JP6756242B2 - Image processing equipment and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present specification relates to image processing for copying.

Conventionally, a scanning process and a printing process are executed to copy a document. As the manuscript, an identification card (also called an ID card) such as a driver's license or an employee ID card may be used. Further, when copying both sides of an identification card, a technique has been proposed in which one side and the other side are combined so as to be in contact with each other.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-61635

By the way, a manuscript representing a person's face, such as an identification card with a photo, may be copied. When printing an image representing a manuscript in which one side represents a face and the other side does not represent a face and represents another object (for example, characters), an area that can represent a face and others. Area and can be printed. However, there is room for ingenuity in the printing mode on the recording medium between the area where the face can be represented and the other area.

The present specification discloses a technique for suitably printing a region that can represent a face and another region on a recording medium.

The present specification discloses, for example, the following application examples.

[Application Example 1] An image processing apparatus, which is a first image generated by optically reading the first surface of a document, and is a first image around the first document image and the first document image. Generated by optically reading the first acquisition unit for acquiring the first image data representing the first image including the non-manuscript image of 1 and the second surface of the manuscript opposite to the first surface. The second acquisition unit that acquires the second image data representing the second image including the second original image and the second non-manuscript image around the second original image. A first region specifying portion that specifies a first rectangular region representing the first original image in the first image, and a second rectangular region representing the second original image in the second image. It is determined which of the first rectangular region and the second rectangular region includes the face by using the second region specifying unit for specifying the above and at least one of the first image data and the second image data. Of the determination unit, the main rectangular area which is the area determined to include the face of the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area, and the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area. A generation unit that generates composite data representing a composite image including a sub-rectangular region that is a region different from the main rectangular region, and the main rectangular region and the sub-rectangular region are (1) the main rectangular. The first side of the edge of the region is in contact with the second side of the edge of the sub-rectangular region, or (2) the vicinity of the first side of the edge of the main rectangular region is separated from the first side. First image processing is performed on the generation unit and the image data representing the main rectangular region, which are synthesized so as to satisfy any of the conditions that the second side of the edge of the sub-rectangular region is aligned. Is executed, and the image data representing the sub-rectangular region is printed by using the image processing unit that executes the second image processing different from the first image processing and the data processed by the image processing unit. An image processing device including a print control unit for printing the composite image on the unit.

According to this configuration, when the main rectangular area which is the area determined to include the face and the sub-rectangular area different from the main rectangular area are printed so as to be in contact with each other, or when they are printed side by side in the vicinity. In some cases, appropriate image processing can be performed on the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area.

[Application Example 2] An image processing apparatus, which is a first image generated by optically reading a first surface of a document, and is a first image around the first document image and the first document image. Generated by optically reading the first acquisition unit for acquiring the first image data representing the first image including the non-manuscript image of 1 and the second surface of the manuscript opposite to the first surface. The second acquisition unit that acquires the second image data representing the second image including the second manuscript image and the second non-manuscript image around the second manuscript image. A first region specifying portion that specifies a first rectangular region representing the first original image in the first image, and a second rectangular region representing the second original image in the second image. It is determined which of the first rectangular region and the second rectangular region includes a face by using the second region specifying unit for specifying the above and at least one of the first image data and the second image data. Of the determination unit, the main rectangular area which is the area determined to include the face of the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area, and the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area. A generation unit that generates composite data representing a composite image including a sub-rectangular region that is a region different from the main rectangular region, and the corners of the main rectangular region are images on a recording medium for printing. The main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area are arranged at the corners of the print area which is a printable area, and (1) the first side of the edge of the main rectangular area is the edge of the sub-rectangular area. The second side is in contact, or (2) the second side of the edge of the sub-rectangular region is lined up in the vicinity of the first side of the edge of the main rectangular region, away from the first side. An image processing device including the generation unit and a print control unit for causing a print execution unit to print the composite image, which are synthesized so as to satisfy any of the conditions of.

According to this configuration, the main rectangular area, which is the area determined to include the face, and the sub-rectangular area different from the main rectangular area are printed so as to be in contact with each other, or are printed side by side in the vicinity. In some cases, the corners of the main rectangular area can be printed near the corners of the recording medium.

The techniques disclosed in the present specification can be realized in various aspects, for example, an image processing method and an image processing device, a computer program for realizing the functions of those methods or devices, and a computer thereof. It can be realized in the form of a recording medium on which the program is recorded (for example, a recording medium that is not temporary).

It is explanatory drawing which shows the multifunction device 200 as one Example. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a copy process. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a reading process. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a reading process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the identification card 300 and the example of a scanned image. It is explanatory drawing of the composite image. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a print process. It is a schematic diagram of printing by a printing process. It is a graph which shows the example of the tone curve used for adjustment. It is the schematic of another embodiment of the arrangement of the main allocation area 810 and the sub-allocation area 820. It is the schematic of another embodiment of the arrangement of the main allocation area 810 and the sub-allocation area 820.

A. First Example:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a multifunction device 200 as an embodiment. The multifunction device 200 includes a control device 202, a scanner unit 280, and a printing unit 290. The control device 202 includes a processor 210, a volatile storage device 220, a non-volatile storage device 230, a display unit 240 for displaying an image, an operation unit 250 for accepting an operation by a user, and a communication interface 270. ing. These elements are connected to each other via a bus.

The processor 210 is a device that performs data processing, for example, a CPU. The volatile storage device 220 is, for example, a DRAM, and the non-volatile storage device 230 is, for example, a flash memory. The non-volatile storage device 230 stores the program 232. By executing the program 232, the processor 210 executes a copy process of causing the printing unit 290 to print the image optically read by the scanner unit 280 (details will be described later). The processor 210 temporarily stores various intermediate data used for executing the program 232 in a storage device (for example, either a volatile storage device 220 or a non-volatile storage device 230). In this embodiment, the program 232 is pre-stored in the non-volatile storage device 230 as firmware by, for example, the manufacturer of the multifunction device 200. However, the multifunction device 200 may be configured so that at least a part of the program 232 is acquired from an external device (for example, a server) and stored in the non-volatile storage device 230.

The display unit 240 is a device for displaying an image, for example, a liquid crystal display. The operation unit 250 is a device that receives an operation by the user, and is, for example, a touch panel that is superposed on the display unit 240. The user can input various instructions to the multifunction device 200 by operating the operation unit 250.

Interface 270 is an interface for communicating with other devices (eg, USB interface, wired LAN interface, IEEE 802.11 wireless interface).

The scanner unit 280 optically reads an object such as a document using a photoelectric conversion element such as CCD or CMOS to generate scan data representing the read image (referred to as “scan image”). The data format of the scan data may be any format. In this embodiment, the data format of the scan data is a bitmap format represented in the RGB color space. Hereinafter, each color component of RGB is represented by 256 gradations from zero to 255.

The print unit 290 is an example of a print execution unit that executes printing. The printing unit 290 is a device that prints an image on paper (an example of a recording medium) by a predetermined method (for example, a laser method or an inkjet method). In this embodiment, the printing unit 290 is an inkjet printing device capable of printing a color image using four types of inks, cyan C, magenta M, yellow Y, and black K. The printing unit 290 includes a printing head 291, a transport mechanism 293, a scanning mechanism 294, and a control unit 295. The print head 291 has a plurality of nozzles 292 for ejecting a coloring material (here, ink droplets) to form dots on the paper. The transport mechanism 293 is a device that transports paper in a predetermined transport direction. The scanning mechanism 294 is a device that moves the print head 291 in a predetermined scanning direction intersecting the transport direction. The print head 291 has a plurality of nozzles 292 whose positions in the transport direction are different from each other for each color material. The control unit 295 is a device that controls the print head 291 and the transfer mechanism 293 and the scanning mechanism 294. The control unit 295 is composed of, for example, a dedicated electric circuit (for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)). The details of the control by the control unit 295 will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of copy processing. This copy process is started by the processor 210, for example, in response to the user inputting a copy instruction by operating the operation unit 250.

In this embodiment, the multifunction device 200 can execute a plurality of types of copy processing including a normal copy processing and a copy processing for copying the identification card (also referred to as ID copy) as the copy processing. In S100, the user selects the ID copy by operating the operation unit 250. Hereinafter, ID copy will be described, and description of normal copy processing will be omitted.

