JP6332201B2 - Image processing apparatus and image processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method.

  2. Description of the Related Art An image processing apparatus such as a copying machine capable of printing an image of a document with a reduced size is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). For example, a user who prints a document using an image processing apparatus may reduce and print the document image for the purpose of reducing the consumption of consumables such as developer and sheets consumed during printing.

JP 2007-43494 A

  However, when the reduction ratio of the original image is set to be excessively high, characters included in the original image may be crushed due to reduction, and the readability of the characters may be impaired.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus and an image processing method capable of ensuring readability within a predetermined range for characters included in the original when the image of the original is reduced.

  An image processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a character detection unit and a setting processing unit. The character detection unit detects a specific character having a minimum size among characters included in a document. The setting processing unit can set the image reduction ratio of the document within a range that is equal to or larger than a predetermined lower limit reduction ratio for each size of the specific character.

  An image processing method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a first step and a second step. In the first step, a specific character having a minimum size is detected among characters included in the document. In the second step, the reduction ratio of the image of the document is set in a range that is equal to or larger than a predetermined lower limit reduction ratio for each size of the specific character.

  According to the present invention, an image processing apparatus and an image processing method capable of ensuring readability within a predetermined range for characters included in the original when the image of the original is reduced are realized.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a predetermined lower limit reduction rate in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a predetermined lower limit reduction rate in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print service providing process executed by the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[Schematic Configuration of Image Processing Apparatus 10]
First, a schematic configuration of an image processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the image processing apparatus 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image processing apparatus 10 includes an ADF 1, an image reading unit 2, an image forming unit 3, a paper feeding unit 4, a control unit 5, an operation display unit 6, and a fee collection unit 7. The image processing apparatus 10 is a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions such as a facsimile function or a copy function, in addition to a scan function for reading image data from a document and a print function for forming an image based on the image data. The present invention is also applicable to image processing apparatuses such as scanner apparatuses, printer apparatuses, facsimile apparatuses, copiers, personal computers, smartphones, and tablet terminals.

  The ADF 1 is an automatic document conveyance device that includes a document setting unit (not shown), a plurality of conveyance rollers, a document pressing unit, and a paper discharge unit, and conveys a document read by the image reading unit 2. The image reading unit 2 includes a document table (not shown), a light source, a plurality of mirrors, an optical lens, and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and can read image data from the document.

  The image forming unit 3 forms an image of color or monochrome by an electrophotographic method based on image data read by the image reading unit 2 or image data input from an information processing apparatus such as an external personal computer. Processing (print processing) can be executed. Specifically, the image forming unit 3 includes a plurality of image forming units corresponding to C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black), an optical scanning device (LSU), an intermediate transfer belt, A secondary transfer roller, a fixing device, and a paper discharge tray are provided. In the image forming unit 3, a color or monochrome image is formed on the sheet supplied from the paper feeding unit 4, and the sheet after the image formation is discharged to the paper discharge tray. The sheet is a sheet material such as paper, coated paper, postcard, envelope, and OHP sheet.

  The control unit 5 includes control devices such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, and EEPROM (registered trademark) (not shown). The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which information such as a control program for causing the CPU to execute various processes is stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile storage unit, and the EEPROM is a non-volatile storage unit. The RAM and the EEPROM are used as a temporary storage memory (working area) for various processes executed by the CPU. In the control unit 5, various control programs stored in advance in the ROM are executed by the CPU. As a result, the image processing apparatus 10 is comprehensively controlled by the control unit 5. The control unit 5 may be an electronic circuit such as an integrated circuit (ASIC), and is a control unit provided separately from the main control unit that comprehensively controls the image processing apparatus 10. May be.

  The operation display unit 6 is a display unit such as a liquid crystal display that displays various types of information in response to control instructions from the control unit 5, and an operation key or touch panel that inputs various types of information to the control unit 5 in response to user operations. And so on.

  The fee collection unit 7 collects a printing fee from a user who performs printing using the image processing apparatus 10. For example, the fee collection unit 7 is a coin vendor that collects the printing fee from money inserted by a user. The fee collection unit 7 may collect the printing fee from a magnetic card in which monetary information such as a prepaid card supplied from a user is recorded.

  Incidentally, the image processing apparatus 10 can reduce and print an image of a document. For example, a user who prints a document using the image processing apparatus 10 may print the document image in a reduced size for the purpose of reducing the consumption of consumables such as developer and sheets consumed during printing.

