JP5089666B2 - Image filing device, method for controlling the device, image filing program, and image filing server - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image Filing device, a control method of the apparatus, and an image filing programs, and an image filing server.

  In recent years, in the field of image processing apparatuses such as printers, scanners, copiers, facsimiles, and multi-function machines having them, those having a document filing function for filing processed images to a server or a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) of the own machine. It is popular.

  By this document filing, it is possible to perform reprinting of images, monitoring of unauthorized use of the image processing apparatus, determination of charging processing, reference, and the like.

  However, when image data is stored sequentially, there is a problem that the storage capacity of the HDD becomes excessive.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, if the registered document in the HDD and the document to be processed are the same, the registration of the document to be processed is not performed, thereby preventing double registration of the same data, while It is disclosed that processing for eliminating the difference in access rights is performed.

JP 2006-134041 A

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the same determination is performed for each document, no countermeasure is taken to prevent double registration in the case of partial coincidence in the document. Access rights are not controlled.

  For example, in the same document that is upgraded by successive updating, it may not be determined that the registered document and the document to be newly processed are the same, and double registration may be performed.

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, as described above, the same determination is performed for each document. However, an image to be documented includes an image read by a scanner and a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”). And so on.) Even if the original document is the same document, it may not be considered the same if the image processing method is different.

  Further, in consideration of image quality, selection of which processing method to store an image generated in the case of the same data is not performed by the technique described in Patent Document 1.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to search an image that matches at least part of the processed image from stored images, and to control the access right while preventing double registration of the same image. An object of the present invention is to provide a filing device, a control method for the device, an image filing program, and an image filing server.

  Another object of the present invention is to store an image filing device capable of storing a higher quality image according to the type of stored image and the type of processed image, a control method for the device, And an image processing program and an image filing server.

Image filing apparatus as viewed present invention from a first aspect, an image input unit for inputting an image, and an image storage means for storing the input image by the image input means, by the image input means An image filing apparatus comprising management information storage means for storing management information and access right information for an input image, and when a new image is input by the image input means, An image comparison means for detecting an input image as a comparison target image and performing comparison with a stored image stored in the image storage means in a block unit set as a comparison unit, and detecting the similarity, If the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection by the image comparison unit, the low similarity block is stored in the image storage unit, while the similarity is high. In is configured to include a control means for adding an access right of the user who made the input of the similar image information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage means, said image comparison means, similar When sex detection is performed in units of pages, if there is no page that is considered to be the same, the pages of the comparison target image and the stored image are separated into regions, and partial match determination is performed .

In the above configuration, when a new image is input, the newly input image is used as a comparison target image and compared with the stored image stored in the image storage unit in units of blocks. Is detected. If the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection, a block with low similarity is stored in the image storage means. On the other hand, if the similarity is high, the access right of the user who entered the similar image is added to the information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage means. Accordingly, it is possible to search for an image that partially matches the processed image from the stored images, and to control access right assignment while preventing double registration of the same image. Since similarity detection is performed in units of pages, the storage capacity of filing images is reduced. Further, in the similarity detection, when there is no page similar in level or higher that is considered to be the same as the stored image in the comparison target image, the similarity detection is performed up to a partial area in one page or a plurality of pages, Since partial matching is detected, the storage capacity of the filing image is further reduced.

  In the image filing device, when a new image is input by the image input unit, the newly input image is used as a comparison target image, and the version of the comparison target image and the image storage unit store the image. It further includes an image version comparison means for comparing the stored image with a version and detecting the similarity, and the control means, if the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection by the image version comparison means. When a similar version image is stored in the image storage means, and the similarity is high, the access right of the user who inputs the similar image corresponds to the existing image in the management information storage means. Further comprising means for adding to the information.

  In the above configuration, when a new image is input, the newly input image is used as a comparison target image, and the version of the comparison target image is compared with the version of the stored image stored in the image storage unit. And the similarity is detected. As a result of the similarity detection of the image version, if the similarity is low, a version image with a low similarity is stored in the image storage means. On the other hand, if the similarity is high, the access right of the user who entered the similar image is added to the information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage means. Therefore, it is possible to control access right assignment while preventing double registration of the same image with different versions. In addition, when only the versions are different, only the added part or the deleted part exists with respect to the original material, and since there are many identical parts, the speed of similarity detection increases and the accuracy of similarity detection increases. .

  In the image filing apparatus, the image comparison unit may be the most newly input image by the image input unit from among the stored images stored in the image storage unit when performing the similarity detection. The image processing apparatus further includes a selection unit for selecting a stored image having a high similarity, and the control unit selects a similar image to the information in the management information storage unit corresponding to the stored image selected by the selection unit. A means for adding access rights of the user who made the input is further included.

  In the above configuration, when similarity detection is performed, a stored image having the highest similarity with a newly input image is selected from the stored images stored in the image storage unit. The access right of the user who entered the similar image is added to the information in the management information storage means corresponding to the selected stored image. Therefore, the accuracy of similarity detection is further improved.

  Further, in the image filing device, the image comparison unit may detect an image newly input by the image input unit from the stored images stored in the image storage unit when performing the similarity detection. Each block further includes a selection unit for selecting a storage image having high similarity, and the control unit stores information in the management information storage unit corresponding to the storage image selected by the selection unit. On the other hand, it further includes means for adding the access right of the user who has input the similar image.

  In the above configuration, when performing similarity detection, a stored image with high similarity is selected for each block of the newly input image from the stored images stored in the image storage means. . The access right of the user who entered the similar image is added to the information in the management information storage unit corresponding to the selected stored image. Therefore, the storage capacity of the filing image is further reduced.