In S110, the processor 210 optically reads the first scan data generated by optically reading one side of the identification card and the other side of the identification card by controlling the scanner unit 280. The second scan data generated by is acquired. Then, the processor 210 uses these scan data to generate composite data representing a composite image including an image representing one side of the identification card and an image representing the other side (details will be described later). In S120, the processor 210 prints a composite image by controlling the printing unit 290 (details will be described later). Then, the process of FIG. 2 is completed.

3 and 4 are flowcharts showing an example of the reading process of S110 of FIG. FIG. 4 shows a continuation of the process of FIG. In S200 of FIG. 3, one side of the identification card, which is an example of the original, is read by the scanner unit 280. For example, the user places an identification card on a platen (not shown) of the scanner unit 280, and operates the operation unit 250 to input an instruction to start scanning. The processor 210 controls the scanner unit 280 in response to the instruction, and causes the scanner unit 280 to read the identification card. The scanner unit 280 generates first scan data representing the first scan image including the first original image representing the read identification card. The processor 210 acquires the first scan data from the scanner unit 280.

5 (A) and 5 (B) are explanatory views showing an example of the identification card 300. FIG. 5 (A) shows the front surface 310 of the identification card 300, and FIG. 5 (B) shows the back surface 320 of the identification card 300. The shape of the identification card 300 is substantially rectangular (the corners of the identification card 300 may be rounded or cut off). As shown in FIG. 5A, the surface 310 represents a face photograph 311 and character strings 312 and 313. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the back surface 320 represents the character strings 321 and 322. As such, the face image is usually included on only one side of the identification card 300. The upward directions U1 and U2 in each figure indicate the upward directions on the surfaces 310 and 320.

FIG. 5C is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the first scanned image. In the example of FIG. 5C, the first scan image 410 includes a first original image 415 representing the identification card 300 and a margin 418 around the first original image 415. In this embodiment, the scanned image is a rectangular image surrounded by two sides parallel to the first direction Da and two sides parallel to the second direction Db perpendicular to the first direction Da. Further, in this embodiment, the scanner unit 280 can read a document of a predetermined size (for example, A4 size). The identification card 300 is smaller than this size. Therefore, a margin is generated around the first original image 415. The margin portion 418 is represented by, for example, the color (for example, white) of the portion of the scanner unit 280 on the document side of the cover of the platen. Hereinafter, the margin portion 418 is also referred to as the first non-manuscript image 418. The first original image 415 represents either the front surface 310 or the back surface 320 of the identification card 300. Hereinafter, the description will be made assuming that the first original image 415 represents the surface 310.

In S205 of FIG. 3, the processor 210 analyzes the first scan data to identify the first rectangular region 500 representing the first original image 415 in the first scan image 410 (FIG. 5C). As a method for specifying the first rectangular region 500, various methods can be adopted. For example, the processor 210 is a continuous region represented by a color different from a predetermined color range (for example, a range of some colors including white) representing the color of the margin portion 418 from the first scan image 410. (Hereinafter, each of the specified one or more regions is referred to as a candidate region). Then, the processor 210 adopts the candidate area having the maximum area (that is, the maximum number of pixels) among the specified one or more candidate areas as the first rectangular area 500. The largest candidate area is an area representing the identification card 300, which is a substantially rectangular area. The remaining four sides of the edge of the substantially rectangular candidate region excluding the corner portion are used as the four sides of the edge of the first rectangular region 500. As described above, the first rectangular area 500 is the smallest rectangular area including the candidate area representing the identification card 300.

The candidate area representing the identification card 300 may be tilted with respect to the first scan image 410. In this case, the specified first rectangular region 500 is also tilted with respect to the first scan image 410. The processor 210 corrects the tilt of the first rectangular region 500 in order to use the non-tilted image of the first rectangular region 500 (that is, the non-tilted image of the identification card 300) in the process described later. As a method of tilt correction, various methods can be adopted. For example, in the processor 210, of the four sides of the first rectangular region 500, two parallel sides are parallel to the first direction Da of the first scan image 410, and the remaining two parallel sides are the second direction Db. The image of the first rectangular region 500 is rotated so as to be parallel to.

In S210 of FIG. 3, the processor 210 executes the face recognition process of the first rectangular area 500. The face recognition process is a process of recognizing a face in an image. In S210, image data obtained by performing tilt correction on the first scan data is used. It can be said that such face recognition processing is performed using the first scan data. As the face recognition process, various known processes can be adopted. For example, it is possible to adopt a process of detecting a region representing a face by pattern matching using a predetermined organ image (for example, an image representing eyes and mouth).

In S215, the processor 210 determines whether or not a face has been detected by the face recognition process of S210. Determining whether or not a face is detected from the first rectangular area 500 is the same as determining whether or not a face is included in the first rectangular area 500.

When it is determined that the face is included in the first rectangular area 500 (S215: Yes), in S220, the processor 210 specifies the orientation of the image in the first rectangular area 500 according to the result of the face recognition process. In the face recognition process, the arrangement of organs such as the eyes and mouth of the face, that is, the orientation of the face is specified. The processor 210 identifies the upward direction of the face as the upward direction 501 (FIG. 5C) of the image of the first rectangular region 500. The identified upward direction 501 is the same as the upward direction of the identification card 300 represented by the first rectangular region 500 (for example, the upward direction U1 of the surface 310 (FIG. 5A)).

In S225, the processor 210 arranges the image of the first rectangular area 500 so that the orientation of the image of the first rectangular area 500 determined to include the face is the first reference direction described later in the composite image for printing. Rotate.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the composite image. FIG. 6A shows the paper 700 and the print area 800, which is an area on which an image can be printed. As the paper 700, a paper having a predetermined size (for example, A4 size), which is sufficiently larger than the identification card 300, is used.

In this embodiment, the printing unit 290 can perform so-called borderless printing. Borderless printing can print an image on the entire sheet 700. Then, in the ID copy, the composite image is printed by borderless printing. As shown in the figure, the shape and size of the print area 800 are the same as the shape and size of the paper 700. In the figure, an upward DU, a right DR, a downward DD, and a left DL of the print area 800 (that is, the paper 700) are shown. The shape of the print area 800 and the paper 700 is a rectangular shape surrounded by two sides parallel to the right DR and two sides parallel to the downward DD.

As shown in FIG. 6A, a main allocation area 810 and a sub allocation area 820 are arranged in the print area 800. The main allocation area 810 is an area to which the image of the face including the face of the identification card 300 is assigned, and the sub-allocation area 820 is an area to which the image of the surface opposite to the identification card 300 is assigned. The shapes and sizes of these allocation regions 810 and 820 are adjusted to the shapes and sizes of the first rectangular region 500 specified in S205 of FIG.

The main allocation area 810 is a rectangular area surrounded by two sides parallel to the right DR and two sides parallel to the upward DU. The upward direction 810u shown in the main allocation area 810 indicates the upward direction of the image allocated to the main allocation area 810 (also referred to as the first reference direction 810u). The upward 810u of the main allocation area 810 is the same as the upward DU of the print area 800. The main allocation area 810 is arranged so that the upper left corner 811 with respect to the upward direction 810u of the main allocation area 810 is located at the upper left corner 805 of the print area 800. The upper left corner 805 of the print area 800 is a corner associated with the upper left corner 705 of the paper 700, and specifically, is the corner closest to the upper left corner 705 of the paper 700. Hereinafter, the main allocation area 810 is also referred to as a corner area 810.

The sub-allocation area 820 is a rectangular area surrounded by two sides parallel to the right DR and two sides parallel to the upward DU. The sub-allocation area 820 is arranged on the downward DD side of the main allocation area 810 (that is, inside the paper 700 with respect to the main allocation area 810). Hereinafter, the sub-allocation area 820 is also referred to as an inner area 820. The upward direction 820u shown in the sub-allocation area 820 indicates the upward direction of the image allocated to the sub-allocation area 820 (also referred to as a second reference direction 820u). The upward direction 820u of the sub-allocation area 820 is the opposite direction to the upward direction 810u of the main allocation area 810. The lower side 827 with reference to the upward 820u of the sub-allocation area 820 is in contact with the lower side 817 with reference to the upward 810u of the main allocation area 810. The arrangement of the allocation areas 810 and 820 and the directions 810u and 820u are predetermined.

