JPH0774945A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remove erroneous discrimination due to the limitation of device discriminating accuracy even in an original other than a specific original and to surely copy a required original by permitting copying when specific original similarity is less than allowed original similarity, and inhibiting copying when more than the allowed original similarity. CONSTITUTION:When the picture data of an original are inputted from a scanner unit 101 to a specific original discriminating unit 104, a discrimination control part 111 drives a specific original similarity calculating part 108, which compares specific pattern information stored in a specific original pattern memory 107 with the inputted picture data to calculate specific original similarity. Then the calculated specific original similarity is compared with reference similarity to be a discrimination reference, and when the calculated similarity is less than the reference one, a copy enable signal is outputted to a system controller 105. When the calculated similarity is more than the reference one, an allowed original similarity calculating part 110 is driven, allowed original pattern information stored in an allowed original pattern memory 109 is compared with the inputted picture data, and when the specific original pattern information is larger than the allowed original pattern information, a copy inhibit signal is outputted to a controller 105.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a digital color copying machine or a digital color facsimile apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus having a copy inhibiting function for special originals such as banknotes and securities. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, due to improvements in image processing technology and image forming technology, it has become possible to perform image formation so finely that copy bills copied by a color copying machine and actual bills cannot be easily distinguished. For this reason, a device has been developed that judges special documents such as banknotes and securities and prohibits illegal copying in the case of special documents. An image forming apparatus equipped with a function of judging a special document in a copying machine. Is also provided.

In such an image forming apparatus, as a method for determining a special document, for example, a method using a pattern matching method as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-83571 "Image recording apparatus" is generally used. In this apparatus, it is determined whether the original is a special original based on the input image data and the pattern data registered in advance.

However, it is difficult to determine with a 100% accuracy whether or not a special original is a special original because the image reading accuracy and the image analysis accuracy are limited. Therefore, in addition to the documents that can be clearly discriminated as special documents, the documents that can be clearly discriminated as normal documents (documents that are not special documents), there are always those that are difficult to discriminate. Therefore, in order to discriminate any of these ambiguous originals, a reference similarity is set, and when the similarity is equal to or higher than this similarity, the original is discriminated.

[0005]

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional technique, since it is determined whether the original is a special document or not based on the reference similarity, the reference similarity is set. Has a problem that a special document is determined to be a normal document and the copy of the special document cannot be prohibited, or a document that needs to be copied is determined to be a special document and is prohibited to copy. .

Further, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-73284, by making it possible to release the copy prohibition only when it is determined that the operator is a specific authorized worker, the specific operation can be canceled. Although it is possible to make a copy of a normal manuscript that is mistakenly determined as a special manuscript in the presence of a person, it is necessary to frequently copy a manuscript that is mistakenly judged as a special manuscript. However, there is a problem that a specific worker needs to be present each time to cancel the prohibition of copying, resulting in poor workability and an increased burden on the user.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and although it is not a special manuscript, there is a possibility that it may be erroneously discriminated due to the limit of the discrimination accuracy of the apparatus and copying may be prohibited. An object of the present invention is to make it possible to copy a certain manuscript with good workability without increasing the burden on the user.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image inputting means for inputting color image data, and an image on a recording paper based on the color image data input by the image inputting means. In an image forming apparatus having an image recording unit for recording a special document pattern information storage unit storing pattern information of a special document in which copying of banknotes, securities, etc. is prohibited as special document pattern information, and the color A special manuscript similarity calculating means for calculating the special manuscript similarity by comparing the image data with the special manuscript pattern information, and a manuscript confusing with a special manuscript in which copying of banknotes, securities, etc. is prohibited, and copying Permission document pattern information storage means storing the pattern information of the document that needs to be processed as permission document pattern information, the color image data and the permission A permitted manuscript similarity calculation means for calculating a permitted manuscript similarity by comparing with manuscript pattern information; and a case where the special manuscript similarity is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the special manuscript similarity is larger than a predetermined value, and An image forming apparatus provided with a control means for permitting copying when the special document similarity is less than or equal to the permitted document similarity and for prohibiting copying when the special document similarity is higher than the permitted document similarity. Is.

