JPH0779407B2 - Reader - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image storage system.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, a microfilm system has been used as an information storage device that manages and utilizes an extremely large amount of information. Microfilm has the advantages of economy, storability, resolution, etc., has the advantages of fast input speed and high-speed copying of a large amount, and is effective in efficiently storing and managing file information that increases year by year. Are suitable.

However, the microfilm system has a drawback that it is not compatible with computerized and communicated office devices.

On the other hand, the electronic file system, which stores information in the form of electric signals, has features such as high-speed retrieval and high-speed transmission that are not found in the microfilm system.

However, when inputting information, the electronic file system cannot be converted by one shot through the lens system like the microfilm system, and is converted by performing raster scan one by one. Because of this, the input speed is slow, it is not human readable,
There are drawbacks such that copying of several hundred sheets or less cannot be performed at high speed and economically. In addition, compared to microfilm, which has a long-term storage stability of 100 years, there is insufficient record of storage stability (10
〜20 years), the legal evidence ability recognized by microfilm is not recognized, and the database and information built up using the microfilm system cannot be utilized. .

Therefore, an electronic file system or the like has been developed in which an image on a microfilm is photoelectrically read, that is, the read image is converted into an electric signal and the electric signal is recorded on an optical disk or the like.

However, in the developed electronic file system, the standard image information is recorded on the second recording medium,
When performing the search, the work of improving the search operation is not efficient. Therefore, there is a problem that processing speed and operability are reduced.

An object of the present invention is to provide a reading device capable of retrieving and reading a desired frame image from a plurality of frame images recorded on a microfilm and outputting image information to a host computer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a reading device that can efficiently output the data to a host computer.

Embodiment of the Invention FIG. 1 is an external view of an image file system showing an embodiment of the present invention.

A microscanner 1 for converting a microfilm image into an electric signal, a keyboard 2 used for microfilm frame search, print instruction, error display, and the like, and a search unit 3 for detecting a desired frame from a 16 mm roll film. 1, a laser beam printer 4, and a screen 20 for optically projecting a desired frame.

Further, a document scanner 5 for converting a document image into an electric signal, an optical disc device 6 for recording image information on an optical disc, and a host computer 7 for controlling the entire system.
A keyboard 8 for giving instructions to the host computer 7 and a CRT 9 for displaying information on images and operations are provided.

Further, a signal line 10 for sending a command from the controller to the electronic microscanner 1, a signal line 11 for sending an image of an electric microfilm to the host computer 7, data of the scanner 5, the printer 4 and the host computer 7. Signal lines 12 and 13 for transmitting and receiving are provided.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the above embodiment.

The CPU 50 is composed of a Motorola microcomputer 68000 or the like. The memory 51 temporarily stores and holds image data, and is also used as a work area of the CPU 50. The interface 52 for outputting data to the CRT 9 is for displaying an image read by a microfilm scanner or a document scanner, operation instructions, etc. on the CRT 9.

In addition, an interface that takes in data from the keyboard
53, an interface 54 for exchanging data with the optical disk device 6, an interface 55 for exchanging data with the reader 5, and an interface 56 for exchanging data with the printer 4.

The interface 57 for exchanging data with the microscanner 1 converts serial image data sent from the microscanner 1 into 16-bit data in parallel. The bus 60 is a 16-bit wide bus to which image data and control signals are transferred.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

FIG. 3 is a control flowchart showing the operation of the above embodiment.

First, the operator inputs search information for a desired file (or frame) from the keyboard 2 for the microfilm scanner (S11). Then, according to the input search information, the film is sent to search for a desired file. When the desired file is searched, the file is stopped at the reading position (S12-1), and a signal indicating that the desired film frame is set is output to the host computer 7 (S12-2). At this time, the desired frame is displayed on the screen 20.
Projected on.

Then, from the host computer 7 side, the interface 57
It waits for a read size instruction signal, a resolution instruction signal, and a magnification instruction signal to be input via (S13-1).

The host computer 7 side waits until a signal indicating that a film frame has been set is input (S1-
1). When the signal is input, the input of a command to read image data is waited for via the keyboard 8. That is, the input of a command for reading image data is waited for via the interface 57 from the microscanner 1 (S1-2).

