JP7077127B2 - Devices, methods, and programs for setting information related to scanned image data. - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus, method, and program for controlling the display of a character area in scanned image data.

Conventionally, character recognition processing (OCR processing) is performed on image data (hereinafter, also referred to as scanned image data) obtained by scanning a paper document (also referred to as a manuscript), and the recognized characters are used for scanning. A technique for setting a file name of image data is known.

In Patent Document 1, scan image data is displayed, the position coordinates of the OCR target area specified by the user on the displayed scan image data are received, and the result of performing OCR processing based on the position coordinates is a file name. The method used for is disclosed.

In Patent Document 2, a rectangle showing an area determined to be a character area by layout analysis of scanned image data is displayed superimposed on the scanned image data, and OCR processing is performed on the character area designated by the user. A method of using the resulting result as a file name is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-215878 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-024488

In the method of Patent Document 1, the user needs to accurately specify the upper left and lower right coordinate positions of the OCR target area in order to obtain the character recognition result with high accuracy. However, when the size of the screen for displaying the scanned image data is small, or when the character size in the scanned image data is small and a plurality of characters are densely packed, the user accurately specifies the position of the OCR target area. That is difficult.

In the method of Patent Document 2, when the character size in the scanned image data is small, the height of the character area obtained as the layout analysis result is also small. When a character area having such a small height is selected by a touch operation on the operation screen, the touch position tends to be outside the range of the character area, and it becomes difficult to select the character area as intended by the user.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to facilitate a user to select a character area on a preview screen for displaying scanned image data.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the device for setting information related to the scanned image data obtained by scanning a document includes an area determining means for determining a plurality of character areas included in the scanned image data and an area determining means. A display means for displaying the scanned image data on the preview screen for the user to select a desired character area from the determined plurality of character areas is provided, and the character area used when the user selects the character area is provided. , The character area determined by the area determination means is enlarged.

According to the present invention, it becomes easy for the user to select a character area on the preview screen for displaying the scanned image data.

It is an overall system view. It is a software block diagram of the MFP. It is a flowchart which shows the process of generating and uploading scan image data. It is a figure which shows the scan setting screen of the MFP. It is a flowchart which shows the image analysis process. It is a flowchart which shows the preview screen display process. It is a figure which shows the preview screen of the MFP. It is a figure which shows the preview screen of the MFP. It is a flowchart which shows the file name generation process. It is a figure which shows the upload setting screen of the MFP. It is a figure which shows the preview screen of the MFP. It is a figure which shows the preview screen of the MFP. It is a figure which shows the form to be scanned. It is a figure which shows the form to be scanned.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all combinations of features described in the following embodiments are essential to the present invention.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an image processing system according to the present embodiment. The image processing system includes an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) 101 and a file server 102. The MFP 101 and the file server 102 are communicably connected to each other via a network (for example, LAN: Local Area Network) 100. In the present embodiment, the image processing system is configured by the MFP 101 and the file server 102, but the MFP 101 may also have the functions of the file server 102.

The MFP 101 is a multifunction device having a plurality of functions such as a scan function, a fax function, and a copy function, and is an example of an image processing device. The MFP 101 includes a control unit 210, an operation unit 220, a printer 221, a scanner 222, and a modem 223.

The control unit 210 controls the operation of the entire MFP 101. The CPU 211 reads the control program stored in the ROM 212 and performs various controls such as reading, printing, and communication. The RAM 213 is used as a temporary storage area for the main memory, work area, etc. of the CPU 211. In the MFP 101, one CPU 211 uses one memory (RAM 213 or HDD 214) to execute each process shown in the flowchart described later, but a plurality of CPUs and a plurality of RAMs or HDDs are executed in cooperation with each other. You may try to do it.

HDD 214 stores image data and various programs. The operation unit I / F 215 is an interface for connecting the operation unit 220 and the control unit 210. The operation unit 220 includes a liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function, a button board, and the like, and plays a role as a reception means for receiving operations, inputs, and instructions by the user.

The printer I / F 216 is an interface for connecting the printer 221 and the control unit 210. The image data printed by the printer 221 is transferred from the control unit 210 to the printer 221 via the printer I / F 216, and is printed on the recording medium by the printer 221.

The scanner I / F217 connects the scanner 222 and the control unit 210. The scanner 222 reads a document (document), generates image data (that is, scanned image data), and inputs the image data to the control unit 210 via the scanner I / F 217. The MFP 101 can print the image data generated by the scanner 222 by the printer 221 as well as send a file or send an e-mail.