  However, when the reduction ratio of the original image is set to be excessively high, characters included in the original image may be crushed due to reduction, and the readability of the characters may be impaired. On the other hand, as will be described below, the image processing apparatus 10 can ensure readability within a predetermined range for characters included in a document when the image of the document is reduced.

  Specifically, a print service providing program for causing the CPU to execute a print service providing process (see FIG. 5) described later is stored in advance in the ROM of the control unit 5. The print service providing program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD, DVD, or flash memory, and is read from the recording medium and installed in a storage unit such as the EEPROM of the control unit 5. It may be a thing.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 5 includes a reading processing unit 51, a determination processing unit 52, a character detection unit 53, a setting processing unit 54, an aggregation setting processing unit 55, a reduction processing unit 56, a print processing unit 57, A collection processing unit 58 and a notification processing unit 59 are included. Specifically, the control unit 5 executes the print service providing program stored in the ROM using the CPU. Accordingly, the control unit 5 includes a reading processing unit 51, a determination processing unit 52, a character detection unit 53, a setting processing unit 54, an aggregation setting processing unit 55, a reduction processing unit 56, a print processing unit 57, a collection processing unit 58, and It functions as a notification processing unit 59.

  The reading processing unit 51 executes image reading processing for reading image data from a document placed on the ADF 1 or a document placed on the document table of the image reading unit 2. Specifically, when the execution operation of the image reading process is performed, the reading processing unit 51 controls the ADF 1 and the image reading unit 2 or the image reading unit 2 to execute the image reading process.

  The determination processing unit 52 determines whether or not the document image is a color image based on the number of color pixels in a non-character area that does not include characters in the document image. Specifically, the determination processing unit 52 detects the non-character area from the document image based on the document image data read by the reading processing unit 51. The determination processing unit 52 determines that the image of the document is a color image when the number of color pixels included in the detected non-character area exceeds a preset threshold value. The determination processing unit 52 determines whether or not each page of the document is a color image when an image of a plurality of pages of the document is read by the image reading process.

  The character detection unit 53 detects a specific character having the smallest size among the characters included in the document. For example, the character detection unit 53 executes a character recognition process for recognizing characters included in the document image based on the document image data read by the reading processing unit 51. For example, in the character recognition process, a character image corresponding to the character included in the image is cut out based on the image data of the original, and the character shape, cutout range, and cutout position in the cutout character image are used to obtain the character. Identification information (character code), size information, and position information are acquired.

  And the character detection part 53 detects the said specific character based on the said size information of the character acquired by the said character recognition process. The character detection unit 53 detects one specific character from a plurality of pages of the document when the image of the plurality of pages is read by the image reading process. The character detection unit 53 may detect the specific character for each page of the document.

  The setting processing unit 54 can set the reduction ratio of the image of the document within a range that is equal to or larger than a predetermined lower limit reduction ratio for each size of the specific character.

  Here, FIG. 3 shows an example of a lower limit reduction rate predetermined for each size of the specific character in the image processing apparatus 10. In FIG. 3, the size of the character is indicated by the number of pixels included in the character area. Further, the reduction ratio in FIG. 3 is a magnification with respect to the number of vertical and horizontal pixels in the character area. Further, in FIG. 3, in order to show the relationship between the reduction ratio and the readability of characters for each character having a different size, each character having a different size is shown with the same area.

  For example, when the size of the specific character included in the document is “60 × 60 pixels”, as shown in FIG. 3, the character shape is maintained so that it can be read even when the reduction ratio is 35%. Has been. Therefore, in the image processing apparatus 10, the lower limit reduction rate corresponding to the size of the specific character “60 × 60 pixels” is set to 35%.

  In addition, when the size of the specific character included in the document is “50 × 50 pixels”, as shown in FIG. 3, the character shape is maintained to a legible level when the reduction ratio is 50%. However, when the reduction ratio is 35%, the shape of the character is crushed to the extent that it is difficult to read. Therefore, in the image processing apparatus 10, the lower limit reduction rate corresponding to the size “50 × 50 pixels” of the specific character is set to 50%.

