JPH05260269A - Image printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To miniaturize an image printer by reading in plural times a readable original size which is set according to the width of a sensor and the moved distance of the sensor when the original size cannot be read in a single time. CONSTITUTION:This image printer consists of a sensor 3 which reads an original, an image processor 4 which binarizes the read image signal, a mode input device 5, a display device 6 which shows an operating state, a transmitter device 9 or a print output device 10 which transmits or prints the received data, a primary storage, a main storage 8, and a central controller 11. In such a constitution, a sheet of large original is read in plural times and synthesized. Thus the image data are obtained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image printing apparatus for reading an original by moving a sensor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as the spread rate of OA equipment has increased, there are many cases where a facsimile machine or a copying machine is installed in a general home or a private store. In particular, there is an increasing demand for image printing apparatuses that can read thick books and notebooks as they are. The conventional image printing apparatus will be described below. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional printing apparatus, FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a conventional image printing apparatus, and FIG. 8 is a processing flowchart showing a processing flow of the conventional image printing apparatus. 6 and 7, 1 is a document reading unit, 2 is an opening / closing lid for protecting the document reading unit, 21 is a sensor having a document reading width L and a movement distance R, and 22 is an image for binarizing a read image signal. A processing device, 23 is an input device which is arranged on the front of the image printing device and inputs an operation mode such as light and shade of a document and printing / transmission, and 24 is arranged on the front side of the image printing device just beside the input device and by the input device. A display device for displaying the input operation mode and operation state, 25 is a storage device for storing image data from the image processing device, 26
Is a communication device for transmitting image data stored in the storage device or receiving image data from the outside, 27 is a print output device for printing the image data stored in the storage device, 28 is an image processing device, an input device, a display device , A central control device for controlling a storage device, a print output device, and the like. FIG. 8 shows the relationship and operation between the constituent elements of the image printing apparatus configured as described above.
Will be described. First, the operation mode is input using the input device 23 (S51), then the opening / closing lid 2 is opened and the document is set on the document reading unit 1 (S52), and the sensor 21 moves to read the document and the image processing device 22. Binarization is performed according to the operation set in (S53), and the binarized image data is stored in the storage device 25. According to the operation mode previously input by the input device 23, processing is divided into transmission and printing. In the case of transmission, the central control unit 28 band-compresses the image data stored in the storage unit 25 and transmits it by the communication unit 26 (S56, S57). In the case of copying, the image data stored in the storage device 25 is sent to the print output device 27 and printed by the central controller 28 (S58).

[0003]

However, in the above conventional structure, the maximum document size is determined by the sensor width L and the moving distance R of the sensor to be L × R document size, and therefore a larger document size is required. The image printing apparatus has a problem that the sensor width L and the moving distance R must be increased and the size cannot be reduced.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a function of setting a document size, and if the set document size cannot be read in one time, the document is read in a plurality of times. It is provided with a function to perform and a function to combine read image data and combine them.

[0005]

According to the present invention, when the set original size cannot be read in one time, the original is read in a plurality of times and the image data is combined and joined to move the sensor width L and the sensor. A large document can be read without limiting the document size by the distance R.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a processing flow chart showing the flow of processing, and FIG. 3 is a document inclination correction (S6) and joint processing (of FIG. 2). It is the flowchart which performed the process of S7) in more detail, and FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of the joining process. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the image printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the block diagram of FIG. 1 and the perspective view of FIG. 5, 1 is a document reading unit, 2 is an opening / closing lid, 3 is a sensor having a document reading width L ′ and a movement distance R ′, and 4 is a binarized image signal read. An image processing device, 5 is an input device which is arranged in front of the image printing device and inputs operation modes such as a document size / shade and printing / transmission, and 6 is arranged in front of the image printing device just beside the input device for input. A display device for displaying the operation mode and the operation state inputted by the device 5, 7 is a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the image data from the image processing device 4, and 8 is a combination of the image data stored in the temporary storage device 7. A main storage device that saves the data after performing a process of connecting them together, a communication device 9 that transmits the image data stored in the main storage device 8 or receives the image data from the outside, and 10 saves in the main storage device 8. Print output device for printing image data, 11 is an image processing device, an input device, a display device, a temporary storage device, a main storage device, a communication device, a central control unit for controlling the printing output device.

