JP7250526B2 - Image processing device, program, image processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to image repeat processing in which a portion of a document image included in a scanned image is set as a repeat target image, and the repeat target image is repeatedly arranged and printed on one sheet of recording paper. .

2. Description of the Related Art Some image forming apparatuses such as copiers and multifunction machines have an image repeat printing function. This image repeat printing is a function in which a part of an image of one document read by a scanner (original image) is set as a repeat target image, and the repeat target image is repeatedly arranged and printed on one sheet of recording paper. In Patent Document 1, the user can select whether or not to add a margin between adjacent repeat target images when repeatedly arranged, and the user can set the number of repeats in the vertical direction and the number of repeats in the horizontal direction. It is disclosed that

In Patent Document 2, an image read by a scanner is displayed, the user designates the vertex of a rectangular frame on the displayed image, cuts out the portion corresponding to the rectangular frame, and repeats the cutout image. It is described that the image is repeatedly arranged and printed.

JP-A-2004-248262 JP 2011-055131 A

On the other hand, when scanning a document placed on the platen of the scanner, if the size of the document cannot be detected by the scanner's document size detection sensor, the entire platen can be scanned and a scanned image of the same size as the platen will be scanned. will get. When the technique of Patent Document 2 is applied to the scanned image thus obtained, the scanned image of the same size as the entire platen is displayed, and the user selects a desired area from the displayed scanned image. will do. However, if the size of the document placed on the platen is, for example, a business card size, it is considerably smaller than the size of the platen (for example, A3 size). Therefore, if the entire scanned image of the same size as the platen (for example, an A3-sized image) is displayed on the screen, the business card-sized area included in the scanned image will be displayed small. makes it difficult to specify exactly the region you want to repeat. In addition, after displaying the entire scanned image on the screen, it is also conceivable to specify the repeat target area after enlarging and displaying the specified portion based on the user's manual operation. It is necessary to perform an enlarged display operation, which takes time and effort.

In order to solve the above problems, the image processing apparatus of the present invention detects a document area by executing image analysis processing on a scanned image, and performs tilt correction based on the detected document area. detection means for obtaining a document image after tilt correction; determination means for determining whether the document image after tilt correction obtained by the detection means satisfies a predetermined condition; and the tilt obtained by the detection means. a first display means for displaying a target area designation screen for displaying a corrected document image and a frame indicating a processing target area; and a processing target indicated by the frame displayed on the target area designation screen. A processing means for creating an output image after repeat layout processing by repeatedly laying out an image corresponding to an area within a specified paper size, and a preview screen including a preview image of the output image after the repeat layout processing. and a second display means for displaying, wherein the frame displayed on the target area designation screen by the first display means corresponds to the document area detected by the detection means, after the inclination correction. It is initially displayed at the position of the area in the document image, and the position of the initially displayed frame can be changed based on a user's instruction , and the document image after the tilt correction is determined by the determination means according to the predetermined condition. If it is determined that the conditions are satisfied, the target area designation screen is displayed by the first display means. The image of the area in the document image after the tilt correction corresponding to the document image detected by the detection means is set as the image of the initial processing target area, and the image of the initial processing target area is specified by the processing means. The second display means displays a preview screen including a preview image of an output image after repeat layout processing, which is created by repeatedly laying out images within the selected paper size.

According to the present invention, the document area is detected by performing image analysis processing on the read image, the document image is tilt-corrected based on the document area, and the document image after the tilt correction is displayed. In addition, by displaying a frame indicating the initial position of the processing target area, the user can easily specify the processing target area.

1 is an example of the overall configuration of a system; 2 is a diagram illustrating an example hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flowchart relating to image repeat processing according to the first embodiment; An example of a document to be scanned is shown. This is an example of an image of the same size as the platen size obtained as a result of reading the document placed on the platen. It is a figure which shows the example of a reading start screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a preview screen for previewing an image obtained by executing image repeat layout processing; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flowchart relating to image repeat processing according to the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a default display of a repeat target area specification screen; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the position of the frame indicating the repeat target area is corrected on the repeat target area designation screen; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a preview screen for previewing an image obtained by executing image repeat layout processing after correcting the position of the frame indicating the repeat target area; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flowchart regarding image repeat processing in the third embodiment; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a flowchart regarding image repeat processing in the fourth embodiment; FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of initial display of the repeat target area designation screen when no face area is detected in Example 4; FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of initial display of a repeat target area designation screen when a face area is detected in Example 5; FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a repeat target area designation screen when a button for designating a document area is selected in Example 5;

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the components described in this embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a system to which this embodiment can be applied. As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus (image processing apparatus) 100 is connected to a LAN 102 and can communicate with a terminal 101 such as a PC via an Internet 103 or the like. It should be noted that the terminal 101 such as a PC may not necessarily be required for implementation of the present embodiment, and the configuration of only the image forming apparatus 100 may be sufficient.

