JPH0535840A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable handling of characters obtained by recognizing characters from a read image even with a wordprocessor. CONSTITUTION:A CPU 34 reads the image out of an optical disk 19 and stores it in a page memory 40. The CPU 34 makes a character recognition part 39 perform the character recognition of the image stored in the page memory 40 and stores the recognized contents and character code in a main memory 38. The CPU 34 reads the recognition contents and character code out of the main memory 38, erases the part of the stored recognition contents for each character, stores a dummy code in the erased part, and stores them in another location of the main memory 38. The CPU 34 reads the dummy code and character code out of the main memory 38, operates a floppy disk device 28 via an interface circuit 36 and stores the codes in a floppy disk 28a.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the registration of images,
The present invention relates to an image storage device such as an image filing device that performs a search or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an image such as a large amount of documents is read by a scanner (two-dimensional scanning device), the read image is stored in an optical disk, and any stored image is searched and read out. Output it to an output device, eg C
2. Description of the Related Art An image filing device which outputs an RT display device or a recording device in a visible state has been put into practical use. Conventionally, for example, an image stored in an optical disc is read, and the image is recognized by OCR or the like, and the recognized character is registered in a magnetic disc or the like in a text code format (recording method). However, word processors (word processors) that have become widespread in recent years cannot be used as they are because they have a different format from the text code.

That is, the text code in the format read by the OCR allocates 2 to 3 bytes to store one character as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). That is, in the case of storing English characters and numbers in FIG. 4A, 2 bytes are allocated, and 1 byte of 60a is the code data of the recognition content, and 1 byte of 60b is the character (English, number). Code data is recorded respectively. The recognition content here means the degree of recognition in reading such as "suspicious" or "normally recognizing" when the image read by OCR or the like is unclear or has a black lump with complicated characters ( Recognition rate). In the case of storing the kanji in (b) of FIG. 4, the recognition content is 61a for 1 byte and the recognition content is 6 for 2 bytes.
The character code data is recorded in 1b.

Now, in a word processor, FIG.
As shown in (d), 2-3 bytes are allocated to store one character. In other words, in the case of storing English characters and numbers in (c) of FIG. 4, 2 bytes are allocated, and 1 byte of 62a has the attribute code data, and 1 byte has 62b of the English and numeral code data. Each is to be recorded. The attributes mentioned here are underlines, thick lines, character modifications, and the like. Figure 4 (d)
In the case of storing Chinese characters in, the attribute is recorded in 63a for 1 byte and the character code data is recorded in 63b for 2 bytes.

[0005]

As described above, in the conventional image filing apparatus, when an image is character-recognized by OCR or the like, the text code, which is the format of the read character, is different from the format of the word processor. There was a problem that it could not be used. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image storage device in which a character obtained by character recognition from a read image can be handled by a word processor.

[0006]

An image storage / retrieval device of the present invention includes a supply means for supplying an image, a display means for displaying the image supplied by the supply means, and an image displayed on the display means. By using the character recognition means for recognizing the recognition information and the character code for each character of, and the recognition information given to the character code recognized by this character recognition means,
A conversion unit for converting attribute information such as character decoration formed by a dummy code, and a storage unit for storing the character code to which the attribute information converted by the conversion unit is added are provided.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the image supplied by the supply means is displayed, the recognition information for each character of the displayed image and the character code are recognized, and the recognition information provided to the recognized character code is used. Then, it is converted into attribute information such as character decoration formed by a dummy code, and the character code to which the converted attribute information is added is stored.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an image storage / retrieval device of the present invention, for example, an electronic filing device.
That is, the electronic filing device includes the control module 1
0, memory module 12, image processing module 14,
Communication control module 16, scanner device 18, optical disk 19 and optical disk device 20, keyboard 23, C
RT display device 24, printer device 25, magnetic disk 26 and magnetic disk device 27, mouse 29,
System bus 30, image bus 32, and character recognition unit 3
It is composed of 9.