  In addition, when the size of the specific character included in the original is “40 × 40 pixels”, as shown in FIG. 3, when the reduction ratio is 70%, the character shape is maintained to a legible level. However, when the reduction ratio is 50%, the shape of the character is crushed to the extent that it is difficult to read. Therefore, in the image processing apparatus 10, the lower limit reduction rate corresponding to the size “40 × 40 pixels” of the specific character is set to 70%.

  In addition, when the size of the specific character included in the original is “30 × 30 pixels”, as shown in FIG. 3, the character shape is maintained so as to be legible when the reduction ratio is 100%. However, when the reduction ratio is 70%, the shape of the character is crushed to the extent that it is difficult to read. Therefore, in the image processing apparatus 10, the lower limit reduction rate corresponding to the size “30 × 30 pixels” of the specific character is set to 100%.

  Here, in the image processing apparatus 10, the lower limit reduction rate is determined in advance for each combination of the size and character type of the specific character. FIG. 4 shows an example of a lower limit reduction rate determined in advance for each size of the specific character when the specific character is “alphabet”. FIG. 3 is an example of a lower limit reduction rate predetermined for each size of the specific character when the specific character is “Kanji”.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the character type of the specific character is “alphabet”, the same character size and reduction rate are compared with the case where the character type of the specific character is “kanji”. Even in the combination of, the degree of deterioration of character readability is different. This is because the higher the density of the lines that make up a character, the greater the degree of decrease in the readability of the character when reduced, and the former has a higher density of lines that make up the character in “Kanji” and “Alphabet”. It is. In the image processing apparatus 10, the lower limit reduction rate is determined for each combination of the size and the character type of the specific character, so that the readability of the specific character reduced at the lower limit reduction rate due to the difference in the character type is improved. Variations are avoided. For example, in the image processing apparatus 10, table data in which the combination of the specific character size and character type is associated with the lower limit reduction rate is stored in advance in the ROM of the control unit 5.

  For example, the setting processing unit 54 can automatically set the reduction ratio of the original image to the lower limit reduction ratio.

  Specifically, the setting processing unit 54 specifies the character type of the specific character based on the identification information of the specific character acquired by the character detection unit 53. Subsequently, the setting processing unit 54 corresponds to the combination of the size and the character type of the specific character based on the character type of the specified specific character and the size information of the specific character acquired by the character detection unit 53. The lower limit reduction rate to be obtained is acquired from the table data. Then, the setting processing unit 54 sets the acquired lower limit reduction rate as the reduction rate of the document image. When a plurality of the specific characters having different character types are detected by the character detection unit 53, the setting processing unit 54 determines whether the image of the document is based on the corresponding specific character having the largest lower limit reduction rate. Set the reduction ratio.

  Note that the setting processing unit 54 replaces automatically setting the reduction ratio of the document image to the lower limit reduction ratio, and the settable range of the reduction ratio of the document image by the user operation becomes equal to or greater than the lower limit reduction ratio. It may be limited to a range.

  In addition, the setting processing unit 54 replaces automatically setting the reduction ratio of the document image to the lower limit reduction ratio, and the reduction ratio of the document image set by the user operation is less than the lower limit reduction ratio. In addition, the reduction ratio set by the user operation may be corrected to the lower limit reduction ratio.

  The setting processing unit 54 replaces the original image reduction rate with the lower limit reduction rate automatically, and the reduction rate corresponding to the number of original image aggregations set by the user operation is the lower limit reduction rate. When the ratio is less than the rate, the aggregation number set by the user operation may be reduced to the aggregation number whose corresponding reduction ratio is equal to or greater than the lower limit reduction ratio. For example, in the image processing apparatus 10, the reduction rate corresponding to the consolidation number “2” is set to 70%, and the reduction rate corresponding to the consolidation number “4” is set to 50%. Note that the setting processing unit 54 may cancel the aggregate setting set by the user operation when the lower limit reduction ratio exceeds 70%.

  In addition, the setting processing unit 54 automatically sets the reduction ratio of the original image according to the user's setting operation, limits the settable range of the reduction ratio of the original image by the user operation, and the reduction ratio set by the user operation. Any one of the correction, reduction or cancellation of the aggregation number set by the user operation may be executed.

