JPH05135150A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate operation by automatically editing plural document data read out of a document according to the indicated contents of an editing contents indication form and the contents of a layout chart. CONSTITUTION:An image read means (a) reads plural document images (image data), which are stored in an image storage means (b). A user specifies editing contents through an editing contents indicating means (c) and the image data are edited, visualized, and outputted by an automatic editing means (d) on the basis of the stored image data according to the specified editing contents. Namely, when the editing contents are specified, the image data are automatically edited on the basis of the stored image data according to the editing contents. Consequently, a user generates the desired editing contents and layout as the document, which is read out together with the document images of necessary figures, documents, etc., so that a desired edited image is generated and outputted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus such as a digital copying machine for producing a single output image by combining a plurality of input images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image processing apparatus such as a digital copying machine for reading and outputting an image is provided with a moving function for designating and moving the image, a scaling function, a character synthesizing function, a trimming function, and an editing function such as masking. However, it does not have a function of combining and laying out a plurality of input images, and it is necessary to cut and paste a plurality of originals to create a desired image. That is, when a desired material or the like is created using a plurality of document images, the required image is scaled to an appropriate size from each document, and the scaled images are cut out and arranged. It is changed and pasted. On the other hand, as such a bonding method, there is a method of designating a figure or a sentence with a pointing device such as a mouse while an operator looks at the display device.

[0003]

However, the method in which originals are scaled and stuck together has problems that the work is troublesome, the hands of the operator are dirty, and the amount of paper used increases. Further, the method of processing using a mouse or the like has a disadvantage that it requires skill and cannot be easily operated. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing device that enables easy editing operations.

[0004]

To achieve the above object, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention is constructed as shown in FIG. In the figure, the image reading means a reads a plurality of original images, and the read plurality of images (image data) are stored in the image storage means b. In the editing content designating means c, the editing content is designated by the user, and based on the stored image data, a plurality of image data are edited by the automatic editing means d in accordance with the designated editing content. Is visualized by the image forming output means e and outputted.

[0005]

In the image processing apparatus according to the present invention, when the editing content is designated, based on a plurality of stored image data,
The plurality of image data are automatically edited according to the editing content.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. Figure 2
1 shows a system block diagram of an image processing apparatus (hereinafter, simply referred to as an apparatus) 1 to which the present invention is applied. A portion A surrounded by a broken line in the drawing is a configuration of a conventionally known digital copying machine. Is almost the same as. The CPU (central processing unit) 3 controls the operation of the entire device 1. In this case,
In the CPU 3, the ROM (read only memory) 5
The operation control of the device 1 is performed according to the control program and the processing program stored in. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 7 temporarily stores data input from the front panel 9 via the I / F (interface) 11 and data obtained during processing performed by the CPU 3. Then, the CPU 3 reads various data in the RAM 7 and performs various processes. Here, the output signal of the scanner 13 for reading the original image is taken into the apparatus 1 via the I / F 15, is subjected to processing such as A / D conversion, sewing correction, MTF correction, etc. and is stored in the image memory 17. ..

In this case, in a normal digital copying machine, the image memory 17 does not exist, and when the output signal of the scanner 13 is subjected to A / D conversion processing, the capacity for one input image is reduced. The data is stored in the page memory 19 included therein as data. The image memory 17 in this embodiment is a large-capacity external memory that stores several input images. Then, the edit processing circuit 21 edits a plurality of input image data by combining, layout, scaling, and the like. The edited image is stored in the temporary image memory 17, and finally the respective images are combined into an edited result image, which is expanded on the page memory 19.

Also, based on the image data from the page memory 19, the LD (laser diode) is blinked and driven in the LD driver 23, whereby the image is visualized in the electrophotographic process 25 and printed. The image is output. Furthermore, the video data output from the page memory 19 with the image data thinned out is VRAM (Video).
The edited result image is displayed on the display device 29 based on the video data of the VRAM 27. That is, in this embodiment, as understood from FIG.
The automatically edited edit result image is displayed by the edit result image display means f, and the user can confirm it.