In S225 of FIG. 3, the processor 210 displays an image of the first rectangular region 500 (FIG. 5 (C)) determined to include a face, and the upward direction of the first rectangular region 500 is the first reference direction 810u (FIG. 6 (FIG. 6). A)), rotate it so that it becomes. In S230, the processor 210 allocates the rotated image of the first rectangular region 500 to the main allocation region 810. Then, the process shifts to S300 of FIG.

FIG. 6B shows an example of the composite image 490. The composite image 490 includes an image allocated to the main allocation region 810 and an image allocated to the sub-allocation region 820. In the example of FIG. 6B, the image (including the first original image 415) of the first rectangular region 500 (FIG. 5C) is assigned to the main allocation region 810. The upper left corner 511 of the first rectangular area 500 is arranged at the upper left corner 811 of the main allocation area 810. In this embodiment, the upper left corner 811 of the main allocation area 810 is the upper left corner 805 of the print area 800 (FIG. 6 (A)) (here, the upper left corner 705 of the paper 700 (FIG. 6 (A))). (Same as above).

In S300 of FIG. 4, the other side of the identification card is read by the scanner unit 280. This process is performed in the same manner as in S200 of FIG. Here, the user puts the opposite side of the identification card on the platen, and operates the operation unit 250 to input an instruction to start reading. The scanner unit 280 generates second scan data representing a second scan image including a second original image representing the read identification card. The processor 210 acquires the second scan data from the scanner unit 280.

FIG. 5D is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the second scan image 420 represented by the second scan data. Similar to the first scan image 410 (FIG. 5 (C)), the second scan image 420 also includes a second original image 425 representing the identification card 300 and a margin portion 428 around the second original image 425. (Hereinafter, the margin portion 428 is also referred to as the second non-manuscript image 428). The second original image 425 represents the surface of the front surface 310 and the back surface 320 of the identification card 300 that is opposite to the surface represented by the first original image 415 (FIG. 3C).

In S305 of FIG. 4, the processor 210 analyzes the second scan data to identify the second rectangular region 600 representing the second original image 425 in the second scan image 420 (FIG. 5 (D)). The method for specifying the second rectangular area 600 is the same as the method for specifying the first rectangular area 500. Further, the processor 210 corrects the inclination of the second rectangular region 600.

In S310 of FIG. 4, the processor 210 executes the character recognition process of the second rectangular area 600. The character recognition process is a process of recognizing characters in an image. In S310, image data obtained by performing tilt correction on the second scan data is used. It can be said that such character recognition processing is performed using the second scan data. As the character recognition process, various known processes can be adopted. For example, it is possible to adopt a process of detecting characters by pattern matching using a predetermined character image.

In S315, the processor 210 specifies the orientation of the second rectangular area 600 according to the result of the character recognition process. The processor 210 specifies the upward direction of the character specified by the character recognition process as the upward direction 601 (FIG. 5 (D)) of the second rectangular area 600. For example, the processor 210 has four directions: a first direction Da (FIG. 5 (D)), a second direction Db, a direction opposite to the first direction Da, and a direction opposite to the second direction Db. For each, the character recognition process is executed assuming that the direction is upward. Then, the processor 210 adopts the direction having the largest number of recognized characters as the upward direction of the characters. The upward direction 601 specified from the second rectangular area 600 is the same as the upward direction (for example, the upward direction U2 of the back surface 320 (FIG. 5B)) of the identification card 300 represented by the second rectangular area 600. is there.

In S320 of FIG. 4, the processor 210 determines whether or not a face is detected from the first rectangular region 500 in S210 of FIG. In this embodiment, the processor 210 determines that the second rectangular area 600 includes a face when a face is not detected from the first rectangular area 500. Hereinafter, of the first rectangular area 500 and the second rectangular area 600, the rectangular area determined to include the face is referred to as a main rectangular area. Then, among the rectangular areas 500 and 600, a rectangular area different from the main rectangular area is called a sub-rectangular area. In the examples of FIGS. 5C and 5D, the first rectangular area 500 is the main rectangular area, and the second rectangular area 600 is the sub-rectangular area.

When a face is detected from the first rectangular area 500 (S320: Yes), in S345, the processor 210 has the second rectangular area 600 in the second direction of the sub-allocation area 820 (FIG. 6A). The image of the second rectangular region 600 is rotated so as to be in the reference direction 820u. In S350, the processor 210 allocates the rotated image of the second rectangular area 600 to the sub-allocation area 820. Then, the processes of FIGS. 3 and 4 are completed. As shown in FIG. 6B, the image of the second rectangular region 600 faces in the opposite direction to the image of the first rectangular region 500. The image of the first rectangular area 500 and the image of the second rectangular area 600 are combined so that the lower side 620 of the second rectangular area 600 contacts the lower side 520 of the first rectangular area 500. The lower side 520 of the first rectangular region 500 is a side in the direction opposite to the upward direction 501. The lower side 620 of the second rectangular region 600 is a side in the direction opposite to the upward direction 601.

In this way, when it is determined that the first rectangular area 500 includes a face, the image of the first rectangular area 500 and the image of the second rectangular area 600 are obtained by S230 of FIG. 3 and S350 of FIG. Is synthesized. The processor 210 generates composite data representing the composite image 490 (FIG. 6B) by S230 and S350. In this embodiment, the data format of the composite data is the same as the data format of the scan data (for example, RGB bitmap format).

When the first rectangular area 500 represents the back surface 320 of the identification card 300 and the second rectangular area 600 represents the front surface 310, the processes of FIGS. 3 and 4 proceed as follows. In S210 of FIG. 3, since the face is not detected from the first rectangular region 500, the determination result of S215 is No. Subsequent S235, S240, S245, and S250 are the same as the processing obtained by changing the processing target area of S310, S315, S345, and S350 in FIG. 4 from the second rectangular area 600 to the first rectangular area 500, respectively. .. As a result, the image of the back surface 320 represented by the first rectangular region 500 is allocated to the sub-allocation region 820 as shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B). The determination result of S320 in FIG. 4 is No. Subsequent S325 and S330 are the same as the processing obtained by changing the processing target area of S225 and S230 in FIG. 3 from the first rectangular area 500 to the second rectangular area 600, respectively. As a result, the image of the surface 310 represented by the second rectangular region 600 is allocated to the main allocation region 810 as shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B). As described above, in this embodiment, when it is not determined that the first rectangular region 500 includes the face, it is determined that the second rectangular region 600 includes the face. Then, the processor 210 generates composite data representing the composite image 490 (FIG. 6 (B)) by S250 and S330.

In this way, regardless of the reading order of the front surface 310 and the back surface 320 of the identification card 300, the image of the front surface 310 including the face is allocated to the main allocation area 810, and the image of the back surface 320 is allocated to the sub allocation area 820. Be done. Then, the processor 210 generates composite data representing the composite image 490 (S230, S250, S330, S350). As a result, the processing of FIGS. 3 and 4, that is, S110 of FIG. 2 is completed.

In S120 of FIG. 2, the processor 210 causes the printing unit 290 to print the composite image using the composite data. In this embodiment, the processor 210 executes the following processing.
S1) Color conversion processing of pixel values represented by composite data S2) Halftone processing using color-converted data S3) Print data generation processing using halftone-processed data S4) Print data to print unit 290 Processing to be supplied The following will be described in order.

In the color conversion process, the pixel value represented by the composite data (here, the RGB gradation value) is represented by the pixel value represented by the color space corresponding to the type of color material available for printing (here, CMYK). It is a process of converting to the gradation value of. The color conversion process is performed using a look-up table in which the correspondence between the gradation value before conversion and the gradation value after conversion is predetermined. Such a look-up table is provided by the manufacturer of the multifunction device 200 (FIG. 1) together with the program 232 (not shown).