  The aggregation setting processing unit 55 determines the size of the documents to be aggregated on a sheet having a sheet size corresponding to the size of the original image according to the size of the original image after reduction according to the reduction ratio set by the setting processing unit 54. The aggregate number of images can be set. For example, when the size of the original document image after reduction is less than or equal to one half of the size of the original image before reduction and exceeds one fourth, the aggregation setting processing unit 55 Set the number of aggregations to “2”. In addition, the aggregation setting processing unit 55, when the size of the original document image after reduction is equal to or less than ¼ of the size of the original image before reduction and exceeds one eighth, The aggregation number is set to “4”.

  The aggregation setting processing unit 55 sets the aggregation number of document images to be aggregated on the upper limit size sheet when the sheet size corresponding to the document image size exceeds a predetermined upper limit size. Also good. For example, the upper limit size is A4 size.

  The reduction processing unit 56 reduces the original image according to the reduction rate set by the setting processing unit 54. For example, when the reduction ratio set by the setting processing unit 54 is 70%, the reduction processing unit 56 has the number of vertical and horizontal pixels included in the image data of the document read by the reading processing unit 51. The image data of the original is reduced so that each becomes 0.7 times.

  The print processing unit 57 executes the print processing of the image data corresponding to the original image reduced by the reduction processing unit 56. Specifically, the print processing unit 57 controls the image forming unit 3 and the paper feeding unit 4 to execute the print process.

  Here, the print processing unit 57 prints the document image in color or monochrome according to the determination result by the determination processing unit 52. When the aggregation setting processing unit 55 sets the aggregation number of document images, the print processing unit 57 aggregates and prints a plurality of pages of document images corresponding to the aggregation number on a sheet. Note that the print processing unit 57, when the image of a plurality of pages of a document to be printed in a consolidated manner includes both a color image and a monochrome image, Print in either monochrome.

  The print processing unit 57 may print the document image on a sheet having a sheet size corresponding to the size of the reduced document image in accordance with the reduction ratio set by the setting processing unit 54. Further, when the aggregation setting processing unit 55 sets the aggregation number of document images to be aggregated on the upper limit size sheet, the print processing unit 57 aggregates the document images on the upper limit size sheet. You may print.

  The collection processing unit 58 determines whether the number of sheets consumed by the printing process, the amount of developer, and the image of the document are printed in color when the printing process is executed by the printing processing unit 57. The printing fee acquired based on the above is collected.

  For example, the collection processing unit 58 instructs the fee collection unit 7 to collect the printing fee calculated by the notification processing unit 59 as described below. The fee collection unit 7 collects the printing fee from money input by the user based on an instruction from the collection processing unit 58 and returns the balance to the user.

  The notification processing unit 59 notifies the printing fee when the print processing is executed with the execution of the print processing by the print processing unit 57 suspended, and the setting change of the reduction rate set by the setting processing unit 54 An operation or an execution operation for the printing process is accepted.

  For example, the notification processing unit 59 consumes the print process based on the number of pages of the original read in the image reading process, the number of prints set by a user operation, and the aggregation number set by the aggregation setting processing unit 55. The number of sheets to be processed is calculated. The notification processing unit 59 is set by the document image data read by the image reading process, the number of copies set by a user operation, the reduction rate set by the setting processing unit 54, and the aggregation setting processing unit 55. Based on the aggregation number, the amount of developer consumed by the printing process is calculated. The notification processing unit 59 calculates the printing fee based on the calculated number of sheets, the amount of developer, and whether or not the original image is printed in color.

  For example, the notification processing unit 59 displays the calculated printing fee on the operation display unit 6 for notification. Further, the notification processing unit 59 notifies the printing fee and causes the operation display unit 6 to display a second operation screen used for the setting change operation or the print processing execution operation.

  The print processing unit 57 executes the print process according to the print process execution operation when the print process execution operation is performed on the second operation screen.

[Print service provision processing]
Hereinafter, an example of the procedure of the print service providing process executed by the control unit 5 in the image processing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, steps S1, S2,... Represent processing procedure (step) numbers executed by the control unit 5. The print service providing process is executed when money is input to the fee collection unit 7.

<Step S1>
First, in step S <b> 1, the control unit 5 causes the operation display unit 6 to display a first operation screen used for setting the number of copies of an original image and executing the image reading process.

<Step S2>
In step S <b> 2, the control unit 5 determines whether or not an operation for executing the image reading process has been performed on the first operation screen.