The control module 10 includes a CPU 34 that performs various controls for storing, retrieving and editing images.
And the optical disk device 20, the magnetic disk device 27 and C
The interface circuit 36 connects the PU 34. A keyboard 23 and a mouse 29 are connected to the CPU 34.

The memory module 12 includes a main memory 38 for storing various control programs for image storage, retrieval, editing, etc., management information, etc., a character recognition section 39 for recognizing image characters, and several pages of A4 size originals. A page memory 40 as an image memory having a storage capacity corresponding to an image,
It is composed of a display memory 42 as a display interface, a display controller 44, and the like. A buffer memory area 40a is provided in a part of the page memory 40. The page memory 40 is, for example, the optical disc 19
The memory is a memory for temporarily storing the image stored in the optical disc 19 and the image read from the optical disc 19.

The display memory 42 is for temporarily storing an image displayed by the CRT display device 24. In the display memory 42, an image actually displayed in the display window of the CRT display device 24, for example, an image from the page memory 40 or an image from the buffer memory 40a is enlarged, reduced, rotated, inserted or inserted. An image subjected to black-and-white reversal or the like is stored. The display control unit 44 controls the display processing of the CRT display device 24 and the like.

The image processing module 14 includes an enlarging / reducing circuit 46 for enlarging and reducing an image, a vertical / horizontal converting circuit 48 for rotating an image, and an encoding process for compressing an image (reducing redundancy). A compression / decompression circuit (CODEC) 50 for performing a decoding process for applying and decompressing (recovering reduced redundancy), a scanner interface 52 for the scanner device 18, a printer interface 54 for the printer device 25, and scaling. The internal bus 56 connects the circuit 46 and the vertical / horizontal conversion circuit 48, the compression / expansion circuit 50, the scanner interface 52, and the printer interface 54. The compression / decompression circuit 50 uses the MH (Modified Huffman) method, the MR (Modified Read) method, or the like to perform band compression,
Alternatively, band expansion is performed.

The communication control module 16 is composed of a communication interface 58 such as a BCP (Bus Communication Processor) connected to a local area network (Local Area Network). Further, the communication control module 16 is connected to an external device such as an FCP (facsimile connection mechanism) or a personal computer through an interface, and a UCP (Universal Communication Process).
r) may be provided.

The system bus 30 is a bus for control signals of various devices, and connects the control module 10 with the memory module 12, the image processing module 14, and the communication control module 16. The image bus 32 is an image bus, and connects the memory module 12, the image processing module 14, and the communication control module 16.

The scanner device 18 is, for example, a two-dimensional scanning device and obtains an electric signal according to an image on the original by scanning the original (document) two-dimensionally with a laser beam.

The optical disk device 20 includes a scanner device 18
The images read in step 1 are sequentially stored in the optical disc 19. The optical disc 19 is searched for an image corresponding to the search code designated by the keyboard 23 or the like.

The keyboard 23 is used to input a unique search code corresponding to an image stored on the optical disk 19 and various operation commands for storage, search, edit processing and the like. In addition, the mouse 29 moves a cursor (not shown) displayed on the display window of the CRT display device 24, for example, vertically and horizontally, and gives an instruction at a desired position so that the cursor is positioned. The display contents (various operation modes, title or area designation or icon for image editing, etc.) are selected or designated.

The CRT display device (cathode ray tube display device) 24 displays an image read by the scanner device 18 and an image retrieved from the optical disk 19. Icons and the like are displayed at the upper end, the lower end, and the right end on the display window of the CRT display device 24.

The printer device 25 prints out (hardcopy) the image read by the scanner device 18, the image retrieved from the optical disk 19 or the image displayed on the CRT display device 24.

The magnetic disk device 27 stores various control programs on the magnetic disk 26 mounted on the magnetic disk device 27, and also stores a search code input from the keyboard 23 and an image corresponding to the search code. It stores search data (search information) including a storage address on the optical disk 19, an image size, a search frequency, and the like.

