JPH08123899A - Image obtaining/processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To confirm the contents of obtained pictures before an image processing. CONSTITUTION: By the pushing operation of a position confirmation switch 11, a read part 14 obtains the images through a sensor driving part 13, an image processing/recognition part 15 writes the obtained images in a memory 16, reads them after write is ended and lets them be displayed at a display part 17 and thus, the contents of the obtained images are confirmed and an obtaining position is adjusted while viewing the displayed images. After the position is adjusted, by the pushing operation of a read switch 12, the read part 14 obtains the images through the sensor driving part 13 and the image processing/recognition part 15 writes the obtained images in the memory 16, reads them after write is ended, performs processings such as character recognition and word collation, etc., and lets them be displayed at the display part 17. At the time, since whether or not the images are correctly obtained is confirmed in advance, the prevention of erroneous recognition or the like due to a read position error, the improvement of a recognition rate and the reduction of working time required for re-read and correction are expected.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image acquisition / processing apparatus for acquiring an image (hereinafter, an image includes not only a picture but also a character) from a paper surface, performing a predetermined process, and outputting the display. In particular, the present invention relates to improvement of an image acquisition method for easily acquiring an accurate image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image acquisition / processing device such as a conventional electronic dictionary having a character recognition function, a handy type copying machine, or a handy type optical character reading device, when an image is acquired, the position of the image desired to be acquired is set. An image acquisition sensor such as a CCD line sensor is visually aligned and an image is acquired by driving the sensor by pressing a reading switch or the like. Further, the image acquisition unit is provided with a window for confirming the range of the acquired image, or the window is provided and the beginning of the image acquisition position is indicated by a guideline to facilitate the alignment.

However, in the conventional image acquisition / processing apparatus as described above, it is impossible to confirm what kind of image has been acquired until the image is once acquired, so that the acquired image contains an unnecessary portion. In some cases, the acquired image could not be processed, and the required image was re-acquired.

In particular, when character recognition is involved as in an electronic dictionary, a part of another word is inserted before the corresponding word,
If the beginning of the corresponding word is missing, it may not be recognized correctly, and the same word may have to be read many times.

Further, as an image acquisition method, there is a method in which a window for confirming the image acquisition range is provided in the image acquisition sensor part or a guideline is provided for the beginning of the image acquisition position. The current situation is that satisfactory results have not been obtained due to sensor mounting errors.

[0006]

As described above, in the conventional image acquisition / processing device, it is not possible to confirm whether the image is accurately acquired at the same time as the image acquisition.
In many cases, it was necessary to perform image correction and re-acquisition after acquisition. Also, as an image acquisition method,
Although the device has been devised so that it can be acquired as efficiently as possible, the current situation is that satisfactory results have not been obtained.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to confirm the contents of a read image before image processing / recognition and align the position while looking at the display. Prevention of misrecognition due to mistakes,
An object of the present invention is to provide an image acquisition / processing device that can be expected to improve the recognition rate and reduce the work time required for rereading and correction.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an image acquisition / processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an acquired image confirmation mode in which an image is acquired by an image acquisition unit and is displayed on a display unit as it is, An image processing mode in which an image is acquired by the acquisition unit, the image is subjected to predetermined processing and displayed on the display unit, and a mode switching unit that selectively switches the acquired image confirmation mode and the image processing mode are provided. Composed.

[0009]

In the image acquisition / processing device having the above-described configuration, the acquired image confirmation mode is first set, the image is acquired by the image acquisition unit, and the image is displayed as it is on the display unit.
Check if the image is acquired correctly, and if it is not correct, enable the image acquisition unit to be aligned so that the displayed image is correct, and after checking it, switch to the image processing mode to ensure that the image acquisition unit is correct. Image is acquired,
The image is processed and displayed on the display unit.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. Here, an electronic dictionary will be described as an example.

In FIG. 1, the position confirmation switch 11 and the reading switch 12 each generate a reading command signal when pressed. The read command signals generated by the switches 11 and 12 are sent to the sensor drive unit 13 and the image processing / recognition unit 1 respectively.
Sent to 5.