The modem I / F 218 is an interface for connecting the modem 223 and the control unit 210. The modem 223 performs facsimile communication of image data with a facsimile machine (not shown) via a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) 110. The network I / F 219 is an interface for connecting the control unit 210 (that is, the MFP 101) to the network 100. The MFP 101 uses the network I / F 219 to transmit image data and information to an external device (file server 102, etc.) on the network 100, and to receive various information.

The file server 102 is an example of an external server that stores and manages an electronic document file. The file server 102 has a control unit 310. The control unit 310 controls the operation of the entire file server 102. The CPU 311 reads out the control program stored in the ROM 312 and executes various control processes. The RAM 313 is used as a temporary storage area for the main memory, work area, etc. of the CPU 311. The HDD 314 stores image data and various programs.

The network I / F315 is an interface for connecting the control unit 310 (that is, the file server 102) to the network 100. The file server 102 transmits and receives various information to and from other devices on the network 100 via the network I / F 315.

FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram of the MFP 101 according to the present embodiment. The software of the MFP 101 can be roughly divided into two, a native function unit 410 and an additional application 420. Each part included in the native function part 410 is provided as standard in the MFP 101. On the other hand, the additional application 420 is an application additionally installed on the MFP 101. The additional application 420 is an application based on Java (registered trademark), and can easily realize the addition of functions to the MFP 101. Other additional applications (not shown) may be installed in the MFP 101.

The application display unit 423 displays a UI (User Interface) screen for receiving operations, inputs, and instructions by the user on the liquid crystal display unit having the touch panel function of the operation unit 220 of the MFP 101. The details of the UI screen to be displayed will be described later.

The scan instruction unit 421 receives information from the user input via the application display unit 423, and requests the scan unit 411 to perform a scan process together with the scan settings and transfer settings included in the input information. Further, the application transfer unit 424, which will be described later, temporarily stores the information of the folder path of the file server 102, which is the transfer destination of the image data.

The scan unit 411 receives a scan request including scan settings from the scan instruction unit 421 and executes a scan process. The scanning unit 411 reads the original (document) by the scanner 222 via the scanner I / F 217 to generate image data, and passes the image data and the transfer setting to the transfer unit 412.

The transfer unit 412 transfers the image data received from the scan unit 411 according to the transfer settings also received from the scan unit 411. As the image data transfer destination, a file server 102, a PC on the network 100 (not shown), or the like can be set. In this embodiment, it is assumed that all the image data generated by the scanning unit 411 is once set to be transferred to the additional application 420. Further, the transfer unit 412 has an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client function, and can transfer image data by FTP to an application receiving unit 422 having an FTP server function.

The application receiving unit 422 receives the image data internally transferred from the transfer unit 412 and passes it to the application transfer unit 424.

The application transfer unit 424 passes the received image data to the image analysis unit 425.

The image analysis unit 425 analyzes the image data, determines the character area in the image data, recognizes the character string, and passes the analyzed information to the application transfer unit 424.

Further, the application transfer unit 424 passes the image data, the analyzed character area information, and the selection area information of the character area selected by the user to the application display unit 423.

The application display unit 423 passes the image data received from the application transfer unit 424, the analyzed character area information, and the selected area information to the preview display unit 426.

The preview display unit 426 displays a UI screen related to file name setting for receiving operations, inputs, and instructions by the user on the liquid crystal display unit having the touch panel function of the operation unit 220. The details of the UI screen to be displayed will be described later.

The upload instruction unit 427 displays a UI screen related to folder path setting for receiving operations, inputs, and instructions by the user on the liquid crystal display unit having the touch panel function of the operation unit 220. The details of the UI screen to be displayed will be described later. Further, the upload instruction unit 427 receives the folder path input on the UI screen and passes it to the application transfer unit 424.

Further, the application transfer unit 424 adds the character string received from the preview display unit 426 as a folder or file name to the folder path received by the upload instruction unit 427. Then, the application transfer unit 424 transfers (transmits) the image data to the file server 102.

When the transfer is completed, the application transfer unit 424 notifies the application display unit 423 that the transfer is completed. The application display unit 423 updates the display content in response to the notification from the application transfer unit 424.