  Furthermore, in the image filing device, when similarity detection is performed by the image comparison unit, the comparison target image is an image related to image data transmitted from an external terminal device, and is stored in the image storage unit. When the stored image is an image read by the image reading means, the control means discards the read image stored in the storage means for an image having a high similarity, and an image related to the transmission image data And a means for granting an access right to an image related to the newly stored transmission image data to an image data transmission execution user and a discard image access right holder.

  In the above configuration, when similarity detection is performed, the comparison target image is an image related to image data transmitted from an external terminal device such as a PC, and the stored image stored in the image storage unit is an image reading unit such as a scanner. In the case of the image read in step 1, the read image stored in the image storage unit is discarded and the image related to the transmission image data is stored in the block having high similarity. On the other hand, an access right to an image related to newly stored transmission image data is given to an image data transmission execution user and a discard image access right holder. Therefore, a higher quality image can be stored according to the type of stored image and the type of processed image.

  In one aspect, the image input means includes an image reading means for reading an image, and an image read by the image reading means is stored in the image storage means and is read from the image read by the image reading means. Management information and access right information are stored in the management information storage means, and the image comparison means uses the newly read image as a comparison target image when the image reading means newly reads the image. Then, the similarity is detected by comparing with the stored image stored in the image storage means.

  In another aspect, the image input unit includes a communication unit for receiving image data transmitted from an external terminal device, and the image filing device receives an image from the external terminal device received by the communication unit. Image development means for developing data, the image developed by the image development means is stored in the image storage means, management information and access right information for the image developed by the image development means, The image comparison means stored in the management information storage means receives the image data newly transmitted from the external terminal device by the communication means and compares the image developed by the image development means. The similarity detection is performed by comparing the stored image stored in the image storage unit as an image.

Control method for an image filing apparatus watched present invention from a second aspect, an image storage means for storing an image input means for inputting an image, the input image by the image input means, the image A method for controlling an image filing apparatus comprising management information storage means for storing management information and access right information for an image input by an input means, wherein a new image is created by the image input means. An image comparison step for detecting, when input, the newly input image as a comparison target image and comparing with the stored image stored in the image storage means in block units If the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection in the image comparison step, a block with low similarity is stored in the image storage means. If high similarity is observed including a control step for adding permissions of the user who made the input of the similar image information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage means, said image comparison step Is characterized in that when similarity detection is performed in units of pages and there is no page that is regarded as the same, the pages of the comparison target image and the stored image are respectively separated into regions and a partial match determination is performed. To do .

  In the above configuration, when a new image is input, the newly input image is used as a comparison target image and compared with the stored image stored in the image storage unit in units of blocks. Is detected. If the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection, the block is stored in the image storage unit. On the other hand, if the similarity is high, the access right of the user who has input the similar image is the management information storage unit. Is added to the information corresponding to the existing image. Accordingly, it is possible to search for an image that partially matches the processed image from the stored images, and to control access right assignment while preventing double registration of the same image.

Image filing programs watched present invention from a third aspect, an image input unit for inputting an image, and an image storage means for storing the input image by the image input means, by the image input means A program applied to an image filing apparatus having management information storage means for storing management information and access right information for an input image, wherein a computer inputs a new image by the image input means In this case, the newly input image is used as a comparison target image, and the comparison with the stored image stored in the image storage means is performed in block units set as a comparison unit, and the similarity is detected. If the similarity is low as a result of similarity detection by the image comparison means and the image comparison means, a block with low similarity is As a control means for adding the access right of the user who entered the similar image to information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage means when the similarity is high while being stored in the image storage means When the similarity detection is performed in units of pages and there is no page that is considered to be the same, the image comparison unit separates the pages of the comparison target image and the stored image, and partially matches them. It is characterized by making a judgment .

  According to the above configuration, when a new image is input, the newly input image is used as a comparison target image and compared with the stored image stored in the image storage unit in units of blocks. If the similarity is detected, and the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection, the block is stored in the image storage unit. On the other hand, if the similarity is high, the user who has input the similar image The access right is added to the information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage means. Accordingly, it is possible to search for an image that partially matches the processed image from the stored images, and to control access right assignment while preventing double registration of the same image.

Image filing server watched present invention from a fourth aspect is connected through the image forming device and the network, and an image storage means for storing the input image from the image forming apparatus, from the image forming apparatus An image filing server comprising management information storage means for storing management information and access right information for an input image, and when a new image is input from the image forming apparatus, An image comparison means for detecting an input image as a comparison target image and performing comparison with a stored image stored in the image storage means in a block unit set as a comparison unit, and detecting the similarity, If the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection by the image comparison means, a block with low similarity is stored in the image storage means. If high sex, saw including a control means for adding an access right of the user who made the input of the similar image to the corresponding information to an existing image in the management information storage means, said image comparison means When similarity detection is performed in units of pages and there is no page that is considered to be the same, the pages of the comparison target image and the stored image are separated into regions, and partial match determination is performed. .

  In the above configuration, when a new image is input from the image forming apparatus, the newly input image is used as a comparison target image and compared with the stored image stored in the image storage unit in units of blocks. The similarity is detected. If the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection, a block with low similarity is stored in the image storage means. On the other hand, if the similarity is high, the access right of the user who entered the similar image is added to the information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage means. Accordingly, it is possible to search for an image that partially matches the processed image from the stored images, and to control access right assignment while preventing double registration of the same image.

  According to the present invention, an access right can be controlled while searching for an image that partially matches a processed image from stored images and preventing double registration of the same image.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to store a higher quality image according to the type of stored image and the type of processed image.