The halftone process is a process of generating dot data representing a dot formation state for each pixel and each type of ink by using the color-converted data. In this embodiment, the halftone process is executed by using an error diffusion process using an error matrix. Instead of this, halftone processing using a dither matrix may be adopted. The dot formation state includes, for example, the presence or absence of dots. Further, the dot formation state may include the presence / absence of dots and the size of dots.

The print data generation process is a process of generating print data represented in a data format that can be interpreted by the control unit 295 of the print unit 290 using the dot data. The processor 210, for example, arranges dot data in the order in which it is used for printing, and adds various printer control codes and data identification codes to generate print data.

The processor 210 supplies the generated print data to the printing unit 290. The control unit 295 of the print unit 290 prints a composite image by controlling the print head 291 and the transfer mechanism 293 and the scanning mechanism 294 according to the received print data. Then, the processor 210 ends the process of FIG. In this way, the processor 210 generates print data and supplies the generated print data to the print unit 290 to cause the print unit 290 to print an image. The process of S120 in FIG. 2 is not limited to the above process, and various known processes can be adopted.

By the above processing, the composite image 490 shown in FIG. 6 (B) is printed on the paper 700 (FIG. 6 (A)). The user can easily obtain a copy of the identification card 300 by cutting out the portion on which the composite image 490 is printed from the paper 700.

Further, as described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the processor 210 is a corner of the composite image 490 (here, the corner 811 of the main allocation area 810, specifically, a main rectangular area. 511) is arranged in the corner 805 of the print area 800 to generate composite data representing the composite image 490. Normally, the corners of the print area are arranged close to the corners of the paper 700. For example, in this embodiment, the corners 805 of the print area 800 are arranged at the corners 705 of the paper 700. Therefore, the two sides 495, 489 extending from the corner 811 of the composite image 490 (FIG. 6 (B)) are located near the two edges 725,728 extending from the corner 705 of the paper 700 (FIG. 6 (A)). Each is placed. As a result, the remaining two sides 496, 497 (FIG. 6 (B)) of the paper 700 are easily cut without cutting the two sides 495 and 298 of the composite image 490. A portion on which the composite image 490 is printed (that is, a copy of the identification card 300) can be cut out from the paper 700.

Further, in the corner 805 of the print area 800, the corner 511 of the main rectangular area (here, the first rectangular area 500) including the face is arranged. Therefore, two sides of the main rectangular area including the face are arranged on the two edges 725 and 728 of the paper 700. As a result, it is not necessary to cut the two sides of the main rectangular area including the face, so that the portion on which the composite image 490 is printed can be cut while the edges of the surface including the face are clean.

Further, as described in S210 and S215 of FIG. 3 and S320 of FIG. 4, the processor 210 performs face recognition processing to determine which of the first rectangular area 500 and the second rectangular area 600 includes a face. to decide. Therefore, it can be appropriately determined whether or not the rectangular area includes the face.

Further, when it is determined that the first rectangular area 500 includes a face (FIG. 3: S215: Yes), the processor 210 responds to the result of the face recognition process based on the first scan data in S220 of FIG. The orientation of the first rectangular area 500 (that is, the main rectangular area including the face) is specified, and in S315 of FIG. 4, the second rectangular area 600 (that is, that is, the second rectangular area 600 (that is, the main rectangular area including the face) is specified according to the result of the character recognition processing based on the second scan data. Specify the orientation of the sub-rectangular area). Further, when it is not determined that the first rectangular area 500 includes the face (FIG. 3: S215: No), the processor 210 determines the result of the character recognition process based on the first scan data in S240 of FIG. The orientation of the first rectangular area 500 (that is, the sub-rectangular area) is specified accordingly, and in S315 of FIG. 4, the second rectangular area 600 (that is, the face) is set according to the result of the character recognition processing based on the second scan data. Specify the orientation of the main rectangular area including). As described above, the orientation of the main rectangular area determined to include the face and the orientation of the sub-rectangular area different from the main rectangular area depend on at least one of the result of the face recognition process and the result of the character recognition process. , Identified. Therefore, the orientation of the main rectangular region and the orientation of the sub-rectangular region can be appropriately specified. Further, the orientation of the second rectangular region 600 is specified according to the result of the character recognition process that does not include the face recognition process. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the processing load caused by the face recognition processing.

Further, as described with reference to FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B), the image of the first rectangular region 500 and the image of the second rectangular region 600 are the main rectangular region including the face (here, the first rectangle). The lower side 520 of the edge of the region 500) and the lower side 620 of the edge of the sub-rectangular region (here, the second rectangular region 600) are combined so as to be in contact with each other. Therefore, when the paper 700 on which the composite image 490 is printed is folded at the boundary between the main rectangle area and the sub-rectangle area to overlap the main rectangle area and the sub-rectangle area, the orientation of the sub-rectangle area is set to that of the main rectangle area. It can be oriented in the same direction as the orientation.

B. Second Example:
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the printing process (FIG. 2: S120) of the second embodiment. The only difference from the printing process of the first embodiment is that different image processing is executed between the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area. The processing of S100 and S110 in FIG. 2 is the same as the processing of S100 and S110 of the first embodiment, respectively.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of printing of the second embodiment. In FIG. 8, the paper 700, the print area 800, and the composite image 490 are shown. On the right side of the paper 700, the position of the upward DU of the print head 291 with respect to the paper 700 is shown. In this embodiment, the scanning mechanism 294 of the printing unit 290 (FIG. 1) moves the printing head 291 in a direction parallel to the right DR with respect to the paper 700 (also referred to as a scanning direction). The transport mechanism 293 transports the paper 700 toward the upward DU. The control unit 295 drives the print head 291 to form dots on the paper 700 during scanning while moving the print head 291 with respect to the paper 700 in the scanning direction, and conveys the paper 700. By repeating this, the image is printed on the paper 700.

In this embodiment, the composite image is divided into a plurality of band regions (here, eight band regions B1 to B8). Each of the plurality of band regions B1 to B8 is a band-shaped region extending in the rightward DR. The main allocation region 810 is represented by the four band regions B1 to B4 on the upward DU side, and the sub-allocation region 820 is represented by the four band regions B5 to B8 on the downward DD side. In this embodiment, the print head 291 can print an image on two adjacent band regions by one pass processing.

Further, in this embodiment, the band areas B1 to B4 representing at least a part of the main allocation area 810 including the face are printed by multipath printing. Band areas B5 to B8, which do not represent the main allocation area 810 but represent the sub-allocation area 820, are printed by single-pass printing. Single-pass printing is a process of printing the entire image of the band area in one pass process. Multi-pass printing is a process of printing an image in a band area by dividing it into a plurality of pass processes. In multi-pass printing, the formation of dots at a plurality of pixel positions in one band region is dispersed in a plurality of pass processes. As such a multi-pass printing method, various known methods can be adopted. In the example of FIG. 8, each of the four band areas B1 to B4 representing the main allocation area 810 is printed by two pass processes.

FIG. 8 shows seven pass processes P1 to P7 for printing the composite image 490. The print heads 291 associated with the pass processes P1 to P7 have a half portion 291u (referred to as an upper portion 291u) on the upward DU side and a half portion 291d (referred to as a lower portion 291d) on the downward DD side. The parts used for printing are hatched.

In the first pass processing P1, the lower portion 291d performs a part of the image of the first band area B1 (specifically, a plurality of pixel positions of a part of the plurality of pixel positions of the first band area B1). Print. After the first pass processing P1, the paper 700 is conveyed to the upward DU by the width of one band region (that is, half the length of the distribution width of the plurality of nozzles of the print head 291). Then, the second pass processing P2 is performed. In the second pass processing P2, the upper portion 291u prints the remaining portion of the image in the first band region B1, and the lower portion 291d prints a part of the image in the second band region B2. In this way, the pass processes P1 to P5 for printing a plurality of pixel positions of a part of the band area and the transfer of the width length of one band area are alternately repeated to obtain the main allocation area 810. The entire image of (band areas B1 to B5) is printed.