Further, the application transfer unit 424 may have an SMB (Server Message Block) client function. As a result, the application transfer unit 424 can perform file and folder operations on the file server 102 having the SMB server function by using the SMB. In addition to SMB, WebDAV (Distributed Instruction and Versioning protocol for the WWW), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), or the like may be used. Moreover, you may use SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) or the like. In addition, SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), REST (Representational State Transfer), and the like can be used for purposes other than file transmission.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process in which the MFP 101 generates scan image data and uploads it to the file server 102. The series of processes shown in the flowchart is performed by the CPU 211 expanding the control program stored in the HDD 214 or the like to the RAM 213 and executing the process. Alternatively, some or all the functions of the steps in the flowchart may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC or an electronic circuit. The symbol "S" in the description of each process means a step in the flowchart. The same applies to other flowcharts.

First, in S301, the application display unit 423 displays the scan setting screen on the operation unit 220. The user sets the scan process to be performed by the scan unit 411 via the scan setting screen.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the scan setting screen 400 according to the present embodiment. The scan setting screen 400 has five scan setting buttons 401 to 405. The [Color setting] button 401 accepts a color or monochrome setting at the time of document scanning. The [Resolution setting] button 402 accepts the resolution setting at the time of document scanning. The [Double-sided scanning setting] button 403 accepts the double-sided scanning setting at the time of document scanning. The [Original mixed loading setting] button 404 accepts the setting of whether or not the originals are mixedly loaded, depending on whether or not the originals of different sizes are collectively scanned when the originals are scanned. The [Image Format Setting] button 405 accepts the image format of the scanned image data. When the user makes a setting using these scan setting buttons 401 to 405, candidate setting items are displayed within the range supported by the MFP 101. The user selects a desired setting item from the displayed candidates. The above-mentioned scan setting button is an example, and all of these scan setting buttons may not exist, or scan setting buttons other than these may exist. The user can make detailed settings for the scan process through such a scan setting screen 400. The [Cancel] button 406 is a button used to cancel the scan setting. The [scan start] button 407 is a button for instructing the start of the scan process for the document set on the platen or the like.

Returning to FIG. 3, in S302, the application display unit 423 determines whether the [scan start] button 407 is pressed or the [cancel] button 406 is pressed. When it is determined that the [scan start] button 407 is pressed, the application display unit 423 causes the scan instruction unit 421 to execute the scan process using the setting items selected by the scan setting buttons 401 to 405. When it is determined that the [Cancel] button 406 has been pressed, the process ends.

In S303, the scan instruction unit 421 instructs the scan unit 411 to perform a scan process and scans the document (document). The scanned image data generated by scanning the original is internally transferred by FTP to the application receiving unit 422 through the transfer unit 412 in S304. The form 1300 shown in FIG. 13 is used as the scanned document.

In S305, the image analysis unit 425 performs analysis processing (layout analysis processing and OCR processing) of the scanned image data according to the instruction from the application receiving unit 422. The image analysis unit 425 analyzes the layout of the scanned image data such as a character area and a graphic area by, for example, extracting a histogram of the scanned image data or extracting a block of pixels. The character area is an area presumed to be a character string. The character area also includes an area of one character.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the details of the image analysis process of S305.

In S501, the image analysis unit 425 reads the scanned image data received from the application receiving unit 422 into a form that can be analyzed.

In S502, the image analysis unit 425 corrects the read scanned image data to a state in which area determination and character string analysis are easy. Specifically, the image analysis unit 425 corrects the tilt of the scanned image so that the tilt of the document displaced during scanning disappears, or detects the orientation of the document and rotates the scanned image.

In S503, the image analysis unit 425 analyzes the content of the scanned image data corrected in S502 to determine the region, and generates region information (hereinafter, also referred to as region information). In the area determination, the image analysis unit 425 determines where an area such as a text, an image, a table, or a line exists in the scanned image data.

Table 1 shows an example of the area information generated by the image analysis unit 425. The area information in Table 1 is assumed to be obtained by analyzing the scanned image data obtained by scanning the form 1300 shown in FIG. In the following, the area where the "type" of the area information is "text" is referred to as a "character area".

In Table 1 above, the "number" is a number uniquely indicating each specified area. In this example, serial numbers from 1 to 29 are assigned in the order in which the areas are recognized. "Region X coordinate" indicates the X coordinate of the upper left corner of each identified region. The "Y coordinate of the area" indicates the Y coordinate of the upper left corner of each identified area. Hereinafter, when the term "coordinates" is used with respect to an area, it means the position coordinates of the upper left corner of the area unless otherwise specified. "Area width" indicates the distance from the left side to the right side of each identified area. "Area height" indicates the distance from the upper side to the lower side of each specified area. The “type” indicates which type of “text”, “image”, “table”, “line”, etc. corresponds to each of the specified areas. In the present embodiment, the "X coordinate of the area", the "Y coordinate of the area", the "width of the area", and the "height of the area" are all indicated by pixels, but may be indicated by points, inches, or the like. The area information is assumed to be generated in CSV or XML format, but other formats may be used.