The search data is managed by a document management table. As shown in FIG. 2, the document management table is a title management table 26a,
Page management table 26b and record management table 2
6c. The title management table 26a stores one document number corresponding to each search code (image name) composed of a plurality of search keys. In the page management table 26b, record numbers are stored page by page of one document, and one record number is stored corresponding to each page. The record management table 26c stores, for each record number, a storage address (storage start position) of an image on the optical disc 19, a document size (image size), image attributes such as compression method and resolution, and a search frequency (access frequency). Has been done. The storage address is a logical address, and a physical track address and a physical sector address are calculated from this at the time of access.

The character recognition section 39 performs character recognition on the dot image data of the image, converts the recognition content into a character code, and outputs it. For example, one line unit of the image data stored in the page memory 40 is taken out and recognized for each character.

When the word processor mode is selected and set using the function keys or the like, the CPU 34 causes the character recognition unit 39
The recognition content and the character code recognized in step S1 are converted into the content of the document including the attribute such as character decoration and the character code.

Next, the operation of image storage and retrieval processing in the electronic filing apparatus having such a configuration will be described. First, regarding the image storage processing, FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

For example, the keyboard 23 is now selected and set in the registration mode. Next, the original is set on the scanner device 18, and the CPU 34 operates the optical disc device 20 and the scanner device 18. The scanner device 18 two-dimensionally scans and photoelectrically converts an image of a set document or the like. The line information of the photoelectrically converted image is sequentially stored in the page memory 40. The image stored in the page memory 40 is stored in the display memory 42, and the display memory 4
The stored contents of No. 2 are displayed on the CRT display device 24 by the display control unit 44.

Next, the search code (title, keyword, etc.) of the image stored in the optical disk 19 is input. This search code is composed of a plurality of search keys, and the contents of the items of this search key are set in advance.

The CPU 34 checks the validity of the input search code in accordance with a predefined format and compares it with the search code registered on the optical disk 19 to check the double registration.
The input search code is stored in the main memory 38 according to the result of this check.

When the displayed image is satisfactory, a memory key (not shown) is entered. Then the CPU
34 is a compression / decompression circuit (CODEC) 50 for each line information of the image stored in the page memory 40,
Coding processing is performed by band compression using a well-known MR (Modified Read) method or the like. The encoded image is supplied to the optical disc device 20 and stored in the optical disc 19.

When the storage of the image on the optical disk 19 is completed, the CPU 34 stores the logical address determined from the physical track address and the physical sector address where the image is stored,
The image length represented by the block length, the image attribute, etc. are stored in the main memory 38 in association with the search code. Then, the CPU 34 supplies the search data stored in the main memory 38 to the magnetic disk device 27. As a result, the magnetic disk device 27 stores the supplied search data in the respective tables 26a to 26c in the magnetic disk 26.

Next, the search processing of the image stored in the optical disk 19 will be described. First, the search mode is set by the keyboard 23, and the search code corresponding to the image to be searched is input. The CPU 34 sequentially compares and collates the input search code with the search code stored in the title management table 26a of the magnetic disk 26, and sequentially checks whether or not the search code that matches the input search code is stored. Then pull out the applicable document number. As a result, the CPU 34 stores the extracted candidate document numbers in the main memory 38.

Then, the CPU 34 refers to the document numbers of the candidates in the main memory 38, creates a list (search code) of the relevant documents with the data read from the title management table 26a, and uses the CRT display device 24. To display. With this display, if the document for which the operator is to be searched cannot be found, the search code is input again. If found, the image to be searched is specified from the list (specified by the document number, etc.) and the search execution is instructed.

The CPU 34 assigns the record number corresponding to the designated image to the page management table 26b of the magnetic disk 26.
, A logical address corresponding to the read record number is read from the record management table 26c in the magnetic disk 26, and a physical track address and a physical sector address corresponding to this address are calculated,
An image including the search code from the optical disc 19 is reproduced by the optical disc device 20 using these addresses.