In the sixth pass processing P6, the print head 291 prints the entire image of the two band regions B5 and B6. After the sixth pass processing P6, the paper 700 is conveyed to the upward DU by the width length of the two band regions (that is, the distribution width length of the plurality of nozzles of the print head 291), and then The seventh pass process P7 is performed. In the seventh pass process P7, the print head 291 prints the entire image of the two band regions B7 and B8. As a result, the composite image 490 is printed.

In S400 of FIG. 7, the processor 210 selects the band area on the uppermost DU side from the plurality of unprocessed band areas representing the composite image as the band area to be processed (hereinafter, referred to as a target band area). ). In S410, the processor 210 determines whether or not the target band area represents the main allocation area 810. When the target band area represents the main allocation area 810 (S410: Yes), the processor 210 executes the first image processing in S420. The first image processing includes the following processing.
SA1) Tone curve adjustment processing of the pixel value of the target band area represented by the composite data SA2) Color conversion processing of the pixel value with the tone curve adjusted SA3) Halftone processing using the color-converted data SA4) Halftone processing completed Data generation process for multi-pass printing using the above data will be described below in order.

The tone curve adjustment process of S420 is a process of adjusting the pixel value (here, the RGB gradation value) represented by the composite data by using the tone curve. FIG. 9 is a graph showing an example of a tone curve used for adjustment. The horizontal axis shows the gradation value Vi before adjustment (referred to as input gradation value Vi), and the vertical axis shows the gradation value Vo after adjustment (output gradation value Vo). In the figure, two tone curves C1 and C2 are shown. Adjustment of the gradation value using such a tone curve is also called gamma adjustment. In this embodiment, each gradation value of RGB is adjusted.

In the first tone curve C1, the output gradation value Vo is the input floor in the intermediate gradation range between the darkest gradation value (here, zero) and the brightest gradation value (here, 255). It is configured to be larger than the tuning Vi. When this first tone curve C1 is used, the saturation becomes high in the chromatic region. In S420 of FIG. 7, the processor 210 adjusts the gradation value by using the first tone curve C1. That is, the color of the main allocation region 810 including the face is adjusted by the first tone curve C1. As a result, the color of the face image is adjusted to a vivid color.

The second tone curve C2 is used to adjust the color of the sub-allocation region 820, as will be described later. The second tone curve C2 shows a correspondence relationship between the input gradation value Vi and the output gradation value Vo, which are different from those of the first tone curve C1. In the second tone curve C2, the output gradation value Vo is set to zero in a part of the range including zero (the range of the first value V1 or less), and the second tone curve C2 includes a part of the range (second) including the maximum value (255). In the range of the value V2 or more), the output gradation value Vo is configured to be set to the maximum value. Further, in the range of the first value V1 or more and the second value V2 or less, the output gradation value Vo changes from zero to the maximum value in proportion to the input gradation value Vi. When the second tone curve C2 is used, the color of the light portion is adjusted to white and the color of the dark portion is adjusted to black. As a result, the contrast of the area representing the black characters on the white background is increased, and the characters are easy to read.

In the color conversion process of S420, the tone curve adjusted pixel value (here, RGB gradation value) is represented by the pixel value (here, the pixel value corresponding to the type of color material available for printing). It is a process of converting to a CMYK gradation value). This color conversion process is the same as the color conversion process described in S120 (FIG. 2) of the first embodiment. Further, the halftone processing of S420 is the same as the halftone processing described in S120 (FIG. 2) of the first embodiment.

The data generation process for multipath printing in S420 is as follows. As described with reference to FIG. 8, when the target band area is printed by multi-pass printing, the formation of dots of a plurality of pixels in the target band area is dispersed in a plurality of pass processes. Therefore, the processor 210 divides the dot data of the target band area for each pass process and generates the dot data for each pass process. For example, when the first band region B1 in FIG. 7 is the target band region, dot data for the first pass processing P1 and dot data for the second pass processing P2 are generated. Here, the processor 210 arranges the data of a plurality of pixels included in the dot data in the order in which they are used for printing. For example, the data representing the dot formation state of each of the plurality of pixels is rearranged according to the moving direction of the print head 291 in the pass processing.

In S420 of FIG. 7, dot data for printing the target band area is generated by the above processing. In S440, the processor 210 uses the dot data to generate print data. In S450, the processor 210 supplies the generated print data to the printing unit 290. In S460, the control unit 295 of the printing unit 290 prints an image of the target band region by controlling the print head 291 and the transport mechanism 293 and the scanning mechanism 294 according to the received print data. In this way, the processor 210 causes the printing unit 290 to print the image by the processing of S440 and S450.

The control unit 295 of the printing unit 290 may receive only a part of the print data used in one pass processing in S450 of FIG. 7. For example, the control unit 295 first receives the print data of the first band area B1 out of the first band area B1 and the second band area B2 printed by the second pass processing P2, and then the second band area B1. The print data of the band area B2 may be received. In such a case, the control unit 295 may start the pass processing in response to receiving all of the print data used in one pass processing.

In S470, the processor 210 determines whether or not all the band areas have been printed. When the unprocessed band area remains (S470: No), the processor 210 shifts to S400 and processes the unprocessed band area.

When the target band area does not represent the main allocation area 810 (S410: No), that is, when the target band area represents the sub-allocation area 820, the processor 210 executes the second image processing in S430. The second image processing includes the following processing.
SB1) Tone curve adjustment processing of the pixel value of the target band area represented by the composite data SB2) Color conversion processing of the pixel value with the tone curve adjusted SB3) Halftone processing using the color-converted data SB4) Halftone processing completed Data generation process for single-pass printing using the above data will be described below in order.

In the tone curve adjustment process, the second tone curve C2 of FIG. 9 is used. As a result, the color of the sub-allocation area 820 is adjusted so that the black characters are easy to read. The color conversion process and the halftone process are the same as the color conversion process and the halftone process of S420, respectively. In the data generation process for single-pass printing, the processor 210 arranges the data of a plurality of pixels included in the dot data generated by the halftone process in the order in which they are used for printing, so that the dot data for single-pass printing is generated. To generate. For example, when the fifth band area B5 in FIG. 7 is the target band area, the data representing the dot formation states of the plurality of pixels are arranged in accordance with the moving direction of the print head 291 in the sixth pass processing P6. Can be replaced. Then, in S440, the processor 210 uses the dot data generated in S430 to generate print data.

When all the band areas have been printed (S470: Yes), the processor 210 ends the process of FIG. 7, that is, S120 of FIG. As a result, the process of FIG. 2 is completed. As described above, in S440, the processor 210 generates print data representing a composite image obtained by using the image data subjected to image processing (S420, S430), and in S450, the generated print data is printed in the print unit 290. Supply to. Therefore, it is possible to print an appropriate composite image that has undergone image processing.

By the above processing, the composite image 490 shown in FIG. 6 (B) is printed on the paper 700 (FIG. 6 (A)) also in the second embodiment. The user can easily obtain a copy of the identification card 300 by cutting out the portion on which the composite image 490 is printed from the paper 700.

Further, as described in S420 and S430 of FIG. 7, the first image processing is executed on the image data representing the main rectangular area determined to include the face, and the image data representing the sub-rectangular area is the first image data. A second image process different from the first image process is executed. Therefore, when an image synthesized so that the main rectangle area and the sub-rectangle area are in contact with each other is printed, appropriate image processing can be executed on the main rectangle area and the sub-rectangle area.

Specifically, the first image processing of S420 includes a process of generating dot data for causing the printing unit 290 to print an image by multipass printing, and the second image processing of S430 includes a single pass to the printing unit 290. It includes a process of generating dot data for printing an image by printing. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required for printing the sub-rectangular area while improving the print quality of the face represented by the main rectangular area.

Further, the first image processing of S420 includes a process of adjusting the color according to the first tone curve C1, and the second image processing of S430 includes a process of adjusting the color according to the second tone curve C2. Here, the second tone curve C2 adjusts the color of at least a part of the color range to a color different from the color adjusted by the first tone curve C1. Therefore, the face represented by the main rectangular area and the object (for example, characters) in the sub-rectangular area can be printed in colors suitable for each.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 9, the output gradation value Vo of the first tone curve C1 is larger than the output gradation value Vo of the second tone curve C2 in the range of at least a part of the input gradation value Vi. Therefore, when the first tone curve C1 is used in at least a part of the color range, the saturation of the printed chromatic color can be enhanced as compared with the case where the second tone curve C2 is used. As a result, the face of the main allocation area 810 can be printed in bright colors.