Returning to FIG. 3, in S306, the application transfer unit 424 acquires the area information generated by the image analysis unit 425 in S503. The application transfer unit 424 may acquire the area information temporarily stored in the HDD 214 by the image analysis unit 425.

In S307, the preview display unit 426 displays the preview screen on the operation unit 220 based on the scanned image data and the area information acquired from the application transfer unit 424 via the application display unit 423. As will be described later, the user can set information related to the scanned image data (for example, a file name of the scanned image data) via the preview screen.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the details of the preview screen display process of S307. FIG. 6A shows the overall flow of the preview screen display process, and FIG. 6B shows the flow of the process of determining the enlargement width of the character area on the preview screen. As described above, the document scanned in S303 is the form 1300 shown in FIG. 13, and the area information obtained in S305 will be described as the area information shown in Table 1.

In S610, the preview display unit 426 determines the reference size based on the area information. The reference size is the height in which the number of areas is the largest among the heights of the character areas in the area information. Therefore, in the example of Table 1, "13" (pixels) having the largest number of areas is the reference size. That is, the reference size is determined according to the number of character areas of the same size contained in the scanned image data.

In S620, the preview display unit 426 determines the enlargement width of the character area on the preview screen. Specifically, the preview display unit 426 performs the processes of S621 to S623 shown in FIG. 6B to determine the enlargement width of the character area. The enlargement width of the character area will be described below using an example of the preview screen shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 7A is an example of the preview screen 700 when the preview display processing of S660 described later is performed without performing the processing of S610 to S650 (that is, the enlargement processing of the character area and the enlargement processing of the preview display itself). Is shown. The preview screen 700 has a file name display area 701 for scanned image data, a button 702 for setting a file name format, and a preview display area 710 for previewing the scanned image data. Further, the preview screen 700 has a [Back] button 730 and a [Next] button 731.

The preview display area 710 displays the scanned image data, and also displays the buttons 711 to 714 for changing the display state of the scanned image data, and the file name character string setting areas 715 to 726.

When the [Scroll at the top of the screen] button 711 is pressed by the user, the preview display unit 426 scrolls the area of the scanned image data displayed in the preview display area 710 upward. When the [Scroll at the bottom of the screen] button 712 is pressed by the user, the preview display unit 426 scrolls the area of the scanned image data displayed in the preview display area 710 downward. The preview display area 710 may display a screen left scroll button that scrolls the area to the left or a right scroll button that scrolls the area to the right (both not shown).

When the [Screen Enlargement] button 713 is pressed by the user, the preview display unit 426 enlarges and displays the area of the scanned image data displayed in the preview display area 710. When the [Screen reduction] button 714 is pressed by the user, the preview display unit 426 reduces and displays the area of the scanned image data displayed in the preview display area 710.

The preview display unit 426 displays the file name character string setting areas 715 to 726 in the preview display area 710 according to the area information generated by the image analysis unit 425. In the preview screen 700 of FIG. 7A, the preview display unit 426 uses the coordinates of the area information shown in Table 1 as they are and displays them as a character string setting area.

As shown in Table 1, the area information indicates the position of each area on the scanned image data. When the user touches the character area on the preview screen 700, the preview display unit 426 performs character recognition processing (OCR processing: Optical Character Recognition processing) on the selected character area. The preview display unit 426 extracts characters (text data) included in the selected character area (image area) by the character recognition process.

The character recognition process is, for example, a process of recognizing a character (text data) by matching a pixel group included in a character area with a dictionary registered in advance. Such character recognition processing may take time. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the character recognition process is performed on the character area desired by the user without sequentially performing the character recognition process on the character area extracted by the image analysis, thereby speeding up the processing. ing.

The preview display unit 426 sets the character (text data) extracted from the character area selected by the user in the file name display area 701. When the user selects a character area, if the character area is small, the coordinates recognized by the touch operation may deviate from the area intended by the user. Therefore, as shown in the preview screen 700 of FIG. 7B, which will be described later, the preview display unit 426 enlarges and displays the file name character string setting areas 715 to 726, making it easy for the user to select the intended character area. do.

When the user touches (selects) the area of the file name display area 701, the preview display unit 426 displays the software keyboard (not shown), and the user operates the software keyboard to edit the file name. It can also be made possible.