  Here, if the control unit 5 determines that the execution operation of the image reading process has been performed on the first operation screen (Yes side of S2), the control unit 5 shifts the process to step S3. If the execution operation of the image reading process is not performed on the first operation screen (No side of S2), the control unit 5 waits for the execution operation of the image reading process in step S2.

<Step S3>
In step S <b> 3, the control unit 5 executes the image reading process of reading image data from a document placed on the ADF 1 or a document placed on the document table of the image reading unit 2. Here, the process of step S <b> 3 is executed by the reading processing unit 51 of the control unit 5.

  Note that the control unit 5 may execute a process of acquiring document image data from a storage unit such as a USB memory connected to the image processing apparatus 10 instead of the process of step S3.

<Step S4>
In step S4, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the image of each page of the document read in step S3 is a color image. Here, the process of step S <b> 4 is executed by the determination processing unit 52 of the control unit 5. Note that the process of step S4 may be omitted.

  Specifically, the control unit 5 detects the non-character region from the image of the document based on the image data of the document read in step S3, and the number of color pixels included in the detected non-character region is the number of color pixels. If the threshold is exceeded, it is determined that the document image is a color image.

<Step S5>
In step S5, the control unit 5 detects the specific character from the document read in step S3. Here, the process of step S5 is an example of a first step in the present invention, and is executed by the character detection unit 53 of the control unit 5.

  For example, the control unit 5 executes the character recognition process based on the document image data read in step S3. And the control part 5 detects the said specific character based on the said size information of the character acquired by the said character recognition process.

<Step S6>
In step S6, the control unit 5 sets the reduction ratio of the original image read in step S3 to the lower limit reduction ratio. Here, the process of step S6 is an example of the second step in the present invention, and is executed by the setting processing unit 54 of the control unit 5.

  Specifically, the control unit 5 specifies the character type of the specific character based on the identification information of the specific character acquired in the character recognition process in step S5. Subsequently, the control unit 5 combines the size of the specific character and the character type based on the specified character type of the specific character and the size information of the specific character acquired in the character recognition process of step S5. The lower limit reduction rate corresponding to is obtained from the table data. Then, the control unit 5 sets the obtained lower limit reduction rate as the reduction rate of the document image. When a plurality of the specific characters having different character types are detected in step S5, the control unit 5 determines the reduction rate of the document image based on the corresponding specific character having the largest lower limit reduction rate. Set.

<Step S7>
In step S7, the control unit 5 determines the originals to be collected on a sheet having a sheet size corresponding to the size of the original image according to the size of the original image after reduction according to the reduction ratio set in step S6. Set the aggregate number of images. Here, the process of step S <b> 7 is executed by the aggregation setting processing unit 55 of the control unit 5.

  For example, when the size of the original document image after reduction is less than or equal to one half of the size of the original image before reduction and exceeds one-fourth, the control unit 5 aggregates the number of original images. Is set to “2”. Further, the control unit 5 counts the number of the original images when the size of the original image after reduction is equal to or less than ¼ of the size of the original image before reduction and exceeds 1/8. Is set to “4”.

<Step S8>
In step S8, the control unit 5 determines that the document image read in step S3 is based on the number of prints set in step S1, the reduction rate set in step S6, and the aggregation number set in step S7. Then, according to the determination result in step S4, the printing fee for printing in color or monochrome is displayed on the operation display unit 6 for notification. Further, the control unit 5 notifies the printing fee and displays the second operation screen used for the setting change operation of the reduction ratio set in step S6 or the execution operation of the printing process on the operation display unit 6. Let Here, the process of step S <b> 8 is executed by the notification processing unit 59 of the control unit 5.

  The control unit 5 may limit the range of the reduction rate that can be set and changed on the second operation screen to a range that is equal to or higher than the lower limit reduction rate. Further, on the second operation screen, it may be possible to change print settings other than the reduction ratio, such as setting the number of print copies, the number of aggregations, and the print color. Further, the control unit 5 may notify the printing fee when the original image is not reduced together with the calculated printing fee.

<Step S9>
In step S <b> 9, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the setting change operation has been performed on the second operation screen.

  Here, when the control unit 5 determines that the setting change operation has been performed on the second operation screen (Yes in S9), the control unit 5 shifts the processing to step S10. If the setting change operation is not performed on the second operation screen (No side in S9), the control unit 5 shifts the process to step S11.

<Step S10>
In step S10, the control unit 5 changes the reduction ratio set in step S6 according to the setting change operation performed on the second operation screen.