An image forming apparatus (image processing apparatus) 100 is a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having a display/operation unit, a scanner unit, and a printer unit. , postcards, etc.) can be used as a scanning terminal. A display/operation unit such as a touch panel or hardware buttons displays a preview image of a scanned image or a layout processing result, or displays a user interface for inputting an instruction from the user. In this embodiment, an image within an area automatically extracted or manually specified from within a scanned image is subjected to repeat layout processing (also referred to as image repeat processing) for repeatedly laying out images in one output document. Display a preview image of the processing result on the screen. Then, when the user presses a print start button on the preview screen, print processing is executed using the printer unit.

In this embodiment, an example in which the image forming apparatus 100 alone performs scan processing, repeat layout processing, and print processing will be described. I do not care. For example, the image forming apparatus 100 may perform scan processing and repeat layout processing, transmit an image resulting from the layout processing to another terminal 101 via a network, and print the image from the other terminal 101. good.

<Hardware Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 100>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. In the control unit 110, a CPU 111, a storage device 112 (ROM 117, RAM 118, HDD 119, etc.), a network I/F unit 113, a scanner I/F unit 114, a display/operation unit I/F unit 115, and a printer I/F unit 122 are They are communicatively connected to each other via a system bus 116 . Control unit 110 controls the overall operation of image forming apparatus 100 .

The CPU 111 reads out and executes a control program stored in the storage device 112, thereby functioning as means for executing each process (reading control, display control, printing control, etc.) in the flowcharts described later. The storage device 112 stores and holds the program, image data, metadata, setting data, processing result data, and the like. The storage device 112 includes a ROM 117 that is a non-volatile memory, a RAM 118 that is a volatile memory, an HDD 119 that is a large-capacity storage area, and the like. The ROM 117 is a non-volatile memory that holds control programs and the like, and the CPU 111 reads out the control programs and performs control. A RAM 118 is a volatile memory used as a temporary storage area such as a main memory of the CPU 111 and a work area.

Network I/F unit 113 connects control unit 110 (image forming apparatus 100 ) to LAN 104 via system bus 116 . A network I/F unit 113 transmits image data to an external device on the LAN 104 and receives various information from external devices on the LAN 104 .

Scanner I/F section 114 connects scanner section 120 and control section 110 via system bus 116 . Scanner unit 120 reads an image on a document to generate scan image data, and inputs the scan image data to control unit 110 via scanner I/F unit 114 .

The display/operation unit I/F unit 115 connects the display/operation unit 121 and the control unit 110 via the system bus 116 . The display/operation unit 121 includes a liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function, a keyboard, and the like.

Printer I/F section 122 connects printer section 123 and control section 110 via system bus 116 . The printer unit 123 receives the layout-processed image data generated by the CPU 111 via the printer I/F unit 122, and uses the received image data to perform print processing on recording paper.

As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can provide the image processing function with the hardware configuration described above.

<Image repeat processing function>
Image repeat processing (repeat layout processing) will be described as an image processing function according to the present embodiment.

Image forming apparatus 100 scans a document placed on a document platen of scanner unit 120 to obtain a scanned image. By executing image analysis processing on the acquired scanned image, the document area is detected, the document area is extracted, and the inclination is corrected, thereby obtaining the document image corrected for inclination. The details of the document area detection process will be described later.

Further, the image forming apparatus 100 determines a layout for repeatedly arranging the tilt-corrected document image in the output image corresponding to the specified paper size. Then, according to the determined layout, the document images are arranged to generate an image repeat processing result image, and a preview image is displayed on the UI of the display/operation unit. In addition, an instruction to print the image repeat processing result image can be accepted from the user through the display/operation unit.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing details of image repeat processing according to the first embodiment. Note that the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 100 loads the processing program stored in the ROM 117 into the RAM 118 and executes it, thereby functioning as a processing unit that executes the processing of each step in FIG. In this embodiment, a business card as shown in FIG. 4 is scanned as a document to be scanned. However, the type of document is not limited to business cards. , certificate photos, various cards, postcards, and the like.

First, when the user designates the image repeat processing mode on the operation screen of the image forming apparatus 100, the operation screen is displayed on the touch panel display area 601 in FIG. In FIG. 6, the display/operation unit 121 includes a touch panel display area 601 and hardware keys 602 (such as numeric keys and start keys for various processes). A touch panel display area 601 displays a message prompting the user to place a document on the platen and start scanning, and a scan start button (software key) 603 for instructing the start of scanning.