When the first tone curve C1 is used, the color in the light color range including white is adjusted to white, and the color in the dark color range including black is adjusted to black. Therefore, the portion of the sub-allocation area 820 representing the black characters can be printed with high contrast.

C. Another embodiment of the arrangement of rectangular areas:
10 and 11 are schematic views of another embodiment in which the main allocation area 810 and the sub allocation area 820 are arranged. In the example of FIG. 10A, the arrangement and orientation of the main allocation area 810 are the same as the arrangement and orientation of the main allocation area 810 of FIG. 6A. The sub-allocation area 820 is arranged on the right DR side of the main allocation area 810. The upward direction 820u of the sub-allocation area 820 is the same direction as the upward direction 810u of the main allocation area 810. The left side 828 with reference to the upward 820u of the sub-allocation area 820 is in contact with the right side 816 with reference to the upward 810u of the main allocation area 810. As shown in the lower part of FIG. 10A, the left side 640 of the sub-rectangular area (here, the second rectangular area 600) allocated to the sub-allocation area 820 is the main rectangular area (in this case, the main rectangular area 810) allocated to the main allocation area 810. Here, it touches the right side 530 of the first rectangular region 500).

In the example of FIG. 10B, the upward 810u of the main allocation area 810 is the same as the left DL of the print area 800. The main allocation area 810 is arranged so that the upper right corner 812 with respect to the upward 810u of the main allocation area 810 is located at the upper left corner 805 of the print area 800. The sub-allocation area 820 is arranged on the right DR side of the main allocation area 810. The upward 820u of the sub-allocation region 820 is in the direction opposite to the upward 810u of the main allocation region 810 (that is, rightward DR). The lower side 827 with reference to the upward 820u of the sub-allocation area 820 is in contact with the lower side 817 with reference to the upward 810u of the main allocation area 810. As shown in the lower part of FIG. 10B, the lower side 620 of the sub-rectangular area (here, the second rectangular area 600) allocated to the sub-allocated area 820 is the main rectangular area (in this case, the main rectangular area 810) allocated to the main allocation area 810. Here, it touches the lower side 520 of the first rectangular region 500).

In the example of FIG. 10C, the arrangement and orientation of the main allocation area 810 are the same as the arrangement and orientation of the main allocation area 810 of FIG. 10B. The sub-allocation area 820 is arranged on the downward DD side of the main allocation area 810. The upward direction 820u of the sub-allocation area 820 is the same direction as the upward direction 810u of the main allocation area 810. The right side 826 with reference to the upward 820u of the sub-allocation area 820 is in contact with the left side 818 with reference to the upward 810u of the main allocation area 810. As shown in the lower part of FIG. 10C, the right side 630 of the sub-rectangular area (here, the second rectangular area 600) allocated to the sub-allocation area 820 is the main rectangular area (in this case, the main rectangular area 810) allocated to the main allocation area 810. Here, it touches the left side 540 of the first rectangular region 500).

In the example of FIG. 10D, the upward 810u of the main allocation region 810 is the same as the downward DD. The main allocation area 810 is arranged so that the lower right corner 813 with respect to the upward 810u of the main allocation area 810 is located at the upper left corner 805 of the print area 800. The sub-allocation area 820 is arranged on the downward DD side of the main allocation area 810. The upward 820u of the sub-allocation region 820 is the direction opposite to the upward 810u of the main allocation region 810 (that is, the upward DU). The upper side 825 with reference to the upward 820u of the sub-allocation area 820 is in contact with the upper side 815 with reference to the upward 810u of the main allocation area 810. As shown in the lower part of FIG. 10D, the upper side 610 of the sub-rectangular area (here, the second rectangular area 600) allocated to the sub-allocated area 820 is the main rectangular area (in this case, the main rectangular area 810) allocated to the main allocation area 810. Here, it touches the upper side 510 of the first rectangular region 500).

In any of FIGS. 10A to 10D described above, the corners of the composite images 490a to 490d (here, the corners of the main rectangular area) are arranged at the corners 805 of the print area 800. To. Therefore, as in the embodiment of FIG. 6, of the paper 700, the two sides of the composite images 490a to 490d of FIGS. 10A to 10D (here, the left side of the side on the upward DU side). By cutting the remaining two sides without cutting the side (the side on the DL side), the part on which the composite images 490a to 490d are printed (that is, a copy of the identification card 300) is easily cut from the paper 700. be able to.

Further, in the corner 805 of the print area 800, the corners of the main rectangular area (here, the first rectangular area 500) including the face are arranged. Therefore, it is not necessary to cut the two sides of the main rectangular area including the face, so that a copy having a clean edge of the surface including the face can be obtained.

Further, in any of the examples of FIGS. 10A to 10D, the main rectangular area is formed by bending the paper 700 on which the composite images 490a to 490d are printed at the boundary between the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area. When overlapping the sub-rectangular area with the sub-rectangular area, the orientation of the sub-rectangular area can be the same as the orientation of the main rectangular area.

In the example of FIGS. 11 (A) to 11 (D), between the main allocation area 810 and the sub allocation area 820 of the example of FIGS. 10 (A) to 10 (B) (that is, the main rectangular area and the sub). (Between the rectangular area) and the arrangement in which the small gap 900 is inserted are shown. The size of the gap 900 (that is, the distance between the main allocation area 810 and the sub allocation area 820) is about the same as the thickness of the paper 700. In this way, the sub-rectangular region is arranged near the edge of the main rectangular region so that the edges of the sub-rectangular region are lined up apart from the side. For example, in the example of FIG. 11A, the second rectangular area 600 is arranged in the vicinity of the right side 530 of the first rectangular area 500 so that the left side 640 of the second rectangular area 600 is lined up away from the right side 530. Rectangle. Here, the sides of the main rectangular region and the sides of the sub-rectangular region arranged in the vicinity of each other are parallel (for example, the right side 530 and the left side 640 in FIG. 11A are parallel). As described above, when the composite images 490e to 490h are printed on the thick paper 700 and the paper 700 on which the composite images 490e to 490h are printed is folded at the boundary between the main rectangular region and the sub-rectangular region, the edge of the main rectangular region is formed. It is possible to prevent the image in the vicinity of the crease or the image in the vicinity of the edge of the sub-rectangular region from overlapping with the crease. A gap 900 may be provided between the main allocation area 810 and the sub allocation area 820 in FIG. 6 (A).

In either case, the size of the gap 900 is preferably about the same as the thickness of the paper 700. The processor 210 may determine the size of the gap 900 according to the type of paper 700 used for printing. For example, when the paper 700 is plain paper, the size of the gap 900 may be set to zero, and when the paper 700 is glossy paper, the size of the gap 900 may be set to 1 mm. In any case, the gap 900 is preferably small, preferably 3 mm or less, particularly preferably 2 mm or less, and most preferably 1 mm or less. The size of the gap 900 may be predetermined regardless of the type of paper 700.

Further, as the arrangement of the image of the first rectangular area 500 and the image of the second rectangular area 600, a predetermined arrangement is used (for example, the composite images 490 and 490a of FIGS. 6, 10, and 11). Arrangement of a composite image of any of ~ 490h). Alternatively, the processor 210 may employ a user-selected arrangement from a plurality of candidate arrangements. As the plurality of arrangement candidates, for example, a plurality of arrangements arbitrarily selected from the plurality of arrangements shown in FIGS. 6, 10 and 11 may be adopted.

D. Modification example:
(1) The number of passes for multi-pass printing (that is, the total number of passes used for printing a common partial area) is not limited to 2, and may be any number of 2 or more. Further, the sub-rectangular area may be printed by multi-pass printing instead of single-pass printing. Here, it is preferable that the number of multi-pass printing passes in the main rectangular area including the face is larger than the number of multi-pass printing passes in the sub-rectangular area. According to this configuration, it is possible to improve the print quality of the face represented by the main rectangular area and shorten the time required for printing the sub-rectangular area. In this case, also in S430 of FIG. 7, the data generation process for multipath printing of the sub-rectangular area is performed. When the number of passes is different between the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area, the data generation process for multi-pass printing is different between S420 and S430. For example, the number of divisions when the dot data is divided for each pass processing is different between S420 and S430. Further, the number of passes may be the same between the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area. Here, the number of passes may be 1 (that is, single-pass printing) and 2 or more (that is, multi-pass printing). When the print execution unit is a device that prints an image without executing the pass process (for example, a laser type printing device), the process for single-pass printing or multi-pass printing is omitted.