In the preview screen 700 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, none of the file name character string setting areas 715 to 726 is in the state of being selected by the user.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6B, the flow of the process of determining the enlargement width of the character area on the preview screen will be described.

In S621, the preview display unit 426 calculates the interval between each character area based on the area information, and determines the value of the smallest interval among them. Here, the distance between the regions of numbers 7 and 9 is the smallest, and the value is 10.

In S622, the preview display unit 426 calculates the enlargement width of the character area. The preview display unit 426 calculates the enlargement width required to enlarge the character area of the reference size determined in S610 to a specified size. The specified size is a size predetermined as a size that can be easily selected by the user when the character area is displayed as a file name character string setting area on the preview screen. Here, it is assumed that the specified size is 30, and the standard size 13 is expanded to the specified size. In this case, 17 which is the difference between 30 and 13 is calculated as the enlargement width of the character area. An upper limit may be set for the expansion width.

In S623, the preview display unit 426 corrects the enlargement width of the character area. As described above, in S622, the enlargement width of the character area was calculated to be 17. On the other hand, in S621, the value of the minimum spacing between the character areas was calculated to be 10. In other words, if all the character areas are enlarged by the enlargement width, the character areas whose spacing is smaller than the enlargement width may overlap each other, making it difficult for the user to select the intended character area. There is. Therefore, in this case, the enlargement width of the character areas is determined not to be 17 but to 10 which is the minimum interval between the character areas so that the character areas do not overlap with each other, and the process proceeds to S630 in FIG. 6A.

In S630, the preview display unit 426 enlarges each character area by using the enlargement width determined in S620. Here, since the enlargement width determined in S620 is 10, the preview display unit 426 enlarges each character area by 5 in the vertical and horizontal directions. The character area may be expanded only vertically and horizontally instead of vertically and horizontally.

FIG. 7B shows an example of the preview screen 700 when the preview display processing of S660 described later is performed without performing the processing of S640 and S650 (that is, the enlargement processing of the preview display itself). In the preview screen 700 of FIG. 7B, the file name character string setting area is enlarged by the processing of S620 and S630 (that is, the enlargement processing of the character area) as compared with the preview screen 700 of FIG. 7A. The point is different.

In S640, the preview display unit 426 calculates the enlargement ratio of the scanned image data to be preview-displayed. The preview display unit 426 calculates the enlargement ratio of the scan image data in order not only to enlarge the character area on the preview screen but also to enlarge the scan image data itself to be preview-displayed. In the above-mentioned example, the size of each character area is expanded by 10 by the processing up to S630. For example, the size 13 of the character area, which is the reference size, is expanded to 23. However, even if the area is expanded, the expansion width of the character area is corrected according to the minimum interval of the character area in S623 described above, so that the area of the largest number of reference sizes remains smaller than the specified size 30. be. Therefore, in this step, the preview display unit 426 expands the enlarged character area itself, which is necessary for displaying the enlarged character area larger than the specified size. Is calculated. Specifically, based on the reference size area, the enlargement ratio for displaying the enlarged character area size 23 at the specified size 30 is determined. The size of the enlarged character area may be larger than the specified size, and in this case, the enlargement ratio can be 30/23 ≈ 1.31 times if it is obtained to the second decimal place. The calculated enlargement ratio is used for the enlarged display of the scanned image data in the preview display of the scanned image data of S660 described later.

In S650, the preview display unit 426 determines the initial display coordinates. Here, the minimum Y coordinate and the minimum X coordinate in each area are set as the initial display coordinates to be displayed at the upper left of the preview screen first. Of each character area, the minimum Y coordinate is the area of number 1 and the value is 41, and the minimum X coordinate is the area of number 3 and the value is 48. Considering that the character area is expanded in S630, each coordinate is subtracted by 5, and the Y coordinate becomes 36 and the X coordinate becomes 43. Further, each coordinate may be subtracted by 2 in order to provide a slight margin, and the Y coordinate may be 34 and the X coordinate may be 41.

In S660, the preview display unit 426 performs a preview display of the scanned image data using the initial display coordinates determined in S650 and the enlargement ratio calculated in S640.

FIG. 8A shows an example of the preview screen 800 when the preview display process is performed in S660. In the preview screen 800 of FIG. 8A, the preview display itself is further enlarged as compared with the preview screen 700 of FIG. 7B in which the character area is enlarged. By doing so, the user can easily select the intended area.