When the scan start button 603 is selected by the user, in step S301, the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus operates the scanner unit to acquire an image. When a business card or a non-standard size document as shown in FIG. 4 is placed on the document table and scanned, the document size detection sensor may not automatically detect the document size. Therefore, in the image repeat processing of the present embodiment, the entire platen is set as the object to be read, and a scanned image having the same size as the platen is obtained. 400 in FIG. 4 is an example of a business card (original), and the business card includes an area 401 in which a photograph or the like is described and an area 402 in which character strings such as names and addresses are described. It is assumed that a scanned image 501 as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained as a result of scanning the business card placed on the platen. At this time, if the business card is casually placed on the manuscript table, the business card will be scanned in an inclined state with respect to the manuscript table. Become.

In step S302, the CPU 111 detects a document area by executing image analysis processing (document area detection processing) on the image acquired in step S301, cuts out a partial image of the detected document area, and performs tilt correction. process. As a result, it is possible to obtain a tilt-corrected image by cutting out the area of the business card image 502 included in the scanned image 501 obtained in S301. The document area detection process and the skew correction process can be realized using a known method. As a method for detecting a document area from a scanned image, for example, an edge strength image is obtained by applying a Sobel filter or the like to the scanned image, and a portion where pixels with high edge strength are connected in a straight line is regarded as a side of the document. A known technique for detecting as is used. Then, four vertices are specified based on the detected four sides of the document, and an image of the document area is cut out based on the specified four vertices (that is, the document image is extracted from the scanned image). At this time, if the image of the document region cut out from the scanned image is tilted, further tilt correction is performed to acquire the tilt-corrected document image. For tilt correction, for example, the tilt angle is estimated based on the coordinate values of the specified four vertices, and the image is rotated in the direction in which the tilt angle is corrected. Note that the clipping process of the image of the document area (the document image extraction process) and the tilt correction process may be performed in order, or the clipping and the tilt correction may be performed simultaneously. For example, based on the coordinate values of the four vertices, a predetermined projective transformation process is performed on the pixels inside the rectangular region surrounded by the four vertices, thereby simultaneously realizing pixel extraction and tilt correction within the rectangular region. is also possible.

In step S303, the CPU 111 determines whether the document is detected based on the result of the document area detection processing in step S302. If it is determined that the document has not been detected, the process advances to step S304 to display a message to the effect that the document could not be detected and to urge the user to place the document on the platen and re-execute the operation. 121 to display. If it is determined in step S303 that the document has been detected, the process proceeds to step S305.

In step S305, the CPU 111 acquires information on the paper size of the designated output paper. If the user does not specify the paper size, information on the default paper size (for example, A4 size) is obtained. Also, if the use of paper in the manual feed tray is specified in advance, the user may be allowed to specify the paper size at this point.

In step S306, the CPU 111 executes repeat layout processing for determining the position where the repeat target image is repeatedly laid out on the output paper based on the size of the repeat target image and the paper size information acquired in S305. As the image to be repeated, first, a clipped image (document partial image after tilt correction) as a result of performing the document area detection process and the tilt correction process in S302 is used. In the repeat layout process, based on the vertical and horizontal sizes of the output paper and the size of the repeat image, it is calculated how many images can be laid out when the repeat image is laid out from the upper left of the output paper. Next, the number of images that can be arranged when the size of the image to be repeated is rotated by 90 degrees and arranged from the upper left of the output paper is calculated. Then, by comparing the number of layout sheets with and without 90-degree rotation and repeatedly laying out the image to be repeated using the layout with the larger number of layout sheets, the image after the repeat processing (that is, the output image used in the printing processing) ) is created. If the number of images to be arranged is the same regardless of whether the image is rotated by 90 degrees, the output image is created in a layout in which the image to be repeated is not rotated.

In step S<b>307 , the CPU 111 creates a preview image of the output image created in S<b>306 and displays it on the preview screen of the display/operation unit 121 . A preview screen displayed on the display/operation unit 121 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 7, the display content displayed on the touch panel display area 601 of FIG. 6 is changed to a preview screen of the output image.

In 705 of FIG. 7, a preview image of the output image created in step S306 is displayed. In 706, number information indicating how many repeat target images are laid out in the output image created in step S306 is displayed. The example of FIG. 7 indicates that 16 repeat target images are repeated within one output image.