Next, the overall operation procedure of the apparatus 1 will be schematically described. In FIG. 3, first, an edit content instruction sheet 10 is prepared in which the user himself describes the procedure for the edit content desired by the user. The format of this edit content instruction sheet 10 is not particularly limited, and Can be set appropriately. Then, the user prepares a layout diagram 20 for instructing a desired edited layout, and the editing content instruction sheet 10 and the layout diagram 20 give the device 1 a request for editing. .. Furthermore, the diagram used for editing,
A manuscript 30 such as a photograph and a text is prepared, and when the device 1 places the edited content instruction sheet 10, the layout drawing 20 and the manuscript 30 on an ADF (automatic paper feeder) (not shown), they are successively and sequentially arranged. As a result of reading, the output document 40 edited in a desired format is automatically generated.

Next, FIG. 4 is a general flow chart showing an overall processing flow of the apparatus 1. When the device 1 is powered on, the processing mode of the device 1 becomes the edit content instruction mode (step 1). Then, the edit content instruction sheet 10 is read by the scanner 13 for all the pages required for editing (step 2), and the image data of the read edit content instruction sheet 10 is read by the edit content instruction means c. , Predetermined processing (described later) is performed (step 3). When all the contents of the edit content instruction sheet 10 are input by the scanner 13, the current edit content instruction mode is canceled (step 4). At this point, the apparatus 1 enters the automatic edit mode and waits for the input of the original image. Becomes In this state, the layout drawing 20 is input from the scanner 13 (step 5), and the input image is stored in the image memory 17.

Then, the manuscript used for editing is input from the scanner 13 for all the pages required for editing (step 6), and the apparatus 1 sequentially stores the images in the image memory 17, and all the images are stored. Original image scanner 13
When the input is completed, the automatic editing means d performs a predetermined process (described later) (step 7). In this case,
Automatic editing is started, and finally an edited result image is created. As can be understood from FIG. 5, the instruction form of the editing content instruction sheet 10 includes an instruction sheet 10a for instructing the editing content in ordinary words, an instruction sheet 10b with a format, and the like. In the instruction form 10a, the instruction form 10a is read by the device 1 and subjected to character recognition and natural language processing, whereby an instruction can be given to the device 1. On the other hand, in the instruction form 10b, the numbers and characters in the rectangle at the determined position are recognized by the OCR or the like in the determined order, so that the device 1 is much simpler than the instruction form 10a. With the configuration described above, it is possible to instruct editing contents. Instructions 10a, 10
The method of writing b is not particularly limited, such as when it is written in a predetermined font or when it is handwritten.

Next, as understood from FIG. 6, in the processing of the editing content instruction means c performed in step 3 of FIG. 4 (when the instruction sheet 10a is used), it is stored in the image memory 17. The image data of the instruction sheet 10a is read to the page memory 19 (step 10), the image is cut out in character units, and character recognition is performed for each character image (step 12). When the recognition of each character is completed, the group of characters is detected and the extraction is performed in word units (step 14). In this case, the character recognition and word recognition are performed with reference to an external dictionary memory D that stores a large amount of character information and word information. Subsequently, known natural language processing such as syntax analysis and semantic analysis is performed from the unit of word unit, and the instruction sheet 10
Various editing information designated by a is extracted (step 16). The dictionary memory D is also referred to during the natural language processing in step 16.

Then, the extracted editing information is temporarily stored in R
It is stored in the AM 7 (step 18) and is read again during the automatic editing process (described later). When the operations of steps 10 to 18 are performed for all the read instruction sheets 10a (step 20; Y), the process ends.
On the other hand, if all the operations have not been performed (step 20; N), the operations of steps 10 to 18 are performed for the operations that have not been performed. Next, the processing procedure of the automatic editing means d will be described. As understood from FIG. 7, the image data necessary for editing is read from the image memory 17 and expanded on the page memory 19 (step 21). Whether the image is a figure or a sentence is determined from the information read at the time of development.
If it is a figure (step 23; Y), the cutout frame for cutting out the figure is determined by finding the outermost dots on the top, bottom, left, and right of the figure, and detecting them from their coordinates (step 25). ..