Returning to FIG. 3, in S308, the preview display unit 426 executes the file name generation process via the preview screen 800.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the details of the file name generation process of S308.

In S901, the preview display unit 426 determines whether or not the user has touched the preview screen displayed on the operation unit 220. If it is determined that the touch has been made, the process proceeds to S902, and the preview display unit 426 acquires the coordinates of the touched position. If it is determined that the touch is not made, the process returns to S901.

In S903, the preview display unit 426 determines whether the coordinates of the touched position overlap with the character area. The determination of whether or not they overlap is determined by whether or not the coordinates of the touched positions are within the coordinate areas of the file name character string setting areas 715 to 726 displayed in the preview display area 710. If it is determined that they overlap, the process proceeds to S904, and if it is determined that they do not overlap, the process proceeds to S909.

In S909, the preview display unit 426 determines whether the [Next] button 731 or the [Back] button 730 is pressed. If it is determined that the button has been pressed, the process of FIG. 9 (that is, the process of S308) is terminated, and the process proceeds to S309 of FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined that the button is not pressed, the process returns to S901.

In S904, the image analysis unit 425 performs OCR processing on the character area where the coordinates of the touched positions overlap, and acquires the character string included in the character area. The image analysis unit 425 passes the acquired character string to the preview display unit 426 as an analysis result.

In S905, the preview display unit 426 acquires the file name displayed in the file name display area 701. If nothing is displayed in the file name display area 701, the process proceeds to the next step without acquiring the file name.

In S906, the preview display unit 426 adds a delimiter to the end of the file name acquired in S905. In this embodiment, the underscore (“_”) is used as the delimiter, but other characters may be used. If the file name cannot be obtained in S905, the process proceeds to the next step without adding the delimiter.

In S907, the preview display unit 426 adds the character string acquired as the analysis result in S904, following the delimiter added in S906. If the file name cannot be acquired in S905, the delimiter is not added in S906, so the character string acquired in S904 becomes the first character string as the file name.

In S908, the preview display unit 426 sets the character string generated in S907 as the file name in the file name display area 701, and returns to S901.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the processing of S901 to S908 is repeated and the character area is selected in the order of the file name character string setting area 715, 717, 716. FIG. 8B shows a preview screen 800 in a state where the file name character string setting areas 715, 717, and 716 are selected. In FIG. 8B, the character strings acquired from the selected file name character string setting areas 715, 717, and 716 are concatenated and set in the file name display area 701 via the delimiter. Further, on the preview screen 800, the selected file name character string setting areas 715, 717, and 716 are displayed so as to be distinguishable from the non-selected file name character string setting areas.

As described above, the preview display unit 426 executes the file name generation process via the preview screen 800.

Next, returning to FIG. 3, in S309, the preview display unit 426 determines the operation content in S909 described above. Specifically, the preview display unit 426 determines whether the [Next] button 731 or the [Back] button 730 is pressed in S909. If it is determined that the [Next] button 731 is pressed, the process proceeds to S310, and if it is determined that the [Back] button 730 is pressed, the process returns to S301.

In S310, the preview display unit 426 acquires the file name set in the file name display area 701. The preview display unit 426 passes the acquired file name to the upload instruction unit 427.

In S311 the upload instruction unit 427 displays the upload setting screen on the operation unit 220. The user can make settings related to external transfer (upload) to the file server 102 to be performed by the application transfer unit 424 via the upload setting screen.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the upload setting screen 1000. On the upload setting screen 1000, the folder path input field 1001 accepts the folder path setting of the file server 102 which is the external transfer destination. When the user taps the folder path input field 1001, the upload instruction unit 427 displays a software keyboard (not shown). The user inputs the folder path in the folder path input field 1001 via the displayed software keyboard. In the example of FIG. 10, the character string "2017_12_12" is input in the folder path input field 1001. Upon receiving the completion of the folder path setting, the upload instruction unit 427 acquires the set folder path and closes the software keyboard. The folder path may be set from other than the folder path input field 1001. For example, the folder path may be set from the address book held by the MFP 101.

In S312, the upload instruction unit 427 determines whether the [upload] button 1021 on the upload setting screen 1000 is pressed or the [back] button 1020 is pressed. If it is determined that the [upload] button 1021 is pressed, the process proceeds to S313, and if it is determined that the [back] button 1020 is pressed, the process returns to S307.

In S313, the upload instruction unit 427 acquires the file server settings stored in advance in the memory of the HDD 214 or the like. The file server settings include the host name of the file server 102, the origin of the folder path, the user name and the password for logging in to the file server 102. The upload instruction unit 427 passes the acquired file server setting, the folder path setting acquired in S311 and the file name acquired in S310 to the application transfer unit 424.