When the command is input, the control circuit in the host computer 7 sets the number of sub-scanning lines and the number of main-scanning (1 line) dots in accordance with the values of the reading size and the resolution. , And outputs command signals of reading size, resolution, and magnification to the microscanner 1 (S2-
1).

That is, when a plurality of types of standard images are stored in a predetermined storage unit, image storage is performed based on the type data (the number of sub-scanning lines and the number of main-scanning dots) indicating which of the standard images it belongs to. Control.

Next, the host computer 7 outputs a read command signal to the microscanner 1 (S2-2). When the microscanner 1 receives the reading command, the microscanner 1
According to the commanded reading size, resolution and magnification,
The image of the film frame is scanned by the CCD, converted into an electric signal, and output to the host computer side (S14).

The host computer 7 side stores the sent image data in the memory 51 (S3, 4).

Then, the image data stored in the memory 51 is displayed on the CRT 9 (S5). If there is an instruction to record on the disc from the keyboard 8, a frame feed command for reading the next frame is output to the microscanner 1 (S7), image data is read from the memory 51, and written on the optical disc (S8).

When the frame feed signal from the host computer 7 side is input, the microscanner 1 feeds the next film, searches for the next frame, and sets it at the reading position (S15, 16). Then, the above process is repeated until the reading of one file is completed (S17).

The film feeding operation for searching for the next frame and the operation for recording the image of the previous frame on the optical disk on the host computer 7 side are performed in parallel.

When the recording of one frame is completed, it is judged whether or not all the image files are recorded (S9, 10), and if not completed, the process returns to S1 again.

In the above examples, images of microfilm were
Since the image can be displayed on the disc, the operator can check the image and then record it on the disc. Further, in the above embodiment, the operator gives an instruction from the keyboard 8 to record one frame, but this may be automatically executed. That is, the determination process of S6 may be unconditionally set to YES.

Further, in the above embodiment, when recording of one file is completed, the operator searches again for a new desired file, but a plurality of files may be recorded continuously.

Further, in the above embodiment, since the frame image of the microfilm is stored in the memory, even if an error occurs during recording on the disc, it can be read from the memory and rerecorded.

Since the reading resolution and the magnification usually do not need to be changed in the middle of one work, the command may be issued only once at the beginning, and thereafter only the reading size may be commanded.

Further, when instructing the reading size, the operator looks at the monitor screen 20 of the micro-scanner 1 and the image frame to be read from now is either a half size (for example, A4) image or a full size (for example,
A3) to determine if it was taken. Then, the reading size is instructed to the host computer 7 via the keyboard 2 of the microscanner 1, and the host computer 7
In accordance with the instruction, the number of dots for main scanning and the number of lines for sub-scanning may be set in an internal counter or the like.

It goes without saying that all instructions such as the reading size, the resolution, and the magnification are given by a predetermined code.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in a reading device capable of searching and reading a desired frame image from a plurality of frame images recorded on a microfilm and outputting image information to the host computer, the host computer comprises: It is not necessary to give instructions for complicated search such as cueing of multiple consecutive frame images, and operation instructions that require timing control with the host computer such as subsequent frame feeding and reading. Therefore, it is not necessary for the reading device to perform the reading operation each time, and therefore, a plurality of continuous frame images can be efficiently output to the host computer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a system showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the above embodiment. FIG. 3 is a control flowchart in the above embodiment. 1 ... Micro film scanner, 6 ... Optical disk device, 7 ... Host computer, 2, 8 ... Keyboard.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A reading device capable of searching and reading a desired frame image from a plurality of frame images recorded on a microfilm and outputting the image information to a host computer to search and read the desired frame image. Input means for inputting an instruction; search means for searching a frame image in accordance with a search instruction from the input means; reading means for reading a frame image in accordance with a read instruction from the input means and outputting image information; When reading a plurality of continuous frame images from the microfilm and outputting the frame images to the host computer, the search unit receives the first frame of the continuous frame images according to the search instruction input from the input unit. After searching, the frame images from the second frame onward are detected according to the frame advance command from the host computer. And it said reading means in accordance with the read command from the host computer, the reading device and wherein the reading each frame image.