<Step S11>
In step S <b> 11, the control unit 5 determines whether or not an operation for executing the printing process has been performed on the second operation screen.

  Here, when the control unit 5 determines that the print operation execution operation has been performed on the second operation screen (Yes in S11), the control unit 5 shifts the processing to Step S12. If the execution operation of the printing process is not performed on the second operation screen (No side of S11), the control unit 5 shifts the process to step S9.

<Step S12>
In step S12, the control unit 5 reduces the image of the document according to the reduction ratio set in step S6 or step S10. Here, the process of step S <b> 12 is executed by the reduction processing unit 56 of the control unit 5.

  For example, when the reduction ratio set in step S6 or step S10 is 70%, the control unit 5 sets the number of vertical and horizontal pixels included in the image data of the document read in step S3 to 0. Reduce the image data of the original so that it becomes seven times larger.

<Step S13>
In step S13, the control unit 5 executes the printing process of the image data corresponding to the original image reduced in step S12. Here, the process of step S <b> 13 is executed by the print processing unit 57 of the control unit 5.

  Specifically, the control unit 5 prints an image of each page of the document in color or monochrome according to the determination result in step S4. Further, the control unit 5 collects and prints a plurality of pages of original images corresponding to the number of aggregations set in step S7 on a sheet. Note that the control unit 5 prints a multi-page document image in either color or monochrome when the image of the multi-page document to be printed in a consolidated manner includes both a color image and a monochrome image. .

<Step S14>
In step S <b> 14, the control unit 5 is acquired based on the number of sheets consumed by the printing process executed in step S <b> 13, the amount of developer, and whether or not the original image is printed in color. Collect the printing fee. Here, the process of step S <b> 14 is executed by the collection processing unit 58 of the control unit 5.

  Specifically, if the reduction rate is not changed in step S10, the control unit 5 instructs the fee collection unit 7 to collect the printing fee calculated in step S8. Further, when the reduction rate is changed in step S10, the control unit 5 calculates the printing fee based on the changed reduction rate, and instructs the fee collection unit 7 to collect the calculated printing fee. To do. When the print setting other than the reduction ratio is changed on the second operation screen, the control unit 5 calculates the print fee based on the changed setting. The fee collection unit 7 collects the printing fee from money input by the user based on an instruction from the control unit 5 and returns the remaining amount to the user.

  In the print service providing process, it may be possible to perform an operation for setting a reduction ratio of a document image on the first operation screen displayed in step S1. In this case, when the reduction rate set on the first operation screen is less than the lower limit reduction rate in step S6, the control unit 5 uses the reduction rate set on the first operation screen as the lower limit reduction rate. To correct.

  Further, in the print service providing process, it may be possible to perform an operation for setting the aggregate number of original images on the first operation screen displayed in step S1. In this case, when the reduction rate corresponding to the number of aggregation set on the first operation screen is less than the lower limit reduction rate in step S6, the control unit 5 sets the reduction rate of the document image to the lower limit reduction rate. Set to. In step S7, the control unit 5 reduces the aggregation number set on the first operation screen to an aggregation number whose corresponding reduction ratio is equal to or greater than the lower limit reduction ratio. Further, in step S7, when the lower limit reduction rate set in step S6 exceeds 70%, the control unit 5 cancels the aggregation setting set in the first operation screen.

  Further, in the print service providing process, the processes of steps S6 and S7 are omitted, and the range of the reduction ratio that can be set on the second operation screen displayed in step S8 is a range that is equal to or larger than the lower limit reduction ratio. You may be restricted.

  As described above, in the image processing apparatus 10, the reduction ratio of the original image is automatically set to the lower limit reduction ratio based on the size of the specific character detected from the original image. Thereby, when the image of the document is reduced, it is possible to ensure the readability of a predetermined range for the characters included in the document.

  Further, the image processing apparatus 10 is notified of the print fee calculated based on the automatically set reduction rate and the number of images of the original image, and accepts a reduction rate setting change operation. As a result, the user can determine whether to maintain or change the automatically set reduction rate and the number of images of the original based on the notified printing fee.

  In the image processing apparatus 10, the fee collection unit 7 may not be provided. In this case, in the printing service providing process, the process of notifying the printing fee in step S8 and the process of step S14 can be omitted.