A number 707 indicates the number of prints of the output image. When the user presses the plus button 709, the number of prints increases, and when the user presses the minus button, the number of prints decreases. The number of copies may be increased or decreased by one each time the plus or minus button is clicked, or the number of copies 707 may be changed continuously while the plus or minus button is pressed for a long time. may Also, the number of prints 707 can be input using the hard keys 702 .

A pull-down menu 710 allows selection of whether to print an output image in color or in black and white. In the default setting, "full color" is automatically selected when the repeat target image is color, and "black and white" is automatically selected when the repeat target image is black and white. The user can use this color selection pull-down menu 710 to manually change the setting of full-color printing/black-and-white printing. As will be described later in step S309, when the setting for full-color printing/black-and-white printing is changed, the preview image 705 is also changed according to the setting after the change. For example, when the user changes the setting to black-and-white while full-color is automatically selected, the preview image 705 is also changed to a black-and-white image preview accordingly.

711 displays the currently specified paper size. When the user presses the change button 712, a paper size change process is performed as described later in step S311. When the paper size is changed, the repeat layout process of S306 is executed based on the paper size after the change and the size of the image to be repeated to recreate the output image, and the preview image 705 and the number information 706 of the output image are generated. and update.

When the repeat target area change button 713 is pressed by the user, a repeat target area specification screen such as that shown in FIG. 9 is displayed, and the user can modify the repeat target area to have a desired position and size. Details of the repeat target area designation screen in FIG. 9 will be described later in step S310.

When the print start button 703 is pressed by the user, print processing is started according to the current settings, as will be described later in step S312. Also, when the return button 704 is pressed by the user, the screen returns to the screen in FIG.

In step S308, the CPU 111 determines which of the buttons and pull-down menus displayed on the preview screen in FIG. 7 has been instructed by the user. If it is determined that the color selection pull-down menu 710 has been instructed, the process proceeds to step S309; if it is determined that the repeat target area change button 713 has been specified, the process proceeds to step S310; if it is determined that the paper size change button 712 has been specified. If it is determined that the print start button 703 has been designated, the process proceeds to step S312.

If it is determined in step S308 that the content of the user's instruction is to change the setting of full color/black and white in the color selection pull-down menu 710, then in step S309 the CPU 111 selects the pull-down menu 710 based on the setting after the change. After updating the display, returning to step S307, the preview image 705 is also updated based on the changed settings. For example, if the pull-down menu 710 is changed to black-and-white printing when full-color printing is set, a black-and-white preview image is created in step S307 to update the display of the preview screen. Note that the black-and-white preview image and the output image are not limited to being created when the setting is changed to black-and-white printing in the pull-down menu 710 . For example, when creating a preview image based on the output image first created by the repeat layout process in S306 based on the image cut out in S302, a color preview image and a black-and-white preview image may be created in advance. I do not care.

If it is determined in step S308 that the user's instruction is pressing of the repeat target area change button 713, then in step S310 the CPU 111 displays the repeat target area specification screen (see FIG. 9) for changing the repeat target area. ) is displayed on the touch panel display area.

Details of the repeat target area designation screen in FIG. 9 will be described. In 905 of FIG. 9, a preview image of a clipped image (document partial image after tilt correction) as a result of the document area detection processing and tilt correction processing in S302 is displayed. Furthermore, a frame 906 indicating the position of the repeat target area at that time is superimposed on the clipped image and displayed. It is desirable to display the frame 906 indicating the position of the repeat target area with a line of a color (for example, red) that is easy to distinguish. Note that before the repeat target area is changed based on the user's instruction, as shown in FIG. 9, the document partial image detected and cut out in S302 is displayed in a frame 906 as the repeat target area. Handlers 921, 922, 923, and 924 are handlers displayed at the vertices of the frame 906, and the user can use the handlers to change the positions of the vertices of the frame to reduce or expand the repeat target area. can be done. Handlers 925, 926, 927, and 928 are handlers for the user to change the position of the side of the frame, and by manipulating these handlers, the repeat target area can also be reduced or enlarged. When the user presses one of the arrows 907, 908, 909, and 910, the displayed original partial image moves in the direction of the pressed arrow. In other words, without moving the position of the frame 906, by relatively moving the original partial images using the arrows 907, 908, 909, and 910, the user can adjust the position to be cut out as desired by the user. . Note that the movement of the document partial image is not limited to the operation of the arrows 907, 908, 909, and 910, but can be performed by the user performing a touch-and-drag operation at a position outside the frame 906 and inside the preview image display area 905. You may enable it to move.