It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the image filing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating an image filing operation | movement graphically. It is a diagram showing a main routine of the program structure of the image file Ili ring program in flow chart form. It is a diagram showing a main routine of the program structure of the image file Ili ring program in flow chart form. It is a diagram showing a main routine of the program structure of the image file Ili ring program in flow chart form. It is a diagram showing a main routine of the program structure of the image file Ili ring program in flow chart form. It is a figure which shows the program structure of the memory | storage process as a subroutine of an image filing program in the flowchart format. It is a figure which shows the part program structure of the main routine of the program applied to the image filing apparatus of this Embodiment with a flowchart format. It is a figure which shows the program structure of a part of main routine of the program applied to the image filing apparatus in a flowchart format. It is a figure for demonstrating an image filing operation | movement graphically. It is a figure which simplifies and shows the structure of the image filing system which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of an image filing server.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment]
<Hardware configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image filing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 1, an image filing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is a multifunction machine called a MFP (Multifunction Printer or Multifunction Peripheral) having a print function and a scanner function. A reading unit 104, an image forming unit 106, an operation unit 108 and a display unit 110 are included.

  The computer 102 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. Functionally, the computer 102 includes a control unit 112, an image processing unit 114, a communication unit 116, an image development unit 118, an image storage unit 120, a management information storage unit 122, an image comparison unit 124, and a buffer unit 126. It has.

  The control unit 112 controls the entire image filing apparatus 100.

  The image processing unit 114 extracts feature data of an image read by the image reading unit 104 according to an instruction from the control unit 112 and performs image processing.

  The communication unit 116 communicates with an external terminal device such as a PC (hereinafter also referred to as “PC”) 128 according to an instruction from the control unit 112. The communication unit 116 is connected to an external terminal device 128 via a network line 130 such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

  The image development unit 118 develops output data from the external terminal device 128 received via the network line 130 and the communication unit 116 into an image according to an instruction from the control unit 112. The image development unit 118 is connected to the communication unit 116.

  The image storage unit 120 stores the image processed by the image processing unit 114 and the image expanded by the image expansion unit 118 according to an instruction from the control unit 112.

  The management information storage unit 122 stores image access rights and image management information stored in the image storage unit 120 according to instructions from the control unit 112. In the management information storage unit 122, for example, a management information table 200 as shown in FIG. 2 is provided. The configuration of the management information table 200 will be described later.

  The image comparison unit 124 compares the image processed by the image processing unit 114 and the image expanded by the image expansion unit 118 with the image stored in the image storage unit 120 according to an instruction from the control unit 112. To do.

  The buffer unit 126 temporarily stores the comparison result from the image comparison unit 124 according to an instruction from the control unit 112.

  The image reading unit 104 reads a document image according to an instruction from the control unit 112. The image reading unit 104 is connected to the image processing unit 114.

  The image forming unit 106 forms and outputs a print image according to an instruction from the control unit 112.

  The operation unit 108 reads user operation information in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 112. The user operation information read by the operation unit 108 is output to the control unit 112.

  The display unit 110 performs display according to an instruction from the control unit 112.

<Configuration of Management Information Table 200>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the management information table 200.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the management information table 200 includes a “file name” field, a “version information” field, a “page count” field, an “area” field, a “hash value storage location” field, and an “access right”. Columns are provided, and management information necessary for the image filing operation by the image filing apparatus 100 is registered in relation to the columns.

<Software configuration>
In the present embodiment, when a new image is input, the newly input image is used as a comparison target image and compared with the stored image stored in the image storage unit 120 in units of pages. If the similarity is detected, and the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection, the page is stored in the image storage unit 120. If the similarity is high, the user who has input the similar image Are added to the information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage unit 122.

  This program is configured as software resources for realizing various functions of the image filing apparatus 100 described below, and is stored in the ROM of the computer 102. These functions are achieved by the control unit 112 of the computer 102 executing the program.

(Main routine)
3 to 6 are views showing a main routine of the program structure of the image file Ili ring program in flow chart form.

  Referring to FIG. 3, when the program is started, based on an instruction from control unit 112, image reading unit 104 reads a document image, or communication unit 116 receives from PC 128 as an external terminal device via network line 130. An image is received (step S100). In the following description, the original image read by the image reading unit 104 and the image received from the PC 128 are collectively referred to as a “comparison target image”.

  When the comparison target image is input, the control unit 112 determines whether or not a file name and version information are given to the input comparison target image (step S102). The file name and version information are added to the image received from the PC 128, while the image read by the image reading unit 104 is included in the image. If a file name or version information is assigned to the comparison target image, control jumps to step S134 (see FIG. 5). On the other hand, if no file name or version information is given to the comparison target image, the control proceeds to step S104.

  When the control proceeds to step S104, the control unit 112 accesses the image storage unit 120 and takes out one stored image in the image storage unit 120.

  When one stored image is extracted, the image comparison unit 124 compares the comparison target image with the stored image based on an instruction from the control unit 112 (step S106). At this time, the hash values of both the comparison target image and the stored image obtained by a predetermined hash function are compared. The storage location of the hash value of the stored image is stored in the “storage location of hash value” column of the management information table 200 in the management information storage unit 122.

  When the comparison between the comparison target image and the stored image is completed, the image comparison unit 124 determines whether the comparison target image has a page whose similarity with the stored image is equal to or higher than a certain level based on an instruction from the control unit 112. It discriminate | determines (step S108). For example, the following two methods can be applied to detect the similarity between the comparison target image and the stored image.

  One approach uses an image similarity determination engine called “Image Cruiser®” (see http://www.igvp.jp/cp2_jp/common/rcontents/category00/post-14.html). It is to be. This engine enables a user to search for an image similar to a query image (an image designated for search) from a large number of registered image groups. In addition, this engine extracts image feature values from the query image, extracts a large amount of registered image groups (feature values of all images to be searched in advance, and stores them in the similarity database. In preparation for the search, the similar images ranked and their attribute information are output by searching based on the similarity.

