JPH0480885A - Color image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the number of processes until obtaining a final color image by fitting a color translated sentence into a marker area, fitting a color original picture out of the area and outputting them. CONSTITUTION:After the marker area is detected by a marker detection part 131, characters in the marker area are recognized by a recognition part 119 and translated to Japanese. The translated Japanese font is outputted by a font generation part 121, and a photosensitive drum 130 is scanned by a laser beam after modulating the pulse width by a laser driver 127. The latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 130 is processed by a developer, transfer device and fixer and a visible image in the same color as that of the recognized character is formed on paper. Thus, since the output image can be formed with color, partial translation is enabled speedily without masking or trimming the translated character in the marker area.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a color image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a color image forming apparatus that recognizes and translates characters within a predetermined area of a read color document.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, color image forming apparatuses having a translation function, for example,
As a color copying machine, one constructed as shown in FIG. 7 is known. When using this color copying machine to translate text in a marker area marked with a line marker, etc. in a color manuscript, and to form a color manuscript image with the translated text inserted into the marker area, first, a league etc. The reading unit 71 reads the manuscript and detects the marker area, the character recognition unit 72 recognizes the characters in that area, the translation unit 73 translates from English to Japanese, and converts the Japanese text into an image. The output unit 74 outputs a hard copy in black and white, and then the translated Japanese text is masked or trimmed within the marker area, and the resulting manuscript is again copied in color.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above conventional example, the translated text is output as a hard copy in black and white, so the translated text is masked or trimmed within the marker area and then copied in color again. Naturally, the resulting image was black and white only in the marker area, and the colors were not balanced as a whole.

Furthermore, it was very troublesome because there were many steps to obtain a color original image in which the translated text was inserted into the marker area.

An object of the present invention is to provide a color image forming apparatus that solves the above problems.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a marker recognition means for recognizing a marker area surrounded by markers in a color document, and an area recognized by the marker recognition means. In the color image forming apparatus, the color image forming apparatus includes a character recognition means for recognizing characters within the marker area, and a translation means for translating a sentence consisting of the characters recognized by the character recognition means, the text translated by the translation means within the marker area. The present invention is characterized in that it includes an image output means for inserting a color original image in color, and inserting and outputting a color original image of a corresponding portion of the color original outside the marker area.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that it includes a color conversion means for converting the color of the translated text.

Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that it includes an image processing means for processing an image within the marker area.

[Function] In the present invention, a text translated by the translation means is inserted into the marker area in color, and a color original image of the corresponding portion of the color original is inserted outside the marker area and outputted by the image output means.

Further, in the present invention, the color of the translated document is converted by the color conversion means.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the image within the marker area is processed by the image processing means.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 102 is a document glass plate, and 101 is a document placed on the document glass plate 102.

A scanning section S is composed of a halogen lamp 103, a rod lens array 104 such as a SELFOC lens (registered trademark), and a CCD line sensor 105, and is scanned in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 to scan the original image line by line. It is read and output in sequence. The original image is focused on a CCD line sensor 105 by a rod lens array 104.

The halogen lamp 103 illuminates the original 101. The CCD line sensor 105 is coated with RGB color separation filters dot-sequentially, and separates the color group signals of the original into 4 colors.
It is designed to output at a resolution of 00 dpi.

106 is a sample and hold (S/H) circuit that samples and holds the signal from the CCD line sensor 105 for each pixel. 107 is an A/D converter that converts a sampled and held analog signal into a digital signal. 108 is a shading correction circuit that corrects output unevenness due to variations in sensitivity between pixels of the CCD line sensor 105. A color shift correction circuit 119 corrects color shift. 110 is an input masking circuit that performs masking. 11
2 is a logarithmic (LOG) conversion circuit, and input masking circuit 1
This converts the RGB signals from 10 to signals of complementary colors C (cyan), magenta (M), and yellow (Y).

113 is a black extraction circuit, and the CM from the logarithmic conversion circuit 112
This is to extract the minimum value of Y, that is, K (black). A masking circuit 114 performs masking. 115 is a UCR circuit, OCR (undercolor removal)
This is to generate a C, M, Y, screen sequential signal.

122 is a selector that receives C and M from the UCR circuit 115;

This selects the output of the frame sequential signal for Y and Y.