A bar 911 indicates the display magnification state of the image displayed in the display area 905. If the bar 911 is on the right side, it indicates that the display is enlarged, and if it is on the left side, it indicates that the display is reduced. show. When the user presses a button 912, the display magnification is lowered for display, and when the user presses a button 913, the display magnification is increased for display. It is also possible to change the display magnification by directly dragging the bar 911 to the left or right. Also, when the user presses a button 914, the orientation of the image displayed in the display area 905 is rotated by 90 degrees. When the user presses the button 915, the image displayed in the display area 905 is rotated counterclockwise by 0.5 degrees. When the user presses the button 916, the image displayed in the display area 905 is rotated clockwise in increments of 0.5 degrees. In this embodiment, the rotation angles of both the buttons 915 and 916 are set in increments of 0.5 degrees, but the angles are not limited to 0.5 degrees. A button 917 is a button for instructing to extend the frame 906 vertically. When the user presses the button 917, the position of the upper side of the frame 906 moves upward by a predetermined number of pixels and the position of the lower side of the frame 906 moves upward. Move downward by a predetermined number of pixels. A button 918 is a button for instructing to shrink the frame 906 in the vertical direction. When the user presses the button 918, the position of the upper side of the frame 906 moves downward by a predetermined number of pixels and the position of the lower side of the frame 906 moves upward. a predetermined number of pixels. A button 919 is a button for issuing an instruction to extend the frame 906 in the horizontal direction, and a button 920 is a button for issuing an instruction to shrink the frame 906 in the horizontal direction. Also, when the user presses a button 904, the frame position changed in FIG. 9 is canceled and the screen returns to the screen in FIG.

Also, when the user presses the button 903, the repeat target area is determined based on the position of the frame 906 set at that time, and repeat layout processing in step S306 is executed based on the image of the repeat target area. . For example, suppose that the user wants to set only the photo area included inside the business card image (original image) as the repeat target area. In that case, the user adjusts the positions of the box vertex handlers 921-924 of FIG. 9 to the positions of the box vertex handlers 1021-1024 of FIG. When the user presses the OK button in this state, the area enclosed by the frame in FIG. 10 is determined as the repeat target area, and the repeat layout process is executed again in step S306 using the image of the determined repeat target area. be done. Then, in step S307, a preview image of the output image obtained by the repeat layout processing in step S306 is displayed on the preview screen 1105 as shown in FIG. In 1106 in FIG. 11, number information indicating how many images are laid out in the repeat target area changed in FIG. 10 is displayed.

In this embodiment, an example of repeat layout is described so that the image in the repeat target area is printed at a magnification of 100%, but the magnification is not limited to 100%. For example, if the screen of FIG. 9 is configured so that the magnification of the image of the repeat target area can be designated, it is possible to perform image repeat processing while enlarging or reducing the image of the repeat target area. In that case, the repeat number calculation process in step S305 and the repeat layout process in step S308 may be performed in consideration of the specified magnification.

If it is determined in step S308 that the content of the user's instruction is pressing of the paper size change button 712, then in step S311 a plurality of paper size candidates (for example, standard sizes A4, A3, B4, B5, etc.) are presented. are presented), and the paper size specified by the user is determined from among them. Note that the method of changing the paper size is not limited to the method of selecting from standard sizes, and the user may be allowed to manually input a non-standard paper size (length and width of the paper). If the paper size is changed in step S311, the paper size after the change is acquired in step S305, repeat layout processing is executed based on the changed paper size in step S306, and a preview is performed in step S307. display the screen.

If it is determined in step S308 that the user's instruction is to press the print start button 703, in step S312 the CPU 111 instructs the printer unit 123 to print using the output image created in step S306. to control.

According to the first embodiment, on the repeat target area designation screen of FIG. 9, the original partial image after tilt correction obtained in S302 is displayed instead of the scanned image of the entire original platen obtained in S301. If the scanned image of the entire platen is previewed as it is, the business card image included in the scanned image is displayed relatively small, making it difficult for the user to specify the area to be repeated. Since the original partial image obtained in S302 is displayed in a large size, the user can easily specify the area to be repeated. Furthermore, since the partial image of the document after tilt correction is displayed, the user can easily specify the area to be repeated accurately. Also, even if the document is placed on the platen at an angle and scanned, the tilt is corrected in S302, so the user does not need to be careful not to tilt the document when placing the document on the platen.

7 displayed in S307, the original partial image after tilt correction obtained in S302 is set as an initial image to be repeated, and repeat layout processing is executed in S306 to create an output image. A preview image of the output image is initially displayed. Therefore, if the user is satisfied with the settings as they are, the user can simply press the print start button, and the repeat layout process can be easily executed.