  Another method is to use the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-299210. The technique described in this publication includes a feature point calculation unit, a feature amount calculation unit, a voting processing unit, and a similarity determination unit. The feature point calculation unit performs threshold calculation and binarization processing for the binarization process in parallel for each pixel block, and pays attention to labeling processing and feature extraction of connected regions based on the binary image. This is performed in parallel for each line, and the extracted feature points are output to the feature amount calculation unit. The feature amount calculation unit calculates a predetermined invariant and calculates a hash value that is a feature amount. The voting processing unit searches the hash table based on the hash value, and votes for the document of the index registered in the hash value. The similarity determination processing unit compares the number of votes with a predetermined threshold. If the number of votes is equal to or greater than the threshold, the similarity determination unit determines that the input image is similar to a document image registered in advance.

  If there is no page whose similarity is above a certain level in step 108, control jumps to step S120 (see FIG. 4). On the other hand, if there is a page whose similarity is above a certain level, control proceeds to step S110.

  When the control proceeds to step S110, the image comparison unit 124 determines whether the comparison target image is a page that is similar to or higher than the level considered to be the same as the stored image, based on an instruction from the control unit 112. Also in this determination processing, for example, the image similarity determination engine called “Image Cruiser (registered trademark)” and the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-299210 can be applied.

  In step 110, if there is no page similar to or higher than the level considered to be the same, the control unit 112 separates the corresponding pages of the comparison target image and the stored image and performs partial match determination (step) S112). For this process, for example, a block selection process described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-49388 can be applied. In this block selection process, for example, a raster image is recognized as a block for each meaningful block. Then, the attribute (character (TEXT) / drawing (PICTURE) / photograph (PHOTO) / line (LINE) / table (TABLE)) of each block is determined and divided into blocks having different attributes. Specifically, first, the input image is binarized into black and white, and contour tracking is performed to extract a block of pixels surrounded by a black pixel contour. For a black pixel block with a large area, the white line block is extracted by tracing the outline of the white pixel inside, and the black pixel block is recursively blacked out from the white pixel block with a certain area or more. Extract a block of pixels. The blocks of black pixels obtained in this way are classified by size and shape, and are classified into blocks having different attributes. For example, a block whose aspect ratio is close to “1” and whose size is constant is a pixel block corresponding to a character, a portion where adjacent characters can be grouped in a well-aligned manner is a character block, and a flat pixel block is a line block And Also, the area occupied by the black pixel block that is more than a certain size and contains rectangular white pixel blocks in a well-aligned manner is a table block, the area where irregular pixel blocks are scattered is a photo block, and other pixels of any shape Let the block be a drawing block.

  As a result of the determination in step S112, if it is determined that they are partially identical (YES in step S113), the control unit 112 sets a similar flag and stores a partially matching page in the buffer unit 126 ( Step S114). Thereafter, the control proceeds to step S120. On the other hand, when it is determined that they are not partially the same (NO in step S113), the control jumps to step S120.

  On the other hand, in step S110, if there is a page similar to the level considered to be the same or higher, the control unit 112 sets a similar flag (step S116) and stores the same page in the buffer unit 126 (step S118). ). Thereafter, the control proceeds to step S120.

  Referring to FIG. 4, when control proceeds to step S120, control unit 112 determines whether there is a stored image that has not been compared. If there is a stored image that has not been compared, control returns to step S104 (see FIG. 3). On the other hand, if there is no stored image that has not been compared, control proceeds to step S122.

  When the control proceeds to step S122, the control unit 112 determines whether or not the similar flag is set. When the similarity flag is set, the control unit 112 has the highest similarity between the comparison target image and the same page based on the same page stored in the buffer unit 126 in step S118 (see FIG. 3). A stored image is selected (step S124). If there is no page identical to the comparison target image, the control unit 112 selects a stored image having the highest similarity with the page based on the partially matched page stored in the buffer unit 126 in step S114. Then, the control unit 112 adds the access right of the comparison target image user to the similar page or the matching area in the selected stored image (step S126). Next, the control unit 112 performs a storage process (step S128). Specific processing contents of this storage processing will be described later. Then, in the comparison target image, the control unit 112 saves pages other than similar pages in the image storage unit 120, and gives the comparison information image user access right to the management information storage unit 122 (step S130). Thereafter, the main routine ends. On the other hand, when the similarity flag is not set, the control unit 112 saves all pages of the comparison target image in the image storage unit 120 and grants the access right of the comparison target image user to the management information storage unit 122 ( Step S132). Thereafter, the main routine ends.

  Referring to FIG. 5, when the control proceeds to step S <b> 134 due to the file name and version information being given to the comparison target image, the control unit 112 accesses the image storage unit 120 to compare Search the stored image of the same document as the image. As a result of the search, if there is no stored image searched (NO in step S136), the control unit 112 saves all pages of the comparison target image in the image storage unit 120, and stores the comparison target image in the management information storage unit 122. A user access right is granted (step S147). Thereafter, the main routine ends. On the other hand, if there is a retrieved stored image (YES in step S136), control proceeds to step S138.

  When control proceeds to step S138, the image comparison unit 124 determines whether the versions of the comparison target image and the stored image are different based on an instruction from the control unit 112.

  If the versions of the comparison target image and the stored image are not different in step S138, the control unit 112 adds the access right of the comparison target image user to the stored image (step S148). And the control part 112 performs a memory | storage process (step S150). This storage process will be described in detail later. Thereafter, the main routine ends.

  On the other hand, if the versions of the comparison target image and the stored image are different in step S138, the image comparison unit 124 compares the retrieved stored image with the comparison target image based on an instruction from the control unit 112. This is performed (step S140). At this time, the control unit 112 sets the variable N to “1” (step S142), and takes out the Nth page of the comparison target image (step S144).

  When the Nth page of the comparison target image is extracted, the image comparison unit 124 compares the retrieved stored image with the Nth page of the comparison target image based on an instruction from the control unit 112 (step S146). At this time, the hash values of both the comparison target image and the stored image obtained by a predetermined hash function are compared. Thereafter, the control proceeds to step S152 (see FIG. 6).