The permitted document pattern information storage means can input the permitted document pattern information through the image input means. Further, the permitted document pattern information storage means can input the permitted document pattern information through an external interface circuit.

[0010]

The image forming apparatus of the present invention is a document which is confusing with a special document in which copying of bills, securities, etc. is prohibited through the image input means or the external interface circuit in advance, and a document which needs to be copied. This pattern information is stored as permitted document pattern information in the permitted document pattern information storage means. When determining whether the original is a special original, the special original document similarity is calculated by comparing the color image data with the special original pattern information, and at the same time, the color image data and the permitted original pattern information are calculated. The permitted manuscript similarity is calculated by comparison, and when the special manuscript similarity is less than or equal to a predetermined value, or when the special manuscript similarity is greater than the predetermined value and the special manuscript similarity is less than or equal to the permitted manuscript similarity. If the special manuscript similarity is higher than the permitted manuscript similarity, prohibiting copying makes it possible to copy even a manuscript confusing with a special manuscript.

[0011]

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

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, in which a scanner unit 101 for reading RGB color image data from an original document, and color image data input from the scanner unit 101 for gamma correction processing, R
An image processing unit 102 that performs GB / YMCK conversion processing, gradation processing, printer γ correction, and the like, and an image processing unit 1.
A special unit for inputting the color image data from the printer unit 103 for printing the YMCK color image data after the image processing in 02 on the recording paper and the scanner unit 101 and for judging whether the document is a special document or not. The original discriminating unit 104, a system controller 105 for controlling each of the above units, and an external interface 106 for inputting later-described permitted original pattern information to the special original discriminating unit 104.

The special manuscript discrimination unit 104 stores a special manuscript pattern memory 107 in which pattern information of a special manuscript for which copying of bills, securities, etc. is prohibited, as special manuscript pattern information, color image data and special manuscript pattern information. And a special document similarity calculation unit 108 that calculates a special document similarity by comparing with a special document similar to a special document in which copying of banknotes, securities, etc. is prohibited, and the pattern of the document that needs to be copied. A permitted document pattern memory 109 storing information as permitted document pattern information,
Allowed manuscript similarity calculation unit 110 that calculates the allowed manuscript similarity by comparing the color image data with the allowed manuscript pattern information.
And a determination control unit 111 that controls the special document similarity calculation unit 108 and the permitted document similarity calculation unit 110 to determine whether the document is a special document or not.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. FIG. 2 shows a control flowchart by the discrimination control unit 111 of the special document discrimination unit 104. When the image data of the document is input from the scanner unit 101 to the special document discrimination unit 104, the discrimination control unit 111 operates the special document similarity calculation unit 108 to cause the special document pattern memory 107 to store the special document. The pattern information and the input image data are compared by pattern matching to calculate the special document similarity (S201).

Next, the calculated special manuscript similarity is compared with the reference similarity Th, which is a criterion for discrimination, and it is determined whether or not the special manuscript similarity> Th (S202). here,
If the special document similarity is less than or equal to Th, the process proceeds to step S205, a copy enable signal is output to the system controller 105, and the process ends.

On the other hand, if the special document similarity> Th,
The permitted document similarity calculation unit 110 is operated to compare the permitted document pattern information stored in the permitted document pattern memory 109 with the input image data by pattern matching to calculate the permitted document similarity (S203). ，
The special document similarity and the permitted document similarity are compared (S20).
4). Here, if the special document similarity is higher than the permitted document similarity, it means that the input image data is closer to the special document than the permitted document.
A copy prohibition signal is output to the system controller 105 (S206), and the process is terminated. On the contrary, if the special manuscript similarity degree ≦ permitted manuscript similarity degree, it indicates that the input image data is close to the permitted manuscript. Therefore, it is determined that the manuscript is a permitted manuscript and a copy enable signal is output to the system controller 105. Then (S205), the process ends.