In the first embodiment, when the user presses the scan start button on the operation screen in FIG. 6, the processes of S301 to S307 in FIG. 3 are executed and the preview screen in FIG. 7 is displayed. In the second embodiment, when the user presses the scan start button on the operation screen shown in FIG. 6, the repeat target area designation screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed to specify the repeat target area before displaying the preview screen shown in FIG. An example of confirmation/correction by the user will be described.

Differences between the flowchart showing details of the image repeat processing according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8 and the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 will be described. In the second embodiment, when it is determined in step S303 in FIG. 8 that there is a document, the process proceeds to step S310 to display the repeat target area designation screen in FIG. Then, after the repeat target area is determined on the repeat target area designation screen of FIG. 9, the processes of S305 to S307 are performed to display the preview screen.

The details of the processing of each step are the same as those of the first embodiment, so description thereof is omitted.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the repeat target area designation screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed before the preview screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. It is easy to modify the repeat target area. Also, as in the first embodiment, on the repeat target area designation screen in FIG. 9, the tilt-corrected partial document image obtained in S302 is displayed instead of the scanned image of the entire platen obtained in S301. , making it easier to accurately specify the region you want to repeat.

After the user presses the scan start button on the operation screen of FIG. 6, the preview screen of FIG. 7 is first displayed in the touch panel display area in the first embodiment, and the repeat target area designation screen of FIG. 9 is displayed in the second embodiment. The example shown first was explained. In the third embodiment, an example of adaptively changing whether the preview screen of FIG. 7 is displayed first or the repeat target area designation screen of FIG. 9 is displayed first according to the scanned document will be described.

Details of the image repeat processing according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 12, if it is determined in step S303 that the document exists, the flow advances to step S1201 to determine whether the document image detected in step S302 satisfies a predetermined condition. If it is determined in S1201 that the predetermined condition is satisfied, the process advances to step S310 to display the repeat target area designation screen of FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined in S1201 that the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the processes of S305 to S307 are performed and the preview screen in FIG. 7 is displayed.

The predetermined condition used in the determination in step S1201 is, for example, whether the size of the document image detected in step S302 is larger than a predetermined size (eg, A4 size). If the size of the document image is large, there is a high possibility that a portion of the document will be cut out and used as a repeat target.

Also, another example of the predetermined condition used in the determination of step S1201 will be described. For example, if the original image detected in S302 is divided into regions for each attribute such as text, photograph, table, etc., and if regions with multiple attributes are included, a predetermined condition is met. judge. That is, if the document contains areas with a plurality of attributes (for example, a text area and a photo area), it is highly likely that any one of these areas will be used as a repeat target. Display the target area specification screen.

The details of the processing in steps S301 to S312 of FIG. 12 are the same as the processing of the corresponding step numbers in the first and second embodiments, so the description is omitted.

In the second embodiment, an example of displaying the document area detected in S302 as the initial area of the repeat target area on the repeat target designation screen of FIG. 9 has been described. In the fourth embodiment, the document image detected in S302 is further subjected to face area detection (detection processing of a photographic area including a person's face), and the detected photographic area is displayed as the initial area of the repeat target area. An example of

Differences between the flowchart showing details of the image repeat processing according to the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 13 and the flowchart of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8 will be described. In the fourth embodiment, if it is determined in step S303 that there is a document, the process advances to step S1301.

In step S1301, the CPU 111 executes detection processing of a photographic area (that is, a face area) containing a person's face on the image in the document area detected in step S303. The face area detection process, for example, detects a local feature amount from an image, and performs pattern matching between the detected local feature amount and the feature amount of each part of the face (eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) that is stored in advance. identifies a region containing a person's face. Note that the face area detection processing method is not limited to the above method, and other face region detection processing may be used.

In step S1302, the CPU 111 determines whether or not a face area has been detected by the face area detection process. Here, if it is determined that a face area has been detected (that is, there is a photograph area including a person's face), the process advances to step S1303. If it is determined that no face area has been detected (that is, there is no photograph area containing a person's face), the process advances to step S1304.

In step S1303, the CPU 111 determines an initial area of the repeat target area based on the face area detected in step S1301. In this embodiment, the initial area of the repeat target area is the entire photograph area including the detected face, but it is not limited to this. The boundary of the photographic area may be determined using a straight line detection method based on Hough transform, or a method of detecting the photographic area by performing labeling processing on pixels other than white may be used. Alternatively, the position of each part such as the eyes, nose and mouth of the face may be used as a reference, and an area having a size larger than that by a predetermined size may be set as the initial area. In addition to detecting a person's face, features of the person's shoulders, chest, etc. may also be detected, and an area above the person's bust (that is, a bust-up area) may be used as the initial area. When the photographic area including the person's face is determined as the initial area of the repeat target area in step S1303, the process proceeds to step S310. When a business card 400 including a facial photograph area 401 as shown in FIG. 4 is scanned, the facial photograph area is determined as an initial area in step S1303. Therefore, in step S310, the area (face photo area) within the frame surrounded by the vertex handlers 1021 to 1024 as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed as the initial area of the repeat target area.