  Referring to FIG. 6, when the control proceeds to step S <b> 152, image comparison unit 124 determines whether there is a page similar in level to be compared with the stored image in the comparison target image based on an instruction from control unit 112. Determine whether or not. Also in this determination processing, for example, the image similarity determination engine called “Image Cruiser (registered trademark)” and the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-299210 can be applied.

  If there is a page similar in level above the level considered to be the same in step 152, the control unit 112 adds the access right of the comparison target user to the similar page in the retrieved stored image (step S164). Then, the control unit 112 performs a storage process (step S166). This storage process will be described in detail later. Thereafter, control jumps to step S162.

  On the other hand, in step S152, if there is no page similar to or higher than the level considered to be the same, the control unit 112 separates the corresponding pages of the comparison target image and the stored image and performs partial match determination. (Step S154). Also regarding this processing, for example, the block selection processing described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-49388 can be applied.

  As a result of the determination in step S154, if it is not determined that they are partially identical (NO in step S156), the control unit 112 stores the Nth page of the comparison target image in the image storage unit 120, and the management information storage unit The access right of the comparison target image user is given to 122 (step S168). Thereafter, control jumps to step S162. On the other hand, if it is determined that they are partially the same (YES in step S156), the control unit 112 adds the access right of the comparison target image user to the matching area in the retrieved stored image ( Step S158). And the control part 112 performs a memory | storage process (step S160). This storage process will be described in detail later. Thereafter, the control proceeds to step S162.

When the control proceeds to step S162, the control unit 112 determines whether or not the comparison target image includes the (N + 1) th page. If N + 1-th page Ru Oh the comparison target image, the control unit 112 adds "1" to the variable N (step S170). Thereafter, the control returns to step S144 (see FIG. 5). On the other hand, if the comparison target image does not have the (N + 1) th page, the main routine ends.

(subroutine)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the program structure of the storage process as a subroutine of the image filing program. This process corresponds to the storage process of step S128 shown in FIG. 4, the storage process of step S150 shown in FIG. 5, and the storage process of steps S160 and S166 shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 7, when the storage process is entered, first, control unit 112 determines whether the stored image is an image read by image reading unit 104 and the comparison target image is a received image from PC 128. It is determined whether or not (step S200). When the stored image is an image read by the image reading unit 104 and the comparison target image is an image received from the PC 128, the control unit 112 accesses the image storage unit 120 and accesses a similar page of the stored image or The matching area is deleted from the memory (step S202). Then, the control unit 112 causes the image storage unit 120 to store a similar page or matching region of the comparison target image (step S204). Thereafter, this subroutine ends. On the other hand, if not, the control unit 112 terminates the present subroutine without performing any control.

<Operation>
The operation of the image filing apparatus 100, in the state shown in the management information table 200 in FIG. 2 (A) before the management information storage unit 122 comparison target image is input, "discussions Minutes 356 inoue" is input This will be described assuming the case.

When "discussions Minutes 356 inoue" is input, the image comparison section 124, as a comparison target image is input, "discussions Minutes 356 inoue", compared with the stored images stored in the image storage unit 120 The similarity detection between the two is performed.

Result similarity detection by the image comparison section 124, relates to the first page of the "discussions Minutes 356 inoue" as a comparison target image, a character area is stored in the image storage unit 120, the file name "discussions Minutes 351 high similarity to the first page of the character region of the "image area" discussions minutes 934 stored in the image storage unit 120 "," proceedings 351 ", for any of the" weekly 0805 " If there is a little similarity also, as shown in FIG. 2 (B), managed in the information table 200, belonging to the first page of the character region of the file name "discussions Minutes 351", "inoue to" permissions "field "Is added, and" inoue "is registered in the" access right "column belonging to the image" 1 "area of the first page of the file name" Minutes 356 ". At this time, “giji452” is registered in the “Hash value storage location” column belonging to the image “1” area of the first page of the file name “Minutes 356”.

Relates the second page of the "discussions Minutes 356 inoue" as a comparison target image, all the regions, if the similarity between the second page of the "discussions Minutes 934" stored in the image storage unit 120 is high as shown in FIG. 2 (B), in the management information table 200, "inoue" is added belongs to the second page of the file name "discussions Minutes 351" to "access" column.

Relates third page of "discussions Minutes 356 inoue" as a comparison target image, all the regions, if the similarity between the third page of the "discussions Minutes 934" stored in the image storage unit 120 is high as shown in FIG. 2 (B), in the management information table 200, "inoue" is added belongs to the third page of the file name "discussions Minutes 351" to "access" column.

Relates fourth page of "discussions Minutes 356 inoue" as a comparison target image, all the regions, "discussions Minutes 934" stored in the image storage unit 120, "Proceedings 351", the "Weekly 0805" If the similarity is low, the “access right” column belonging to the fourth page of the file name “Minutes 356” is displayed in the management information table 200 as shown in FIG. Is registered. At this time, “giji452” is registered in the “Hash value storage location” column belonging to the fourth page of the file name “Minutes 356”.

<Action and effect>
According to the present embodiment, the following operations and effects are achieved.

  (1) When a new image is input, the newly input image is used as a comparison target image, and is compared with the stored image stored in the image storage unit 120 on a page-by-page basis. Is detected. If the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection, the page is stored in the image storage unit 120. On the other hand, when the similarity is high, the access right of the user who input the similar image is added to the information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage unit 122. Accordingly, it is possible to search for an image that partially matches the processed image from the stored images, and to control access right assignment while preventing double registration of the same image.

  (2) Since similarity detection is performed in units of pages, the storage capacity of filing images is reduced. Further, in the similarity detection, if there is no page similar in level or higher that is regarded as the same as the stored image in the comparison target image, the similarity detection is performed up to a partial area in one page or a plurality of pages, Since the coincidence is detected, the storage capacity of the filing image is further reduced.