When the sensor drive unit 13 receives the read command signal from the position confirmation switch 11, it enters the read position confirmation mode and repeatedly outputs the drive signal, and when it receives the read command signal from the read switch 12. Enters the image recognition mode and outputs the drive signal only once. The drive signal output from the sensor drive unit 13 is sent to the reading unit 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reading section 14 is an image reading CCD line sensor 1 mounted on a substrate.
41, and receives a drive signal from the sensor drive unit 13, the sensor 141 is driven by an arrow a,
The sensor 141 is moved in the direction of b, and at the same time, the sensor 141 is driven to read the image input during the movement, thereby acquiring the image information. The image information acquired by the reading unit 14 is sent to the image processing / recognition unit 15.

The image processing / recognition unit 15 enters a reading position confirmation mode in response to a reading command signal from the position confirmation switch 11, and the image information from the reading unit 14 undergoes processing such as A / D (analog / digital) conversion. When the writing of the image information in one scan is completed, the written image information is read from the memory 16 and displayed on the display unit 17 as it is.

Further, the image processing / recognizing unit 15 enters the image recognition mode in response to the read command signal from the reading switch 12, and the image information from the reading unit 14 is subjected to processing such as A / D (analog / digital) conversion. When the image information is written in one scan, the written image information is read from the memory 16, character recognition and word matching are performed by image processing, and the result is displayed on the display unit 17 as an image. Let

The procedure for using the above-described structure will be described below.

First, after turning on a power switch (not shown), as shown in FIG. 2, the CCD line sensor 141 provided in the reading section 14 of the electronic dictionary is applied to the head portion of the word 21 to be recognized on the paper surface to confirm the position. When the sensor 11 is pressed and the sensor 141 moves to the end of the word 23, the pressing of the switch 11 is stopped. At this time, switch 11
By pressing the button, the image processing / recognition unit 15 is set to the reading position confirmation mode, at the same time, the sensor driving unit 13 is given a reading command signal, and the reading unit 14 is driven in the reading position confirmation mode by the sensor driving unit 13. It

In this reading position confirmation mode, the reading section 14 repeats the reading scan operation. That is, C
The CD line sensor 141 moves in the direction of the arrow a (scan operation) while reading the image by the drive signal from the sensor drive unit 13 (scan operation), moves from the position A to the position B, and acquires the image information. It moves in the direction of b and returns to the original position A. The above operation is repeated at a constant cycle (for example, every 2 seconds).

The image information acquired by the reading unit 14 for each scan is sent to the image processing / recognition unit 15, is subjected to processing such as A / D conversion, and is then written in the memory 16 and the image for one scan is read. When the information is written, it is read from the memory 16 and displayed on the display unit 17 as an image.

At this time, the image displayed as shown in FIG. 3 (a) contains a part of the previous word, or the image shown in FIG.
If part of the word to be recognized is missing as shown in (b), correct image recognition cannot be performed. Therefore, FIG.
The reading position of the reading unit 14 is adjusted while observing the displayed image so that the image is displayed as shown in (c).

When the reading position of the reading unit 14 is correctly aligned in this way, the reading switch 12 is pressed this time.
When the reading switch 12 is pressed, the image processing / recognition unit 1
5 is set to the image recognition mode, and at the same time, the sensor driving unit 1
A reading command signal is given to the reading unit 3, and the reading unit 14 is driven by the sensor driving unit 13 in the image recognition mode.

In this image recognition mode, the reading unit 14
Performs a read scan operation only once. Ie CCD
The line sensor 141 scans the image from the position A to the position B, returns to the original position A, and waits for the next drive signal from the sensor drive unit 13 (then, the switch 11 or 12).
Stop) until is pressed. The image processing / recognition unit 15 writes the image information from the reading unit 14 into the memory 16, and when all the information is written, the image information is read from the memory 16,
Character recognition and word matching are performed on the image, and the result is displayed on the display unit 17 as an image.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, C
Since the reading position confirmation mode is provided in which the CD line sensor 141 continuously scans the read image and the scanned image is displayed as it is, if the position confirmation switch 11 is pressed, image processing is performed by continuous scanning by the CCD line sensor 141. / You can check the contents of the read image before recognition, and you can align the position while looking at the display. Therefore,
It is possible to prevent erroneous recognition due to a reading position error, improve the recognition rate, and reduce the work time required for rereading and correction.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and like the first embodiment, an electronic dictionary will be described as an example. In FIG. 4, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and different parts will be mainly described here.