(2) As the color adjustment process, any other process can be adopted instead of the process described with reference to FIG. For example, the pixel value represented by the color space corresponding to the type of color material may be adjusted. Further, only a part of the color components (for example, saturation) may be adjusted by using the tone curve. Further, another process may be adopted instead of the process using the tone curve. For example, a process of adjusting colors within a specific color range using a look-up table may be adopted. In either case, the second color adjustment process for the sub-rectangular area adjusts the color of at least a part of the color range to a color different from the adjusted color when the first color adjustment process for the main rectangular area is performed. It may be a process to be performed. According to this configuration, the face represented by the main rectangular area and the object (for example, characters) in the sub-rectangular area can be printed in colors suitable for each. The same color adjustment process may be performed on the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area. That is, the color adjustment processing may be the same between S420 and S430 in FIG. 7. Further, the color adjustment process may be omitted from at least one of S420 and S430.

(3) The image processing for the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area may be various other processing instead of the above image processing. For example, the number of passes may be different between the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area, and the color adjustment processing may be the same. Further, the number of passes may be the same and the color adjustment processing may be different between the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area. Further, the image processing may be the same between the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area. In this case, common image processing is executed as S405 composed of S410, S420, and S430 in FIG. 7. Such a flowchart can be used as the flowchart of S120 of FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.

In either case, the processor 210 may execute at least a part of the first image processing (for example, the first color adjustment processing) for the main rectangular area by using the image data before composition (for example, scan data). Good. Similarly, the processor 210 may execute at least a part of the second image processing (for example, the second color adjustment processing) for the sub-rectangular region by using the image data before composition (for example, scan data).

(4) Bordered printing may be performed instead of borderless printing. In this case, the edge of the print area 800 (such as FIG. 6A) is located inside the edge of the paper 700. Also in this case, it is preferable that the corners of the composite image are arranged at the predetermined corners of the print area 800 (for example, the corners closest to the predetermined corners of the paper 700). According to this configuration, although a margin is generated between the composite image and the edge of the paper 700, the portion of the composite image on which the composite image is printed is printed on the paper 700 without cutting the portion close to the edge of the paper 700. Can be cut from. In either case, it is preferable that the corners of the main rectangular area determined to include the face are arranged at the corners of the print area 800. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to cut the two sides of the main rectangular area including the face, so that the portion on which the composite image is printed can be cut out while the edges of the surface including the face are clean. As the respective arrangements of the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area, various other arrangements can be adopted instead of the arrangements described with reference to FIGS. 6, 10 and 11. For example, the corners of the main rectangular area may be arranged at any corner (for example, the upper right corner) of the four corners of the print area 800. Further, by performing borderless printing, the corners of the main rectangular area may be arranged at any corner of the four corners of the paper 700. The corners of the sub-rectangular area may be arranged at the corners of the print area 800. Further, the composite image may be arranged at a position away from the corner of the print area 800, or may be arranged at a position away from the edge of the print area 800. The arrangement and orientation of the main rectangle area and the sub-rectangle area may be determined independently of the image processing of the main rectangle area and the sub-rectangle area. In either case, it is preferable that the positions in the transport direction are different between the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area. According to this configuration, printing processes having different numbers of passes can be executed between the main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area.

(5) The method for determining whether or not the rectangular area includes a face may be any other method capable of determining the presence or absence of a face, instead of the method using the result of the face recognition process. For example, of the first rectangular area 500 and the second rectangular area 600, the one having a larger proportion of pixels indicating a color within a predetermined skin color range may be selected as the rectangular area including the face. Further, of the first rectangular area 500 and the second rectangular area 600, the one having the larger total number of colors may be selected as the rectangular area including the face.

Further, the processor 210 may execute a face recognition process using the second scan data instead of the first scan data to determine whether or not the face is included in the second rectangular area 600. Further, regardless of whether or not the face is included, the first rectangular area 500 is allocated to a predetermined area of the main allocation area 810 and the sub allocation area 820, and the second rectangular area 600 is assigned to another area. It may be assigned.

(6) As the process for specifying the orientation of the image, various other processes can be adopted instead of the above process. For example, the processor 210 may also execute the face recognition process on the second rectangular area 600 and specify the orientation of the image in the second rectangular area 600 according to the result of the face recognition process. Further, the processor 210 executes the character recognition process of the first rectangular area 500 regardless of whether or not the face is included in the first rectangular area 500, and the first rectangular area 500 is executed according to the result of the character recognition process. The orientation of the image may be specified. Further, the processor 210 may specify the orientation of the image in the rectangular region by a process different from both the face recognition process and the character recognition process. For example, the processor 210 may adopt the orientation specified by the user as the orientation of the image in the first rectangular region 500, or may adopt the orientation specified by the user as the orientation of the image in the second rectangular region 600. It may be adopted. In addition, without analyzing the image of the first rectangular area 500, the predetermined direction in the first scan image 410 (for example, the direction opposite to the second direction Db) is set as the direction of the image of the first rectangular area 500. It may be used. The same applies to the orientation of the image in the second rectangular region 600.

(7) As the process for copying, various other processes can be adopted instead of the processes described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 7. For example, the processor 210 may display the composite image on a terminal (for example, a smartphone) connected to the multifunction device 200 by wireless communication before printing the composite image on the printing unit 290.

(8) The image processing device that executes the process for copying the identification card may be various devices (for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet computer) different from the control device 202 of the multifunction device 200. Further, the image processing device acquires image data generated by optically scanning the original from an external scanning device (for example, a scanner), and uses the acquired image data to generate composite data representing a composite image. Then, the composite image may be printed on an external printing device. Further, a plurality of devices (for example, a computer) capable of communicating with each other via a network may partially share the image processing function of the image processing device and provide the image processing function as a whole (for example). A system equipped with these devices corresponds to an image processing device).

In each of the above embodiments, a part of the configuration realized by the hardware may be replaced with software, and conversely, a part or all of the configuration realized by the software may be replaced with the hardware. May be good. For example, the function of face recognition processing may be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit.

In addition, when a part or all of the functions of the present invention are realized by a computer program, the program is provided in a form stored in a computer-readable recording medium (for example, a non-temporary recording medium). be able to. The program may be used while being stored on the same or different recording medium (computer-readable recording medium) as it was provided. The "computer-readable recording medium" is not limited to a portable recording medium such as a memory card or a CD-ROM, but is connected to an internal storage device in the computer such as various ROMs or a computer such as a hard disk drive. It may also include an external storage device.