  (3) When a new image is input, this newly input image is used as a comparison target image, and the version of the comparison target image is compared with the version of the stored image stored in the image storage unit 120. And the similarity is detected. As a result of the similarity detection of the image version, if the similarity is low, a version image with a low similarity is stored in the image storage unit 120. On the other hand, when the similarity is high, the access right of the user who input the similar image is added to the information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage unit 122. Therefore, it is possible to control access right assignment while preventing double registration of the same image with different versions. In addition, when only the versions are different, only the added part or the deleted part exists with respect to the original material, and since there are many identical parts, the speed of similarity detection increases and the accuracy of similarity detection increases. .

  (4) When performing similarity detection, a stored image having the highest similarity with a newly input image is selected from the stored images stored in the image storage unit 120. The access right of the user who entered the similar image is added to the information in the management information storage unit 122 corresponding to the selected stored image. Therefore, the accuracy of similarity detection is further improved.

  (5) When similarity detection is performed, the comparison target image is an image related to the image data transmitted from the external terminal device 128 such as a PC, and the stored image stored in the image storage unit 120 is the image reading unit 104. In the case of a read image, if the similarity between the two is high, the read image stored in the image storage unit 120 is discarded and an image related to the transmission image data is stored. On the other hand, an access right to an image related to newly stored transmission image data is given to an image data transmission execution user and a discard image access right holder. Therefore, a higher quality image can be stored according to the type of stored image and the type of processed image.

[Second Embodiment]
<Software configuration>
In the present embodiment, in particular, a stored image having high similarity is selected for each page of the read image or the developed image, and the image and management information corresponding to the selected stored image are selected. , Programmed to add access rights for users who read similar images or transmitted data.

  This program is configured as software resources for realizing various functions of the image filing apparatus 100 described below, and is stored in the ROM of the computer 102. These functions are achieved by the control unit 112 of the computer 102 executing the program.

  FIGS. 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing a part of the program structure of the main routine of the program applied to the image filing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 8, when the program is started, based on an instruction from control unit 112, image reading unit 104 reads a document image, or communication unit 116 receives from PC 128 as an external terminal device via network line 130. An image is received (step S300). In the following description, as in the first embodiment, the document image read by the image reading unit 104 and the image received from the PC 128 are collectively referred to as “comparison target images”.

  When the comparison target image is input, the control unit 112 determines whether or not a file name and version information are given to the input comparison target image (step S302). As described in the first embodiment, the file name and version information are added to the image received from the PC 128, while the image read by the image reading unit 104 is included in the image. Yes. If a file name or version information is assigned to the comparison target image, control jumps to step S134 (see FIG. 5). Since the control flow after step S134 is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted. On the other hand, if no file name or version information is added to the comparison target image, the control proceeds to step S304.

  When the control proceeds to step S304, the control unit 112 sets the variable N to “1”. Then, the control unit 112 takes out the Nth page of the comparison target image (step S306).

  When the Nth page of the comparison target image is extracted, the control unit 112 accesses the image storage unit 120, extracts one stored image in the image storage unit 120, and extracts the stored image thus extracted and the N of the comparison target image. The image comparison unit 124 is compared with the page (step S308). At this time, the hash values of both the comparison target image and the stored image obtained by a predetermined hash function are compared.

  When the comparison between the stored image and the Nth page of the comparison target image is completed, the image comparison unit 124 determines whether the similarity between the comparison target image and the stored image is equal to or higher than a certain level based on an instruction from the control unit 112. Is determined (step S310). For this process, for example, the above-described image similarity determination engine called “Image Cruiser (registered trademark)” and the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-299210 can be applied. If the similarity is not above a certain level, control jumps to step S324 (see FIG. 9). On the other hand, if the similarity is above a certain level, control proceeds to step S312.

  When the control proceeds to step S <b> 312, the image comparison unit 124 determines whether the Nth page of the comparison target image is similar to or higher than a level considered to be the same as the stored image, based on an instruction from the control unit 112. Also in this determination processing, for example, the image similarity determination engine referred to as “Image Cruiser (registered trademark)” and the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-299210 can be applied.

  In step 312, when the level is similar to the level regarded as the same or higher, the control unit 112 adds the access right of the comparison target image user to the similar page in the selected stored image (step S 320). Then, the control unit 112 performs a storage process (step S322). Note that the processing content of this storage processing is the same as the storage processing described in the first embodiment. Thereafter, control jumps to step S336 (see FIG. 9).

  On the other hand, if the level is not similar to the level considered to be the same in step S312, the control unit 112 separates the corresponding pages of the comparison target image and the stored image and performs partial match determination ( Step S314). For this determination, for example, a block selection process described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-49388 can be applied. If it is not determined that they are partially the same (NO in step S316), control jumps to step S324. On the other hand, if it is determined that they are partially the same (YES in step S316), control unit 112 sets a similarity flag and stores partially matched stored image information in buffer unit 126 (step S318). ). Thereafter, control proceeds to step S324.

  Referring to FIG. 9, when control proceeds to step S324, control unit 112 determines whether there is a stored image that has not been compared. If there is a stored image that has not been compared, control returns to step S308 (see FIG. 8). On the other hand, if there is no stored image that has not been compared, control proceeds to step S326.

  When the control proceeds to step S326, the control unit 112 accesses the buffer unit 126 and determines whether there is a partially matching stored image.

  If there is no partially coincident stored image in step S326, the control unit 112 saves the Nth page of the comparison target image in the image storage unit 120, and gives the access right of the comparison target image user (step S328). ). Thereafter, control jumps to step S336.

