JPH04172767A - Image scanner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To store only a picture data truly required by storing the picture data read by a picture data read means to a picture data storage means, displaying the stored data on a display means and deleting a data of a required part from the picture data storage means with an undesired data delete means. CONSTITUTION:A digital signal is converted from an analog signal and includes contrast information and the signal is binarized by a half tone processor 56 in which a binarizing level is set by a CPU 52, fed to a picture storage RAM 64, in which the data is stored and fed to a display device 62 via a display controller 15, in which the data is displayed. Then the operator uses an input device 65 to designate a required range of a picture displayed on the display device 62 and to delete a part at the outside of the range. The undesired data is deleted from the picture storage RAM 64 by the operation. In this case, as the method to designate the range of the picture, it is implemented by designating two points on diagonal lines in the required range.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image scanner that captures and stores drawings, characters, etc. as image data, and erases unnecessary portions of the stored data.

C. Prior Art] Conventionally, various image scanners that capture drawings, characters, etc. as image data have been proposed. In this method, a drawing or document is illuminated by a light source, and the reflected light is converted into an analog image signal by an image sensor, for example.
The analog image signal is digitized, and the resulting digital signal is transferred to a host computer to be displayed on a display or stored in a storage device.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such conventional devices, the taking-in radius is fixed, and the reading start position is visually confirmed by the operator, so that the reading is carried out with some margin in the vertical and horizontal directions. However, if more data than necessary is imported, there is a problem in that processing time becomes longer when performing post-processing such as image communication or editing.

The present invention has been made in view of this situation, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an image scanner that can store only necessary image data.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The image scanner of the present invention includes: an image data reading means for reading information written on a manuscript as image data; an image data storage means for storing the read image data; The present invention is characterized by comprising display means for displaying a stored image, and unnecessary data erasing means for erasing an unnecessary portion of the displayed image from the image data storage means.

[Operation] In the image scanner configured as described above, the image data read by the image data reading means is stored in the image data storage means, the stored data is displayed on the display means, and the image data storage means is erased by the unnecessary data erasing means. Unnecessary data will be deleted from. As a result, only necessary image data is stored in the image data storage means.

[Embodiment] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the image scanner according to the present invention. In FIG. 2, 1 is an image scanner, the tip of which is wider than the main body 50, a window 40 for checking the read image is provided on the upper surface of the tip, and an image sensor 51 is installed inside. It is provided. A display device 62, which is a display means for displaying captured images, is provided on the top surface of the main body 50, and an input device (such as a tablet) 65, which is an erasing means for erasing unnecessary images, is provided integrally with the display device 62. It is being A capture start button 57 is provided on the side of the main body, and a concentration adjustment dial 58 is provided on the rear of the main body.

The image scanner 1 configured in this way is, for example, R5.
The image scanner 1 is connected to a host computer 70 via a 232C connection cable 61, and images captured by the image scanner 1 are ultimately displayed on a display screen 60a of a display 60.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the state in which the image scanner 1 is connected to the host computer 70 via the interface port B, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the cordless image scanner.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the image scanner 1. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, 51 is an image sensor that is an image data reading means for reading information such as figures or characters written on a manuscript as image data, 53 is a light source that illuminates the manuscript, and 30 is a signal output from the image sensor 51. It is an amplifier that amplifies the

59 is an A/D conversion circuit that digitizes the analog image signal supplied from the amplifier 30 and supplies it to the halftone processor 56, which is a binarization means. 52 is a CPU that performs overall control and sets the binarization level of the halftone processor 56. 34 is a pass line which includes an input interface circuit 33, a display control device 15,
The image storage RAM 64, program ROM 63, halftone processor 56, and CPU 52 are disconnected.

Reference numeral 54 denotes an encoder for position detection, which generates a distance signal by moving the image scanner 1 on the surface of the paper. 13 is host computer 7
The program ROM 63 is an R3232C driver/receiver that transfers data to the R3232C driver/receiver.The program ROM 63 stores a program that controls the entire sequence.

The operation of the image scanner configured as described above is as follows. When the image scanner 1 is slid by pressing the capture start button 57 (FIG. 2), the image sensor 51 detects information about the document illuminated by the light source 53 and outputs it as an analog signal. This signal is transmitted to amplifier 3
0 to the A/D conversion circuit 59 and converted into a digital signal.

This digital signal is a digitized version of the analog signal and contains grayscale information, and the signal is processed by the CPU 52 in two ways.
The image is binarized by a halftone processor 56 with a set value level, and is supplied to an image storage RAM 64.
The data is stored there, and is also supplied to the display device 62 via the display control device 15 for display.

When the operator looks at this display screen and finds that the desired information has not been captured, the operator performs the image capturing process again. The image displayed at this time is an image of a wide range determined by the reading convergence of the image sensor 51, so it contains more information than necessary, and using this data as is will increase the processing time in post-processing. I will do it.

Therefore, the operator uses the input device 65 to designate a necessary range of the image displayed on the display device 62 and performs an operation to erase the portion outside the range. This operation erases unnecessary portions of data from the image storage RAM 64. At this time, a method of specifying the range of the image may be, for example, specifying two points on the diagonal line of the required range.

Through the above operations, only the truly necessary image data is stored in the image storage RAM 64, so when this data is used for post-processing, the processing time required is the originally necessary time, and unnecessary processing is required. It will never be time.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the image scanner of the present invention, the captured image data is displayed as is, and by specifying only the necessary part of the display screen, the other part is erased. Since only the necessary image data is stored in the storage means, it has the effect that the processing time for post-processing does not become longer than necessary.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of the image scanner of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams of other embodiments. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration. 1... Image scanner, 51... Image sensor, 52... CPU, 59--A/D conversion circuit, 62
...Display device, 63...Program ROM, 64.
...RAM for image storage, 65...input device. Patent applicant: OMRON Co., Ltd. Representative: Patent attorney: Yoshio Inamoto

Claims (1)

[Claims] Image data reading means for reading information written on a manuscript as image data; image data storage means for storing the read image data; display means for displaying the stored image; An image scanner comprising unnecessary data erasing means for erasing an unnecessary portion of an image from the image data storage means.