A gate signal generation circuit 123 outputs a gate signal to the selector 122 for an area to be output without translation. 125 is a D/A converter that converts the digital signal from the selector 122 into an analog signal. 116 is a signal generation circuit for processing, which calculates (R+G+B)/3 from the RGB signal from the input masking circuit 110 to generate a signal for processing. Reference numeral 131 is a marker detection circuit that detects whether or not it is a marker.

117 is a difference circuit that calculates the difference between the maximum value Max and the minimum value Min of RGB from the input masking circuit 110, that is, IMax-Minl, and if the calculated difference is larger than a predetermined value, it is determined that it is color data; If it is small, it is determined that it is achromatic data.

Reference numeral 119 denotes a recognition unit that recognizes characters based on processing signals from the area surrounded by the markers detected by the marker detection circuit 131.

Reference numeral 120 denotes a translation unit that translates a sentence made up of characters recognized by the recognition unit 119 from Japanese to English.

A font generator 121 generates a sequence signal for printing in the area to be translated. 12
4 is a triangular wave generating section which generates a triangular wave in synchronization with the image clock.

A comparator 126 compares the analog signal from the D/A converter 125 with the triangular wave from the triangular wave generator 124.

A printer P includes a laser driver 127, a semiconductor laser 128, a polygon mirror 129, and a photosensitive drum 130. The laser driver 127 pulse width modulates the semiconductor laser 128. The polygon mirror 129 is a semiconductor laser 128 collimated by a suitable optical system.
The laser beam is scanned onto the photosensitive drum 130. The latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 130 is developed, transferred, and fixed by a developing device, a transfer device, and a fixing device (not shown), respectively, and a visible image is formed on the paper in the C, M, Y, and K planes sequentially. .

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the first illustrated marker detection section.

The background level is determined by the background level detection unit 132 from the read signal obtained by reading the original shown in FIG.
Then, the edge amount is determined by the edge detection section 133.

FIGS. 4(a), (b), and (c) show signal levels for the third illustrated lines AA', BB', and CC'. Then, from the obtained edge amount, the flat pixel number check unit 134 determines the interval between the amount ① and the amount e shown in FIG. 4(d), and compares the obtained interval with the background level signal. , the number of pixels in the interval is 31 or more (
(47 pixels or more in the case of 63.5 μm), the interval is set as the marker designated area.

In this embodiment, with this configuration, after the marker area is detected by the marker detection unit 131, the recognition unit 119 recognizes the characters in the detected marker area, and the translation unit 120 converts the recognized characters and English into English. Translate into Japanese by. Then, the translated Japanese font is output by the font generator 121, and the laser driver 127 pulse-modulates the laser beam to the photosensitive drum 130.
The latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 130 is developed, transferred, and fixed to C, M, and Y (not shown) by a developing device, a transfer device, and a fixing device, respectively, and the latent image is transferred to C, M, and Y, respectively. Forms a visible image on paper in the same color as the characters recognized in field sequential manner. The translated text is embedded in color within the marker area of the obtained image, and a color original image of a corresponding portion of the color original is embedded outside the marker area.

Since the output image can be formed in color in this way, it is possible to quickly perform partial translation without having to perform operations such as masking or trimming the translated text within the marker area, as in the past.

In this embodiment, an example in which PWM is performed according to gradation has been described, but dither processing may be performed based on a dither pattern of the dither pattern generating section 150 shown in FIG. 5.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which the color of the recorded text is the same as the color of the recognized characters, but the color conversion circuit 111 shown in FIG. 6 converts the color according to the set color. You can.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, since it is configured as described above, it is possible to obtain the translated text within the marker area and the image outside the marker area in color, and
This has the effect of significantly reducing the number of steps required to obtain the final color image.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the marker detection section shown in the first diagram, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram explaining marker detection, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional color copying machine. 116... Processing signal creation circuit, 118... Control unit, 119... Recognition unit, 120... Translation unit, 131... Marker detection unit, S... Scanning unit, P... printer. To the control unit 11B Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) Marker recognition means for recognizing a marker area surrounded by markers in a color document; Character recognition means for recognizing characters within the area recognized by the marker recognition means; and Character recognition. A color image forming apparatus having a translation means for translating a sentence consisting of characters recognized by the means, the text translated by the translation means being inserted into the marker area in color, and the text corresponding to the color document being placed outside the marker area. What is claimed is: 1. A color image forming apparatus comprising an image output means for inserting and outputting a color document image of a portion of the document. 2) The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising color conversion means for converting the color of the translated text. 3) The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising image processing means for processing the image within the marker area.