On the other hand, in step S326, when the stored images of the partial match Ru Ah, the control unit 112 stores the image of the partial match is determined whether or not there are a plurality of (step S328). If there is not a plurality of partially matching stored images, control jumps to step S332. On the other hand, when there are a plurality of partially matching stored images, the image comparison unit 124 selects a stored image having the highest similarity to the comparison target image based on an instruction to the control unit 112 (step S330). Thereafter, the control proceeds to step S332.

  When the control proceeds to step S332, the control unit 112 adds the access right of the comparison target image user to the matching area in the partially matched stored image in the management information storage unit 122. And the control part 112 performs a memory | storage process (step S334). The contents of this storage process are the same as the storage process described in the first embodiment. Thereafter, the control proceeds to step S336.

  When the control proceeds to step S336, the control unit 112 determines whether or not the comparison target image includes the (N + 1) th page. If there is an (N + 1) th page, the control unit 112 adds “1” to the variable N (step S340). Thereafter, the control returns to step S306 (see FIG. 8). On the other hand, if there is no N + 1th page, the main routine ends.

<Operation>
As for the operation of the image filing apparatus 100, when the management information table 200 in the management information storage unit 122 before the comparison target image is input is in the state shown in FIG. 10A, “weekly report 0805 Ver.22 okano” is input. A description will be given assuming the case.

  When “weekly report 0805 Ver.22 okano” is input, the image comparison unit 124 sets the input “weekly report 0805 Ver.22 okano” as a comparison target image and the stored image stored in the image storage unit 120. A comparison is made and similarity detection between the two is performed. At this time, a stored image with high similarity is selected for each page of “weekly report 0805 Ver.22 okano” as a comparison target image.

  Specifically, with respect to the first page of “weekly report 0805 okano” as the comparison target image, a storage image having high similarity to the character region, the image “2” region, and the image “3” region is not selected, and the image “1” is selected. When the image “1” on the first page of “Weekly Report 0805 Ver. 21” is selected as the stored image having a high similarity to the “region”, as shown in FIG. , “Okano” is registered in the “access right” column belonging to the character area of the first page of “Weekly Report 0805 Ver.22”, the image “2” area, and the image “3” area. At this time, “Syuho25” is registered in the “Hash value storage location” column belonging to the character area of the first page of “Weekly Report 0805 Ver.22”, and “Hash Value Storage” belonging to the image “3” area of the same page is registered. “Syuho25 / image2” is registered in the “Location” column, and “Syuho25 / image2” is registered in the “Hash value storage location” column belonging to the image “2” area of the page. On the other hand, “okano” is added to the “access right” column belonging to the image “1” area of the first page of “Weekly Report 0805 Ver.

<Action and effect>
According to the present embodiment, in addition to the same operations and effects as (1) to (5) of the first embodiment, the following operations and effects are achieved.

  When performing similarity detection, a stored image with high similarity is selected from the stored images stored in the image storage unit 120 for each page of a newly input image. The access right of the user who entered the similar image is added to the information in the management information storage unit 122 corresponding to the selected stored image. Therefore, the storage capacity of the filing image is further reduced.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a simplified configuration of an image filing system 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 11, an image filing system 300 according to the present embodiment includes an image filing server 302 and a plurality of image forming apparatuses 3041, 3042,.

  The image filing server 302 manages a plurality of image forming apparatuses 3041, 3042,. A plurality of image forming apparatuses 3041, 3042,... 304N are connected to the image filing server 302 via a network line 400 such as a LAN.

Image forming apparatuses 3041, 3042,... 304N are MFPs and have a conventionally known configuration. These image forming apparatuses 3041, 3042... 304N are connected to an external terminal device such as a PC (not shown) via a network line. In the following description, “image forming apparatuses 3041, 3042. Are collectively referred to as “image forming apparatus 304”.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image filing server 302.

  Referring to FIG. 12, the image filing server 302 has a function of filing an image input from the image forming apparatus 304 through the network line 400. Therefore, the image filing server 302 includes a control unit 402, a communication unit 404, an image storage unit 406, a management information storage unit 408, an image comparison unit 410, and a buffer unit 412.

  The control unit 402 controls the entire image filing server 302.

  A communication unit 404 communicates with the image forming apparatus 304 according to an instruction from the control unit 402.

  The image storage unit 406 stores an image from the image forming apparatus 304 input through the network line 400 and the communication unit 404 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 402.

  The management information storage unit 408 stores image access rights and image management information stored in the image storage unit 406 according to instructions from the control unit 402.

  The image comparison unit 410 compares an image input from the image forming apparatus 304 with an image stored in the image storage unit 406 according to an instruction from the control unit 402.

  The buffer unit 412 temporarily stores the comparison result in the image comparison unit 410 according to an instruction from the control unit 402.

  In the above configuration, when a new image is input from the image forming apparatus 304 to the image filing server 302, the image comparison unit 410 uses the newly input image as a comparison target image based on an instruction from the control unit 402. Comparison with the stored image stored in the image storage unit 406 is performed on a page basis to detect the similarity. When the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection, the control unit 402 stores the page in the image storage unit 406. On the other hand, when the similarity is high, the control unit 402 adds the access right of the user who inputs the similar image to information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage unit 408. Note that the detailed processing content of the filing operation by the image filing server 302 is the same as the processing content described in the first or second embodiment.

  Therefore, the server 302 can also search for an image that matches at least part of the processed image from the stored images, and control access right assignment while preventing double registration of the same image. . Further, a higher quality image can be stored according to the type of stored image and the type of processed image.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the appended claims.