The mutual relationship and operation of the components of the image printing apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration will be described with reference to FIG. First,
The document size and the operation mode are set by using the input device 5, and the display device 6 is instructed to set the document. If the document size is larger than the document reading unit 1, the first reading position instruction is issued (S1). Next, the opening / closing lid 2 is opened and the document is set on the document reading unit 1 according to the instruction of the display device 6 (S
2). When the original is set, the sensor 3 moves to read the original and binarize it according to the operation set by the input device 5 by the image processing device 4 (S3). The original size is changed by the original size set by the input device 5. The processing is divided depending on whether it is larger than the document reading unit 1 or not (S4). If the document size is larger than the document reading unit 1, the binarized image data is temporarily stored in the temporary storage device 7 (S
5), document skew correction process (S6) and stitching process (S7)
And then determine if there is any remaining portion of the document (S
8) If there is a remaining portion, an instruction to set the second and subsequent originals is given to the display device 6 (S9). If the document size is smaller than the document reading unit 1, the binarized image data is stored in the main memory 8 (S10). Next, according to the operation mode set by the input device 5, the processing is divided by transmission or printing (S
11), in the case of transmission, the main control unit 8 is controlled by the central control unit 11.
The image data stored in (1) is band-compressed (S12) and transmitted by the communication device 9 (S13). In the case of printing (copying), the image data stored in the main storage device 8 is sent to the print output device 10 by the central control device 11 and printed (S1).
Four). Next, the document inclination correction process (S6) and the joining process (S7) will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the contour line 12 of the original is extracted from the image data a (FIG. 4) read for the first time (S21) and vectorization processing is performed (S2
2) The basic vector is extracted (S23), and since it is the first reading, it is stored as a basic vector (S24, S25). Again 2
Similarly, the image data b read in the second time (FIG. 4) is also extracted from the outline data of the document (S21) and the vectorization process (S22) to extract the basic vector (S23), and the image data a read in the first time. The directionality between the basic vector and the basic vector in the case of the second time is compared (S26), and the image data read in the second time is rotated until they match (S27). If the basic vectors match in S26, the designated area of each document determined by the document size specified by the input device 5
Search for a match between the image data in 13 and 14, and if there is a match, perform stitching processing based on the matched part (S2
9) The main storage device 8 stores the image data for which connection has been completed.
Save to (S30). Note that the above operation (S21 to S30) is repeated even when the number of readings is two or more.

[0008]

According to the present invention, as is clear from the above embodiment, the function of setting the document size and the function of reading the set document size in plural times when the set document size cannot be read in one time. By providing a function of combining the read image data and joining them together, it is possible to read a large original without limiting the original size by the sensor width L ′ and the sensor moving distance R ′.
The image printing apparatus can be downsized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a processing flowchart of the image printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of document inclination correction and joining processing of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a joining process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an image printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional image printing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a conventional image printing apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a processing flowchart of a conventional image printing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Document reading section, 2 ... Open / close lid, 3,21 ... Sensor, 4, 22 ... Image processing device, 5, 23 ... Input device,
6, 24 ... Display device, 7 ... Temporary storage device, 8 ... Main storage device, 9, 26 ... Communication device, 10, 27 ... Print output device,
11, 28 ... Central control unit, 12 ... Original outline line,
13, 14 ... Original designation area, 25 ... Storage device.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. Input means for reading a document by moving a sensor, display means for displaying an operation state,
An image printing apparatus having at least an output unit for printing or transmitting a read original or received data, wherein an image printing apparatus reads one large original in plural times. 2. The image printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data is created as one large original by synthesizing and joining the image data read in a plurality of times.