That is, by the above processing, the discrimination control unit 111 determines that the special manuscript similarity is Th or less, the special manuscript similarity is larger than Th, and the special manuscript similarity is less than the permitted manuscript similarity. In this case, copying is permitted, and when the special document similarity is higher than the permitted document similarity, control is performed to prohibit copying.

Therefore, in advance, the scanner unit 10
1 or through the external interface 106, the pattern information of a document which is confusing to be a special document in which copying of banknotes, securities, etc. is prohibited and which needs to be copied frequently is used as the permitted document pattern information. By storing in the permitted document pattern memory 109, the document can be copied. At this time, it is not necessary to change the value of the reference similarity Th, which is the reference for determining whether the document is a special document (for example, the value of the similarity is increased), and thus the special document can be discriminated strictly. In addition, the manuscript stored as a permitted manuscript can be copied and the workability is improved.

[0019]

As described above, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the special document pattern information storage means stores the pattern information of the special document in which the copying of banknotes, securities, etc. is prohibited as the special document pattern information. And a special original document similarity calculating means for calculating the special original document similarity by comparing the color image data with the special original pattern information, and a special original document in which copying of banknotes, securities, etc. is prohibited, , Permitted document similarity information for calculating permitted document similarity by comparing the color image data and permitted document pattern information with the permitted document pattern information storage means that stores the pattern information of the document that needs to be copied as permitted document pattern information If the special manuscript similarity is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the special manuscript similarity is greater than the predetermined value, and the special manuscript similarity is the permitted original. Since there is a control means for permitting copying when the degree of similarity is less than or equal to the special degree and for prohibiting copying when the special degree of similarity of the original is greater than the degree of similarity of the permitted degree of limitation, the accuracy of the discrimination of the apparatus is limited even if the original is not a special degree. Therefore, it is possible to make a copy with good workability without increasing the burden on the user for an original that needs to be copied because it may be erroneously determined to be prohibited from copying. Further, the required original can be copied without deteriorating the accuracy of distinguishing the special original.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an image forming apparatus of this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a control flowchart of a discrimination control unit of a special document discrimination unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 Scanner Unit 102 Image Processing Unit 103 Printer Unit 104 Special Original Discrimination Unit 105 System Controller 106 External Interface 107 Special Original Document Pattern Memory 108 Special Original Document Similarity Calculation Unit 109 Allowed Original Pattern Memory 110 Allowed Original Similarity Calculation Unit 111 Discrimination Control Unit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Midori Aida Inc. 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stock company Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Hideaki Yamagata Inc. 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stock Company Ricoh

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus having image input means for inputting color image data, and image recording means for recording an image on a recording paper based on the color image data input by the image input means. Special document pattern information storage means that stores pattern information of a special document for which copying of securities, etc. is prohibited as special document pattern information is compared with the special document pattern information by comparing the color image data with the special document pattern information. A special manuscript similarity calculation means for calculating the degree, a pattern manuscript that is confusing as a special manuscript in which copying of banknotes, securities, etc. is prohibited and that needs to be copied is stored as permitted manuscript pattern information. The permission document pattern information storage means is compared with the color image data and the permission document pattern information to calculate the permission document similarity degree. Permitted manuscript similarity calculation means, and when the special manuscript similarity is less than a predetermined value, and when the special manuscript similarity is greater than a predetermined value and the special manuscript similarity is less than the allowed manuscript similarity And a control means for prohibiting copying when the special document similarity is higher than the permitted document similarity. 2. The permission manuscript pattern information storage means,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the permitted document pattern information can be input via the image input unit. 3. The permission manuscript pattern information storage means comprises:
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the permitted document pattern information can be input through an external interface circuit.