  That is, the embodiment disclosed in this specification is merely an example, and the present specification is not limited to the embodiment described above. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims after taking into account the description of the present specification, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the words described therein.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image filing apparatus 102 Computer 104 Image reading part 112 Control part 114 Image processing part 116 Communication part 118 Image expansion part 120 Image storage part 122 Management information storage part 124 Image comparison part 126 Buffer part 128 External terminal device (PC)
200 management information table 300 image filing system 302 image filing server 304 (3041, 3042... 304N) image forming apparatus 400 network line 402 control unit 404 communication unit 406 image storage unit 408 management information storage unit 410 image comparison unit 412 buffer unit

Claims (10)

An image input means for inputting an image, and an image storage means for storing the input image by the image input means, for storing the management information and the access right information to the input image by the image input means An image filing device comprising management information storage means
When a new image is input by the image input unit, the newly input image is set as a comparison target image, and a block set with a comparison with the stored image stored in the image storage unit as a comparison unit Image comparison means for detecting the similarity in units,
If the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection by the image comparison means, the low similarity block is stored in the image storage means, whereas if the similarity is high, the user who has input the similar image Control means for adding the access right to the information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage means ,
When the similarity detection is performed in units of pages and there is no page that is regarded as the same, the image comparison unit separates the pages of the comparison target image and the stored image, respectively, and performs partial matching determination. about
An image filing device. The image filing device according to claim 1 .
When a new image is input by the image input unit, the newly input image is set as a comparison target image, and the version of the comparison target image and the version of the stored image stored in the image storage unit Further comprising image version comparison means for performing the comparison and detecting the similarity;
When the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection by the image version comparison unit, the control unit stores a version image with a low similarity in the image storage unit, whereas when the similarity is high, the control unit stores the similarity An image filing apparatus further comprising means for adding access rights of a user who has input an image to information corresponding to an existing image in the management information storage means. The image filing device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The image comparison unit, when performing the similarity detection, selects a stored image having the highest similarity with the image newly input by the image input unit from among the stored images stored in the image storage unit. Further comprising a selection means for selecting,
The control means further includes means for adding the access right of the user who entered the similar image to the information in the management information storage means corresponding to the stored image selected by the selection means. Image filing device. The image filing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The image comparing means is similar to each block of the image newly input by the image input means from the stored images stored in the image storage means when the similarity detection is performed. And further comprising a selection means for selecting a stored image having high characteristics,
The control means further includes means for adding the access right of the user who entered the similar image to the information in the management information storage means corresponding to the stored image selected by the selection means. Image filing device. The image filing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When similarity detection is performed by the image comparison unit, the comparison target image is an image related to image data transmitted from an external terminal device, and the stored image stored in the image storage unit is read by the image reading unit. In the case where the image is an image, the control unit discards the read image stored in the storage unit and stores an image related to the transmission image data for a block having high similarity, while the image is newly stored. The image filing apparatus further includes means for granting an access right to the image related to the transmission image data to an image data transmission execution user and a discard image access right holder. The image filing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
As the image input means, provided with an image reading means for reading an image,
The image filing device includes:
The image read by the image reading means is stored in the image storage means,
Management information and access right information for the image read by the image reading means are stored in the management information storage means,
The image comparison means, when a new image is read by the image reading means, compares the newly read image as a comparison target image with a stored image stored in the image storage means. An image filing device for detecting the similarity. The image filing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The image input means includes a communication means for receiving image data transmitted from an external terminal device,
The image filing device includes:
Image development means for developing image data from the external terminal device received by the communication means;
The image developed by the image development means is stored in the image storage means,
Management information and access right information for the image developed by the image development means are stored in the management information storage means,
When the image comparison unit receives image data newly transmitted from the external terminal device by the communication unit, the image comparison unit stores the image expanded by the image expansion unit as a comparison target image in the image storage unit. An image filing device that performs the similarity detection by comparing with a stored image. An image input means for inputting an image, and an image storage means for storing the input image by the image input means, for storing the management information and the access right information to the input image by the image input means And a management information storage means for controlling the image filing apparatus,
When a new image is input by the image input unit, the newly input image is set as a comparison target image, and a block set with a comparison with the stored image stored in the image storage unit as a comparison unit An image comparison step for detecting the similarity in units,
If the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection in the image comparison step, the low similarity block is stored in the image storage means. If the similarity is high, the user who has input the similar image look including a control step for adding access to information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage means,
In the image comparison step, when similarity detection is performed in units of pages and there is no page that is regarded as the same, the pages of the comparison target image and the stored image are divided into regions, respectively, and partial match determination is performed. about
A method for controlling an image filing apparatus. An image input means for inputting an image, and an image storage means for storing the input image by the image input means, for storing the management information and the access right information to the input image by the image input means A program applied to an image filing device comprising management information storage means
Computer
A block in which, when a new image is input by the image input means, the newly input image is set as a comparison target image, and a comparison with a stored image stored in the image storage means is set in a comparison unit. Image comparison means for detecting the similarity in units,
If the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection by the image comparison means, the low similarity block is stored in the image storage means, whereas if the similarity is high, the user who has input the similar image Function as a control means for adding to the information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage means ,
When the similarity detection is performed in units of pages and there is no page that is regarded as the same, the image comparison unit separates the pages of the comparison target image and the stored image, respectively, and performs partial matching determination. about
An image filing program characterized by Connected to the image forming device through a network,
An image storage means for storing the input image from the image forming apparatus, the image filing and a management information storage means for storing the management information and the access right information to the input image from the image filing apparatus A server,
A block in which, when a new image is input from the image forming apparatus, the newly input image is set as a comparison target image, and a comparison with the stored image stored in the image storage unit is set as a comparison unit Image comparison means for detecting the similarity in units,
If the similarity is low as a result of the similarity detection by the image comparison means, the low similarity block is stored in the image storage means, whereas if the similarity is high, the user who has input the similar image look including a control means for adding access to information corresponding to the existing image in the management information storage means,
When the similarity detection is performed in units of pages and there is no page that is regarded as the same, the image comparison unit separates the pages of the comparison target image and the stored image, respectively, and performs partial matching determination. about
An image filing server.

Images