The figure within the determined figure frame is cut out and stored in the image memory (step 27). In this case, the figure cut-out is as shown in FIG. A is the outermost and outermost dot in the image,
The point B is detected as the outermost lower dot and the outer left dot, and the point C is detected as the lower outermost dot and the right outer dot. Then, based on the respective coordinate values, the figure cutout frame surrounding the entire figure is determined from the coordinate values of the four points calculated in consideration of the cutout margin Δd. On the other hand, page memory 1
When the image developed on 9 is a sentence that is a collection of character images (step 23; N), line segmentation and character segmentation are first performed to obtain image data for each character (step 29). Then, the cut-out image data for each character is stored in the image memory 17 (step 30).

In this case, in character cutting, a histogram of black dots is calculated in the main scanning direction to cut out lines, and then the same scanning is performed in the sub-scanning direction to determine a threshold value with black dots. In the following cases, it is regarded as a space between characters, and character cutting is performed on a character-by-character basis. Since this technique is conventionally known, detailed description is omitted. The above processing (steps 21 to 31)
Is performed on all image data, and if there is image data for which the above processing (steps 21 to 31) has not been completed (step 33; Y), the processing of steps 21 to 31 is performed on that data. On the other hand, when the above processing (steps 21 to 31) is performed on all the image data (step 33; N), the page is read out from the image memory 17 of the figure or the sentence based on the editing information. It is developed / composed on the memory 19 (step 35), and the process ends.

Next, in the processing procedure in the edited result image display means f, as understood from FIG. 9, the bitmap data of the edited result image is received from the page memory 19 (step 40). In this case, since the resolution of the output device is usually larger than the resolution of the device used for display, the resolution conversion (so-called thinning) process of the bitmap data is normally performed (step 42).
The result is written in the VRAM 27 (step 4
4) After that, when writing of all the data is completed, the data is sent to the display driver 26 (step 40), and the edit result image is displayed on the display device 29 if necessary. As described above, in this embodiment, the editing contents and layout desired by the usage document are created as a manuscript, and when the manuscript image of the required figure or sentence is read together with the manuscript image, the desired edit image is automatically created. Since it is created and output, you can easily edit it. Further, since the edited image can be displayed and confirmed before being output as a print image, the user can perform re-correction and the like while looking at the display. In addition, since the edit content instruction sheet 10, the layout drawing 20, and the original document 30 are sequentially and continuously read, there is an advantage that the editing work becomes easier.

[0018]

As can be understood from the above description, in the image processing apparatus according to the present invention, when the editing content is designated, the plurality of image data are automatically generated based on the plurality of stored image data. Is edited according to the edited contents. That is, when the user creates a desired editing content and layout as a manuscript, and reads the manuscript together with the manuscript image such as necessary figures and documents, the desired edited image is created and output, so that the editing work is easy. You can do it. In addition, since the edited image can be displayed before being output as a print image, the user can confirm the edited result by the displayed image, and thus can perform editing such as recorrection. .. In addition, since the operation of reading the document is continuously performed while the editing information is read and recognized, there is an advantage that the editing work efficiency is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram corresponding to claims of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the inside of the device in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a general flow chart of the apparatus in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an edit content instruction sheet.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure performed by an edit content instruction unit.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure performed by automatic editing means.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure for cutting out a figure.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process performed by an edited result image display means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 a image reading means b image storing means c editing content designating means d automatic editing means e image forming and outputting means f editing result image displaying means 1 image processing device 3 CPU 5 ROM 7 RAM 13 scanner 17 image memory 19 page memory 23 LD driver 25 Electrophotographic process 27 URAM 29 Display device

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image reading unit for reading a document image; an image storage unit for storing the read document image; and an image forming output unit for visualizing and outputting image data. A plurality of image data according to the editing content designated by the editing content designating means based on the plurality of image data stored in the image storing means And an automatic editing means for automatically editing the image processing apparatus. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising edit result image display means for displaying the image data edited by the automatic editing means. 3. When the edit content is designated, in response to the paper on which the edit information corresponding to the edit content is entered and the original to be edited being placed on the automatic paper device, the edit information is responded. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an edited document reading unit that continuously performs a document reading operation while reading and recognizing the document.