In step S1304, the CPU 111 determines the document area detected in step S302 as the initial area of the repeat target area. After the initial area of the repeat target area is determined in step S1304, the process proceeds to step S310. As shown in FIG. 14, when a business card containing no face photograph is scanned, the face area is not detected in step S1301, so the document area detected in step S302 is determined as the repeat target area. Therefore, in step S310, the area (original area) within the frame surrounded by the vertex handlers 1401 to 1404 as shown in FIG. 14 is displayed as the initial area of the repeat target area.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the area initially displayed on the repeat target area designation screen is switched depending on whether or not the face area is detected. The details of the processing in steps S301 to S312 of FIG. 13 are the same as the processing of the corresponding step numbers in the first and second embodiments, so description thereof will be omitted.

In the fourth embodiment, an example has been described in which, when a face area is detected from a document image, a photographic area including a person's face is displayed as the initial area of the repeat target area on the repeat target designation screen. In Example 5, another example of the repeat target designation screen displayed when a face area is detected will be described.

In the fifth embodiment, similarly to the flowchart of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 13, a photographic area including a person's face is detected in step S1302, and the detected face area is determined as the initial area of the repeat target area in step S1303. do. However, after that, the repeat target designation screen (FIG. 15) of the fifth embodiment displayed in step S310 is different from the repeat target designation screen (FIG. 10) of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an example of a repeat target area designation screen according to the fifth embodiment, which is displayed when a face area is detected. Buttons 1503 and 1504 for switching the candidates for the repeat target area are added to the repeat target area designation screen in FIG. Since the photographic area including the face is determined as the initial repeat target area in step S1303, the area 1501 is displayed as the initial repeat target area together with the vertex handler, and a button indicating that the face area is the target area. 1503 is selected. At this time, the button 1504 is in a non-selected state, and the partial area 1505 inside the document area 1502 is also shaded (or grayed out) so that it can be identified as an asymmetric area. good too.

When the user selects button 1504 (or area 1705) for selecting a document area on the repeat target area designation screen in FIG. Control to switch the display. FIG. 16 shows an example of the repeat target area specification screen when the button 1504 is selected.

In FIG. 16, the button 1604 for specifying the document area is selected, the button 1603 for specifying the face area is not selected, and the document area 1601 is displayed as the repeat target area together with the vertex handler. In the screen of FIG. 16, when the user selects the button 1603 (or the internal area 1605 of the face area 1602) for selecting the face area, the screen returns to the screen of FIG. switch.

As described above, in the fifth embodiment, when a face area is detected, selection switching between the face area and the document area can be easily performed on the repeat target designation screen.

(Other examples)
The present invention supplies software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device executes the program. It is also realized by reading and executing.

Claims (13)