In S314, the application transfer unit 424 generates a storage destination path for storing the scanned image data. The storage destination path is generated by adding the folder path acquired in S311 to the host name of the file server 102 and the starting point of the folder path included in the file server settings. As a result, for example, the storage destination path "\\ server01 \ Share \ 2017_12_12" is generated.

In S315, the application transfer unit 424 accesses the file server 102. The application transfer unit 424 sends the user name and password included in the file server settings acquired in S313 to the file server 102, and receives the result of user authentication by the file server 102.

In S316, the application transfer unit 424 determines whether or not the user authentication is successful (whether or not the file server 102 can be logged in) based on the received user authentication result. If the user authentication is successful, the process proceeds to S317, and if the user authentication fails, the process ends.

In S317, the application transfer unit 424 externally transfers (uploads) the scanned image data to the folder indicated by the storage destination path generated in S314.

As described above, the MFP 101 generates scan image data, generates a file name based on the character area selected by the user on the preview screen, and uploads the scan image data in which the file name is set to the file server 102. do. In addition, when the user selects a character area, the character area is enlarged and used as a file name character string setting area, and the preview display is further enlarged so that the user can easily select the character area intended. To.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the form 1400 shown in FIG. 14 is scanned by the scanning process of S303 described above, and the area information shown in Table 2 below is obtained by the analysis process of S305 described above. If the processing according to the first embodiment is performed using the area information shown in Table 2, the preview display will be enlarged too much, and it will be difficult for the user to select the character area. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the character area that is not used for setting the file name, such as the character area in the form table, is excluded from the expansion.

First, with reference to FIG. 11, an example in which the processing according to the first embodiment is applied to the form 1400 will be described.

In the process of calculating the minimum space between the character areas of S621, the space between the areas of the numbers 18 and 22 is the smallest, and the value is 0. Therefore, in the correction process of the enlargement width of the character area of S623, the enlargement width of the character area is corrected to 0, so that each character area is not expanded in the enlargement process of the character area of S630.

FIG. 11A shows an example of the preview screen 1100 when the preview display processing of S660 described later is performed without performing the processing of S640 and S650 (that is, the enlargement processing of the preview display itself). The preview display area 710 of FIG. 11A includes the file name character string setting areas 1115 to 1126 corresponding to the form 1400. As described above, according to the process of the first embodiment, the enlarged width of the character area is corrected to 0, so that each character area is not enlarged in the preview screen 1100 of FIG. 11A. The preview screen 1100 of FIG. 11A shows the upper part of the form 1400, and the preview screen 1100 of FIG. 11B scrolls the preview display downward to show the middle part of the form 1400. The preview area 710 of FIG. 11B includes Table 1130 corresponding to Form 1400.

Then, in the enlargement ratio calculation process of the preview display of S640, the enlargement ratio that the area of the reference size 9 of the form 1400 is displayed in the specified size 30 or more is calculated. In this case, the enlargement ratio is calculated as 30/9 ≈ 3.34 times (effective to the second decimal place). The preview display unit 426 enlarges the preview display using the calculated enlargement ratio so that the area of the reference size 9 is displayed in the specified size 30 or more. Subsequently, by the processing of S650 and S660, the preview display unit 426 displays the preview screen 1100 as shown in FIG. 11C. As shown in the figure, in the process according to the first embodiment, the enlargement ratio of the preview display becomes high, and the file name character string setting area that can be displayed in the screen may be reduced. In this case, it becomes difficult for the user to select the intended file name character string setting area.

Next, the process according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the character area not used for setting the file name is excluded from the enlargement target, so that the user can easily select the intended character area.

First, in the process of calculating the minimum spacing between the character areas of S621, the character areas in the form table are excluded. According to Table 2, the space between the character areas is the smallest in the space between the character areas of the numbers 18 and 22. These character areas are within the area of number 13, that is, the character area in the table. In such a case, if there is a character area other than the table, the minimum space between the character areas is calculated by excluding the character area in the table. As a result, the space between the character areas of the numbers 7 and 9 is the smallest, and the value is 10. Then, in the correction process of the enlargement width of S623, first, the preview display unit 426 corrects the reference size acquired by the reference size determination process of S610. According to Table 2, the standard size determined including the character area in the table was 9, but excluding the character area in the table, the standard size is 13 and the enlargement width is 17. Further, since the enlarged width of the character area is corrected according to the minimum spacing between the character areas, the enlarged width of the corrected character area is 10.

