reference code specified on the basis of the input data, the cell image data is an image to be printed in the area of the print medium in said writing step Generate
Wherein in the writing step, in the area of the print medium, the image forming method according to any one of claims 22-26, characterized in that to print the cell image represented by said cell image data. In the generation step, a color other than an intermediate density, a third ratio in which the first color material occupies the unit area, and a fourth ratio in which the second color material occupies the unit area with respect to a reference code. and percentage of, with reference to the non-intermediate density definition information attached corresponds to explore the reference code corresponding to the input data, to generate the color code data corresponding to the searched the reference code,
In the writing step, according to the color code data generated in the generation step, within the area of the print medium, in accordance with the definition information acquired in the non-intermediate density definition information acquisition step, Expressing the color other than the intermediate density by printing the second color material at the third ratio and the fourth ratio, respectively;
25. The image forming method according to claim 24 , wherein each of the third ratio and the fourth ratio is a maximum ratio or 0 that can be taken in the unit area. A generation step of generating, as cell image data, an image printed within the area of the print medium;
The non-intermediate density definition information includes a reference code associated with a color other than the intermediate density,
In the generation step, according to the content of the non-intermediate density definition information corresponding to the reference code specified based on the input data, the cell image data that is an image printed in the area of the print medium is generated,
29. The image forming method according to claim 28 , wherein in the writing step, a cell image indicated by the cell image data is printed in the area of the print medium. And further including an operation process for receiving input of text information,
30. The image forming method according to claim 27 or 29 , wherein, in the generation step, the reference code is assigned to the input text information to generate at least one cell image data representing the text information. 31. The image forming method according to claim 30 , wherein the text information is composed of an ASCII code. The text information is composed of a plurality of characters arbitrarily selected from letters, numbers, and symbols,
In the generating step, a plurality of the cell image data is generated for the plurality of characters,
Wherein in the writing step, an image forming method according to claim 30 or 31 more cells images showing the plurality of cells image data is characterized by printing a code formed aligned in a predetermined direction. The image forming method according to claim 32 , wherein, in the writing step, the plurality of cell images are printed side by side not only in the predetermined direction but also in a direction different from the predetermined direction. A reading step of optically reading a cell image corresponding to a unit area and generating cell image data;
The cell image data has an intermediate density color, an angle generated by the intersection of the first line of the first color material and the second line of the second color material with respect to the reference code. a first ratio of said first parallel line occupy the unit area, was prepared in accordance with the intermediate concentration definition information second parallel line is attached a second ratio and a corresponds occupying the unit area, An analysis step of identifying which intermediate density color corresponds, referring to the intermediate density definition information based on the specified intermediate density color, and obtaining a reference code corresponding to the intermediate density color ;
An image reading method comprising: 35. The image reading method according to claim 34 , wherein the first color material and the second color material are the same color and are any one of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. 35. The image reading method according to claim 34 , wherein the first color material and the second color material are any two colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow. In the analyzing step, the first line and the second line are extracted from the cell image data, and an angle of an intersection between the first line and the second line is measured. Referring to the intermediate density definition information, based on the extracted color of the first line, the extracted color of the second line, and the measured angle, the cell image data includes the intermediate color 37. The image reading method according to claim 36 , wherein an intermediate density color created according to the density definition information is specified. In the analysis step, measuring an angle from one of the first and second lines extracted as a reference line based on the color of the line to the other line. 38. The image reading method according to claim 37 , wherein: In the analyzing step, an average of pixel values is calculated for each color material color of the cell image data, and a color other than an intermediate density and the first color material occupy the unit area with respect to a reference code. the ratio of said second color material refers to the non-intermediate density definition information attached fourth-enabled and percentage, of occupying the unit areas, from the average ratio of each color, the cell image data is expressed A color other than the intermediate density is specified , the non-intermediate density definition information is referenced based on the specified color other than the intermediate density, and a reference code corresponding to the color other than the intermediate density is acquired. Item 37. The image reading method according to Item 36 . 40. The image reading method according to claim 34 or 39 , wherein in the analyzing step, the identified reference code is converted into text information. 41. The image reading method according to claim 40 , wherein the text information is composed of an ASCII code. In the reading step, a code image composed of a plurality of the cell images is optically read to generate code image data composed of a plurality of the cell image data,
In the analyzing step, the reference to identify the code, according to claim 34 or 39, characterized in that to convert all of the reference code specific to the text information for each cell image data constituting the code image data Image reading method. An image forming program that causes a computer to execute the image forming method according to any one of claims 22 to 33 . An image reading program causing a computer to execute the image reading method according to any one of claims 34 to 42 .

Images