Although the present invention has been described above based on Examples and Modifications, the above-described embodiments of the invention are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit and claims, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

200 ... Multifunction device, 202 ... Control device, 210 ... Processor, 220 ... Volatile storage device, 230 ... Non-volatile storage device, 232 ... Program, 240 ... Display unit , 250 ... operation unit, 270 ... communication interface, 280 ... scanner unit, 290 ... printing unit, 291 ... print head, 291d ... lower part, 291u ... upper part, 292 ... nozzle, 293 ... transport mechanism, 294 ... scanning mechanism, 295 ... control unit, 300 ... identification card, 310 ... surface, 311 ... photo, 312, 313. .. Character string, 320 ... Back side, 321, 322 ... Character string, 410 ... 1st scan image, 415 ... 1st manuscript image, 418 ... 1st non-manuscript image (margin part) ), 420 ... 2nd scan image, 425 ... 2nd manuscript image, 428 ... 2nd manuscript outside image (margin part), 490, 490a to 490h ... Composite image, 500 ... 1 rectangular area, 600 ... second rectangular area, 700 ... paper, 800 ... print area, 810 ... main allocation area (corner area), 820 ... sub-allocation area (inner area), 900 ... gap,

Claims (10)

It is an image processing device
A first image generated by optically scanning the first surface of a document, the first image including the first document image and a first non-manuscript image around the first document image. The first acquisition unit that acquires the first image data representing
A second image generated by optically reading a second surface of the document opposite to the first surface, which is a second image around the second original image and the second original image. A second acquisition unit that acquires second image data representing the second image including a non-manuscript image, and a second acquisition unit.
A first area specifying portion that specifies a first rectangular area representing the first original image in the first image, and
A second area specifying portion that specifies a second rectangular area representing the second original image in the second image,
A determination unit for determining which of the first rectangular region and the second rectangular region includes a face by using at least one of the first image data and the second image data.
The main rectangular area, which is the area determined to include the face of the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area, and the main rectangular area of the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area. Is a generation unit that generates composite data representing a composite image including a sub-rectangular region that is a different region, and the main rectangular region and the sub-rectangular region are (1) the first of the edges of the main rectangular region. The second side of the edge of the sub-rectangular region is in contact with one side, or (2) the sub-rectangular region is separated from the first side in the vicinity of the first side of the edge of the main rectangular region. The generator and the generator, which are synthesized so as to satisfy any of the conditions that the second side of the edge is aligned.
An image processing unit that executes a first image processing on the image data representing the main rectangular area and executes a second image processing different from the first image processing on the image data representing the sub-rectangular area.
A print control unit that causes the print execution unit to print the composite image using the data processed by the image processing unit.
An image processing device comprising. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.
The generation unit generates composite data representing the composite image, in which the corners of the main rectangular region are arranged at the corners of the print region, which is the region where the image on the recording medium for printing can be printed. , Image processing equipment. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.
The print execution unit
A transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium in the transport direction,
A head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting a color material to form dots on the recording medium, and
A scanning mechanism for performing scanning by moving the head in the scanning direction, and
A control unit that controls the transport mechanism, the head, and the scanning mechanism, and drives the head during the scanning to execute a path process for forming the dots on the recording medium.
The first image processing includes a process of generating data for printing a partial area on the recording medium by the print execution unit by the pass processing a plurality of times.
The second image processing is an image processing apparatus including a process of generating data for printing a partial area on a recording medium by the print execution unit in one pass process. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The first image processing includes a first color adjustment processing for adjusting colors.
The second image processing is an image processing apparatus including a second color adjustment process for adjusting a color in at least a part of the color range to a color different from the adjusted color when the first color adjustment process is performed. It is an image processing device
A first image generated by optically scanning the first surface of a document, the first image including the first document image and a first non-manuscript image around the first document image. The first acquisition unit that acquires the first image data representing
A second image generated by optically reading a second surface of the document opposite to the first surface, which is a second image around the second original image and the second original image. A second acquisition unit that acquires second image data representing the second image including a non-manuscript image, and a second acquisition unit.
A first area specifying portion that specifies a first rectangular area representing the first original image in the first image, and
A second area specifying portion that specifies a second rectangular area representing the second original image in the second image,
A determination unit for determining which of the first rectangular region and the second rectangular region includes a face by using at least one of the first image data and the second image data.
The main rectangular area, which is the area determined to include the face of the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area, and the main rectangular area of the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area. Is a generation unit that generates composite data representing a composite image including a sub-rectangular region that is a different region, and the corners of the main rectangular region are regions where an image on a recording medium for printing can be printed. The main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area are arranged at the corners of a certain print area, and (1) the first side of the edge of the main rectangular area is in contact with the second side of the edge of the sub-rectangular area. That, or (2) the second side of the edge of the sub-rectangular region is lined up in the vicinity of the first side of the edge of the main rectangular region away from the first side. With the generator, which is synthesized so that the conditions are satisfied,
A print control unit that causes the print execution unit to print the composite image,
An image processing device comprising. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The determination unit is an image processing device that performs face recognition processing to determine which of the first rectangular region and the second rectangular region includes a face. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The first orientation identification part that specifies the orientation of the rectangular area according to the result of the face recognition processing,
A second orientation specifying part that specifies the orientation of the rectangular area according to the result of a predetermined process,
With
The generation unit includes the orientation of the main rectangular region specified by at least one of the first orientation identification unit and the second orientation identification unit, and at least the orientation of the first orientation identification unit and the second orientation identification unit. Based on the orientation of the sub-rectangular region specified by one, as a combination of the first side of the main rectangular region and the second side of the sub-rectangular region.
1) A first combination in which the first side of the main rectangular area is the lower side and the second side of the sub-rectangular area is the lower side.
2) A second combination in which the first side of the main rectangular area is the upper side and the second side of the sub-rectangular area is the upper side.
3) A third combination in which the first side of the main rectangular area is the left side and the second side of the sub-rectangular area is the right side.
4) A fourth combination in which the first side of the main rectangular area is the right side and the second side of the sub-rectangular area is the left side.
An image processing device that uses any combination of the above. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7.
The determination unit determines whether or not the first rectangular region includes a face by performing face recognition processing using the first image data.
When it is determined that the first rectangular region includes a face, the first orientation specifying unit identifies the orientation of the first rectangular region according to the result of the face recognition process.
The second orientation specifying unit uses the second image data to perform the predetermined processing that does not include the face recognition processing, and specifies the orientation of the second rectangular region according to the result of the predetermined processing. ,
Image processing device. A computer program for image processing
A first image generated by optically scanning the first surface of a document, the first image including the first document image and a first non-manuscript image around the first document image. The first acquisition function to acquire the first image data representing
A second image generated by optically reading a second surface of the document opposite to the first surface, which is a second image around the second original image and the second original image. A second acquisition function for acquiring second image data representing the second image including a non-manuscript image, and
A first area specifying function for specifying a first rectangular area representing the first original image in the first image, and
A second area specifying function for specifying a second rectangular area representing the second original image in the second image, and
A determination function for determining which of the first rectangular region and the second rectangular region includes a face by using at least one of the first image data and the second image data.
The main rectangular area, which is the area determined to include the face of the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area, and the main rectangular area of the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area. Is a generation function for generating composite data representing a composite image including a sub-rectangular region which is a different region, and the main rectangular region and the sub-rectangular region are (1) the first of the edges of the main rectangular region. The second side of the edge of the sub-rectangular region is in contact with one side, or (2) the sub-rectangular region is separated from the first side in the vicinity of the first side of the edge of the main rectangular region. The generation function and the generation function, which are synthesized so as to satisfy any of the conditions that the second side of the edge is aligned.
An image processing function that executes a first image processing on the image data representing the main rectangular area and executes a second image processing different from the first image processing on the image data representing the sub-rectangular area.
A print control function that causes the print execution unit to print the composite image using the data processed by the image processing function, and
A computer program that makes a computer realize. A computer program for image processing
A first image generated by optically scanning the first surface of a document, the first image including the first document image and a first non-manuscript image around the first document image. The first acquisition function to acquire the first image data representing
A second image generated by optically reading a second surface of the document opposite to the first surface, which is a second image around the second original image and the second original image. A second acquisition function for acquiring second image data representing the second image including a non-manuscript image, and
A first area specifying function for specifying a first rectangular area representing the first original image in the first image, and
A second area specifying function for specifying a second rectangular area representing the second original image in the second image, and
A determination function for determining which of the first rectangular region and the second rectangular region includes a face by using at least one of the first image data and the second image data.
The main rectangular area, which is the area determined to include the face of the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area, and the main rectangular area of the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area. Is a generation function for generating composite data representing a composite image including a sub-rectangular region which is a different region, and the corner of the main rectangular region is an region where an image on a recording medium for printing can be printed. The main rectangular area and the sub-rectangular area are arranged at the corners of a certain print area, and (1) the first side of the edge of the main rectangular area is in contact with the second side of the edge of the sub-rectangular area. That, or (2) the second side of the edge of the sub-rectangular region is lined up in the vicinity of the first side of the edge of the main rectangular region away from the first side. With the above-mentioned generation function, which is synthesized so that the conditions are satisfied,
A print control function that causes the print execution unit to print the composite image,
A computer program that makes a computer realize.

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