Next, in the character area expansion processing of S630, the character area other than the character area in the table excluded by the processing of S621 is expanded.

FIG. 12A shows an example of the preview screen 1200 when the preview display processing of S660 described later is performed without performing the processing of S640 and S650 (that is, the enlargement processing of the preview display itself). FIG. 12B shows an example of the preview screen 1200 in which the preview display is scrolled downward and the central part of the form 1400 is displayed. As shown in both figures, in the present embodiment, the character area excluding the character area in the table is enlarged.

Then, in the enlargement ratio calculation process of the preview display of S640, the enlargement ratio at which the area where the reference size 13 is enlarged and the size becomes 23 is displayed at the specified size 30 or more is calculated. Further, by the processing of S650 and S660, the preview screen 1200 as shown in FIG. 12C is displayed.

Here, an example of excluding the character area in the table from the expansion target has been described, but the character area not used for setting the file name may be excluded from other than the table. For example, by excluding a character area having an aspect ratio of a predetermined value or more, it is possible to exclude a character area containing a long character string that is difficult to be used in a file name. Alternatively, the character area at the bottom of the document may be excluded, or the character area whose size is equal to or less than a predetermined value may be excluded.

<Third embodiment>
In the above-described embodiment, an example of enlarging the character area and displaying it as a file name character string setting area has been described. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the character area itself that can be selected by the user is enlarged without enlarging and displaying the character area, thereby facilitating the user's selection of the character area. An example of the preview screen in this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7A shows a preview screen 700 in which the character area is not enlarged and displayed as described above. On the other hand, FIG. 7B shows a preview screen 700 in which the character area is enlarged and displayed. In the present embodiment, the character area is displayed without being enlarged as in the preview screen 700 of FIG. 7A, but the area that can be touched and selected by the user is shown in FIG. 7B. An enlarged area is used as in the preview screen 700 of.

As described above, in the preview screen of the present invention, the user can easily select the character area by enlarging the area itself that can be selected by the user without enlarging and displaying the character area.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by processing. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims (15)

A device for setting information related to scanned image data obtained by scanning a document.
An area determination means for determining a plurality of character areas included in the scanned image data, and an area determination means.
A display means for displaying the scanned image data on the preview screen in order for the user to select a desired character area from the determined plurality of character areas is provided.
A device characterized in that the character area used when the user selects the character area is an enlargement of the character area determined by the area determination means. The enlargement width for expanding the character area from the reference size of the character area to a predetermined size is calculated.
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character area used when the user selects the character area is an enlargement of the character area determined by the area determination means based on the enlargement width. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reference size is determined according to the number of character areas of the same size included in the scanned image data. The device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the reference size is the height of the character area. The apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the predetermined size is a size predetermined so that the user can easily select the character area of the scanned image data. The display means further
The apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the enlarged width is corrected so that the character areas do not overlap each other according to the space between the character areas. Of the character area in the scanned image data, the enlarged width is calculated except for the character area that is not used for setting the information related to the scanned image data, and is not used for setting the information related to the scanned image data. The apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the character area other than the character area is enlarged. The character area not used for setting the information related to the scanned image data is a character area in the table included in the document, a character area having an aspect ratio of a predetermined value or more , or a character area having a size of a predetermined value or less. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus includes at least a character area. The display means further
2. The second aspect of the present invention is to enlarge and display the scanned image data so that the enlarged character area is displayed in the predetermined size when the enlarged character area is smaller than the predetermined size. The apparatus according to any one of 8 to 8. The display means is characterized in that the enlargement ratio of the scan image data is determined so that the enlarged character area is displayed in the predetermined size, and the scan image data is enlarged based on the enlargement ratio. The device according to claim 9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the character area is expanded only in the vertical and horizontal directions or in the vertical direction. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the display means displays the character area in an enlarged state. The information related to the scanned image data is a file name of the scanned image data, and the file name is set based on the result of character recognition processing of the desired character area selected by the user. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the apparatus is characterized by. A program for operating a computer as the device according to any one of claims 1 to 13. A method for setting information related to scanned image data obtained by scanning a document.
An area determination step for determining a plurality of character areas included in the scanned image data, and
Including a display step of displaying the scanned image data on the preview screen in order for the user to select a desired character area from the plurality of determined character areas.
A method characterized in that the character area used when the user selects is an enlargement of the character area determined in the area determination step.

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