  In the image processing apparatus 10, the image forming unit 3 may not be provided. In this case, in the print service providing process, the control unit 5 replaces the processes of step S12, step S13, and step S14, and sets the image data of the original read in step S3 and the steps S6 and S7. Alternatively, it is conceivable to execute a process of transmitting a print processing execution instruction based on the reduction ratio and the number of aggregations changed in step S10 to another image processing apparatus.

1: ADF
2: Image reading unit 3: Image forming unit 4: Paper feeding unit 5: Control unit 51: Reading processing unit 52: Determination processing unit 53: Character detection unit 54: Setting processing unit 55: Aggregation setting processing unit 56: Reduction processing unit 57: Print processing unit 58: Collection processing unit 59: Notification processing unit 6: Operation display unit 7: Charge collection unit 10: Image processing device

Claims (10)

A character detection unit for detecting a specific character having the smallest size among the characters included in the document;
A setting processing unit capable of setting a reduction ratio of the image of the document in a range that is equal to or higher than a predetermined lower limit reduction ratio for each size of the specific character;
A reduction processing unit that reduces the image of the document according to a reduction ratio set by the setting processing unit;
A print processing unit that executes print processing of image data corresponding to the image of the original reduced by the reduction processing unit;
A collection processing unit that collects a printing fee that is acquired based on one or both of the number of sheets and the amount of developer consumed by the printing process when the printing process is executed by the print processing unit When,
Notifying the printing fee when the printing processing is executed by holding the execution of the printing processing by the printing processing unit and the printing fee when the original image is not reduced, and setting by the setting processing unit A notification processing unit for displaying an operation screen used for the operation for changing the set reduction rate or for executing the printing process;
A control unit that limits the range of the reduction rate that can be set and changed on the operation screen to a range that is equal to or greater than the lower limit reduction rate;
Equipped with a,
The print processing unit, an image processing apparatus that perform the printing process in response to the execution operation.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower limit reduction rate is predetermined for each combination of the size and character type of the specific character.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting processing unit can limit a settable range of a reduction ratio of the document image by a user operation to a range that is equal to or greater than the lower limit reduction ratio.   The setting processing unit can correct the reduction rate set by the user operation to the lower limit reduction rate when the reduction rate of the image of the document set by the user operation is less than the lower limit reduction rate. Item 4. The image processing device according to any one of Items 1 to 3.   The setting processing unit reduces or sets the aggregation number set by the user operation when the reduction ratio corresponding to the aggregation number of the original images set by the user operation is less than the lower limit reduction ratio. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus can be released.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting processing unit can automatically set the reduction ratio of the image of the document to the lower limit reduction ratio.   The image according to claim 6, further comprising: an aggregation setting processing unit capable of setting an aggregation number of the original image according to a size of the original image after reduction according to a reduction ratio set by the setting processing unit. Processing equipment. A determination processing unit that determines whether the image of the document is a color image based on the number of color pixels in a non-character area that does not include characters in the image of the document;
The print processing unit prints an image of the document in color or monochrome according to a determination result by the determination processing unit,
The collection processing unit is configured to acquire the print acquired based on one or both of the number of sheets and the amount of developer consumed by the printing process, and whether or not the image of the document is printed in color. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a fee is collected. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising one or both of an image reading unit capable of reading image data from the document and an image forming unit capable of forming an image based on the image data. A first step of detecting a specific character having a minimum size among characters included in the document;
A second step of setting a reduction ratio of the image of the document in a range that is equal to or higher than a predetermined lower limit reduction ratio for each size of the specific character;
A third step of reducing the image of the document according to the reduction ratio set in the second step;
A fourth step of executing a printing process of image data corresponding to the image of the original reduced in the third step;
Fifth step of collecting a printing fee acquired based on one or both of the number of sheets and the amount of developer consumed by the printing process when the printing process is executed in the fourth step When,
Notifying the printing fee when the printing process is executed with the execution of the printing process in the fourth step suspended and the printing fee when the image of the original is not reduced, and in the second step A sixth step of displaying an operation screen used for a setting change operation of the set reduction ratio or an operation for executing the printing process;
A seventh step of limiting the range of the reduction ratio that can be changed on the operation screen to a range that is equal to or greater than the lower limit reduction ratio;
Only including,
In the fourth step, an image processing method in which the printing process is executed in accordance with the execution operation .

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