detection means for detecting a document area by performing image analysis processing on a scanned image and performing skew correction based on the detected document area to obtain a document image after skew correction;
determining means for determining whether or not the tilt-corrected document image obtained by the detecting means satisfies a predetermined condition;
first display means for displaying a target area designation screen for displaying the tilt-corrected document image obtained by the detection means and a frame indicating a processing target area;
and processing means for creating an output image after repeat layout processing by repeatedly laying out an image corresponding to the processing target area indicated by the frame displayed on the target area specifying screen within a specified paper size. ,
second display means for displaying a preview screen including a preview image of the output image after the repeat layout process;
with
The frame displayed on the target area designation screen by the first display means is initially displayed at the position of the area in the document image after tilt correction corresponding to the document area detected by the detection means, and , the position of the initially displayed frame can be changed based on the user's instruction ,
When the determination means determines that the document image after the tilt correction satisfies the predetermined condition, the first display means displays the target area designation screen,
If the determining means determines that the document image after tilt correction does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the image of the area in the document image after tilt correction corresponding to the document area detected by the detecting means is determined. The image of the initial processing target area includes a preview image of an output image after repeat layout processing, which is created by repeatedly laying out the image of the initial processing target area within the specified paper size by the processing means. An image processing apparatus , wherein a preview screen is displayed by the second display means . The processing means
When the position of the frame is changed on the target area specification screen based on the user's instruction, the image corresponding to the processing target area indicated by the changed frame is repeatedly laid out within the specified paper size. to create an output image after repeat layout processing ,
If the position of the frame is not changed on the target area designation screen based on the user's instruction, the image corresponding to the processing target area indicated by the initially displayed frame is used to perform processing.
2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said processing means further performs control to execute print processing using said created output image after repeat layout processing. 2. A method for specifying a target area on said preview screen displayed by said second display means , wherein said first display means displays said target area designation screen when said user instructs to change said process target area. Item 1. The image processing apparatus according to item 1 . 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said determining means determines that said predetermined condition is satisfied when the size of the document image after said tilt correction is larger than a predetermined size. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said determining means determines that said predetermined condition is satisfied when the document image after said tilt correction includes areas of a plurality of attributes. detection means for detecting a document area by performing image analysis processing on a scanned image and performing skew correction based on the detected document area to obtain a document image after skew correction;
face detection means for detecting a photographic area including a person's face from the tilt-corrected document image obtained by the detection means ;
first display means for displaying a target area designation screen for displaying the tilt-corrected document image obtained by the detection means and a frame indicating a processing target area;
processing means for executing processing using an image corresponding to the processing target area indicated by the frame displayed on the target area designation screen;
with
When the photograph area is not detected by the face detection means, the first display means performs initial processing on the area of the document image after the tilt correction corresponding to the document area detected by the detection means. initially displaying the original image after the tilt correction and a frame indicating the initial processing target region as the target region on the target region specifying screen;
When the photograph area is detected by the face detection means, the first display means treats the photograph area detected by the face detection means as an initial processing target area, and displays the document image after the tilt correction and the corresponding original image. initially displaying a frame indicating an initial processing target area on the target area specification screen ;
The position of the frame initially displayed on the target area designation screen can be changed based on the user's instruction ,
An image processing apparatus characterized by: When the photograph area is detected by the face detection means, the first display means switches the processing target area to an area corresponding to the original image after the inclination correction obtained by the detection means. 8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein a button is further displayed on said target area designation screen. 3. The tilt-corrected document image obtained by the detection means is an image obtained by executing the document image extraction and tilt correction based on the detected document area. 9. The image processing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 8 . A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 . A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 10 . a detection step of detecting a document area by performing image analysis processing on a scanned image, and performing skew correction based on the detected document area to obtain a document image after skew correction;
a determination step of determining whether or not the tilt-corrected document image obtained in the detection step satisfies a predetermined condition;
a first display step of displaying a target area designation screen for displaying the obtained document image after tilt correction and a frame indicating a processing target area;
a processing step of creating an output image after repeat layout processing by repeatedly laying out an image corresponding to the processing target area indicated by the frame displayed on the target area specifying screen within a specified paper size; ,
a second display step of displaying a preview screen including a preview image of the output image after the repeat layout process;
with
The frame displayed on the target area designation screen in the first display step is initially displayed at the position of the area in the document image after tilt correction corresponding to the document area detected in the detection step, and , the position of the initially displayed frame can be changed based on the user's instruction ,
When it is determined in the determination step that the document image after the tilt correction satisfies the predetermined condition, the target area designation screen is displayed in the first display step,
When it is determined in the determination step that the document image after the tilt correction does not satisfy the predetermined condition, an image of the region in the document image after the tilt correction corresponding to the document region detected in the detection step. is the image of the initial processing target area, and the preview image of the output image after the repeat layout process created by repeatedly laying out the image of the initial processing target area within the specified paper size in the processing step and displaying a preview screen including the preview screen in the second display step . a detection step of detecting a document area by performing image analysis processing on a scanned image, and performing skew correction based on the detected document area to obtain a document image after skew correction;
a face detection step of detecting a photographic area including a person's face from the tilt-corrected document image obtained in the detection step;
a first display step of displaying a target area designation screen for displaying the tilt-corrected document image obtained in the detection step and a frame indicating a processing target area;
a processing step of executing a process using an image corresponding to the processing target area indicated by the frame displayed on the target area specifying screen;
with
If the photo area is not detected in the face detection step, in the first display step, the area of the document image after tilt correction corresponding to the document area detected in the detection step is subjected to initial processing. while initially displaying the original image after the tilt correction and a frame indicating the initial processing target region as the region on the target region designation screen;
When the photograph area is detected in the face detection step, the first display step sets the photograph area detected in the face detection step as an initial processing target area, and displays the tilt-corrected document image and the relevant document image. initially displaying a frame indicating an initial processing target area on the target area specification screen;
The position of the frame initially displayed on the target area designation screen can be changed based on the user's instruction,
An image processing method characterized by:

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