The CPU 34 also supplies the image (compression information) for each scanning line supplied from the optical disk device 20 to the compression / expansion circuit 50, performs band expansion processing, and sequentially supplies the page memory 40. The image stored in the page memory 40 is reduced by the enlargement / reduction circuit 46 and output to the display memory 42, and the image is stored in the display memory 42. Therefore, the display control unit 44 controls the display memory 4
The stored contents of No. 2 are displayed on the CRT display device 24. Next, the operation of character-recognizing and storing the image stored in the optical disc 19 will be described.

For example, the CPU 34 reads the image stored in the optical disc 19 through the optical disc device 20 and stores it in the page memory 40. The image stored in the page memory 40 is reduced by the enlargement / reduction circuit 46 and stored in the display memory 42, and the display control unit 44 displays the stored contents of the display memory 42 on the CRT display device 24.

Next, the word processor mode is selected and set using the function keys of the keyboard 23 or the like. In response to the depression of this key, the CPU 34 reads the image stored in the page memory 40 and outputs it to the character recognition unit 39.
The character recognition unit 39 character-recognizes the supplied image,
The recognized recognition content and character code are stored in the main memory 38 by the CPU 34. Here, the recognition content and the character code stored in the main memory 38 are stored in the formats shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B as described above.

Next, the CPU 34 reads the recognition content and the character code stored in the main memory 38, and stores the recognition content in the memory portion, that is, 60a in English and numerals in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). , In the kanji, erase the memory of the portion 61a, and store the dummy code in the erased portion,
It is stored in another place of the main memory 38. The storage state of one character after this conversion is shown in (e) and (f) of FIG.

The CPU 34 reads the converted dummy code and character code stored in the main memory 38, operates the floppy disk device 28 via the interface circuit 36, and stores the floppy disk 28a in the floppy disk 28a. Naturally, this floppy disk 28a
Unlike the characters normally input by a word processor, the characters stored in are attribute codes (62a, 63a in FIG. 4) are dummy codes, but since the character codes are stored, they are used as characters in the word processor. It becomes possible. If you want to add an attribute function (such as character modification), call it with a word processor and enter it. The above-described embodiment may be executed while the operator confirms each page, or all pages may be executed at once. Further, although the stored image is read and used in the above embodiment, an image read by a scanner or an image received through a communication line may be used.

As described above, according to the above-mentioned embodiment, in the character obtained by character-recognizing the stored image,
Since the portion of the recognition content in which one character is stored is deleted and the dummy code is converted and stored, the stored character can be used in a word processor.

[0040]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image storage device in which a character obtained by character recognition from a read image can be handled by a word processor. ..

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of an image filing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a storage example of a document management table.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a recording operation.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a storage state of one character.

[Explanation of symbols]

18 ... Scanner device, 19 ... Optical disc, 20 ... Optical disc device, 23 ... Keyboard, 24 ... CRT display device, 25 ... Printer device, 26 ... Magnetic disc, 2
6a ... Title management table, 26b ... Page management table, 26c ... Record management table, 27 ... Magnetic disk device, 28 ... Floppy disk device, 28a ... Floppy disk, 29 ... Mouse, 34 ... CPU, 38 ...
Main memory, 39 ... Character recognition unit, 40 ... Page memory, 40a ... Buffer memory, 42 ... Display memory, 44
Display control unit, 46 enlargement / reduction circuit, 50 compression / expansion circuit, 58 communication interface.

Claims (1)

Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A supply means for supplying an image, a display means for displaying the image supplied by the supply means, and recognition information for each character of the image displayed on the display means. A character recognizing means for recognizing the character code, and a converting means for converting the character code recognized by the character recognizing means into attribute information such as character modification formed by a dummy code. An image storage device comprising: a storage unit that stores a character code to which the attribute information converted by the conversion unit is added.