In FIG. 4, the read command signal generated by the depression operation of the position confirmation switch 11 is sent to the image processing / recognition unit 15 and at the same time sent to the selector 46 as a select signal. A read command signal generated by pressing the read switch 12 is sent to the sensor drive unit 43 and the image processing / recognition unit 15, and at the same time sent to the selector 46 as a select signal.

The sensor drive unit 43 has only the function of the above-mentioned image recognition mode, and when receiving the read command signal from the read switch 12, outputs the drive signal only once. The drive signal output from the sensor drive unit 43 is sent to the first reading unit 44.

Like the reading unit 14 of the first embodiment, the first reading unit 44 includes an image reading CCD line sensor 441 mounted on a substrate as shown in FIG.
When the drive signal is received from the sensor drive unit 43, the sensor 441 is moved in the directions of the arrows c, d, and e by a motor (not shown), and at the same time, the sensor 441 is set in the drive state and is input during the movement from D to E. The scanned image is read, and the image information is acquired. The image information acquired by the first reading unit 14 is sent to the selector 46.

The second reading section 45, as shown in FIG. 5, is provided with a CCD area sensor 451 for checking the reading position, which is attached to the substrate. This CCD area sensor 4
Reference numeral 51 is fixed to a position where an image of a part of the scan range of the CCD line sensor 441 can be read, and is turned on by turning on a power switch (not shown) to read the image. The image information thus acquired by the second reading unit 45 is sent to the selector 46.

This selector 46 has a position confirmation switch 1
When the select signal is given from 1, the second reading unit 4
The image information from 5 is derived, and when the selection signal is given from the reading switch 12, the image information from the first reading unit 44 is derived. The image information thus selectively derived by the selector 46 is sent to the image processing / recognition unit 15 described above.

The procedure for using the above-mentioned structure will be described below.

First, after turning on a power switch (not shown), as shown in FIG. 5, the CCD area sensor 451 provided in the second reading section 45 of the electronic dictionary is applied to the head portion of the word 54 to be recognized on the paper. , The position confirmation switch 42 is pressed. At this time, by pressing the switch 11,
The image processing / recognition unit 15 is set to the reading position confirmation mode, and at the same time, the selector 46 is set to pass the image information from the second reading unit 45, so that the image information from the second reading unit 45 becomes an image. It is sent to the processing / recognition unit 15.

The data sent to the image processing / recognition unit 15 is subjected to processing such as A / D conversion and then written in the memory 48, and when all the data is written in the memory 48, it is read from the memory 48. An image is displayed on the display unit 49.

At this time, the image displayed as shown in FIG. 6A contains a part of the previous word, or the image shown in FIG.
If a part of the word to be recognized is missing as shown in (b), correct recognition cannot be performed. Therefore, FIG. 6 (c)
The reading position is adjusted while looking at the display image so that the image is displayed as shown in FIG.

When the reading position is adjusted in this way, the reading switch 12 is pressed this time. When the reading switch 12 is pressed, the image processing / recognizing unit 15 is set to the image recognition mode, the reading command signal is transmitted to the sensor driving unit 43 at the same time, and the selector 46 causes the image information from the first reading unit 44 to be transmitted. Is set to pass through. This makes the first
The reading unit 44 is read and driven by the sensor driving unit 43, and the acquired image information is sent to the image processing / recognition unit 15.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the first reading unit 44 normally connects the CCD line sensor 441 to the CC
The reading area of the D area sensor 451 is fixed at a position C which does not hinder the reading range by a holding mechanism (not shown), and when a drive signal is given, the sensor 451 is moved in the direction of arrow c, and C
The reading operation is started at the position D at the end of the reading range of the CD area sensor 451. Then, the image is further moved in the direction of the arrow d to acquire images from the positions D to E. When the image up to the position E is acquired, the CCD line sensor 51 is moved in the direction of the arrow e to return to the original position C, and then fixed until the driving signal comes next.

The image information thus obtained by the first reading section 44 is sent to the image processing / recognition section 15 through the selector 46. The image processing / recognition unit 47 writes the image information from the first reading unit 44 into the memory 16, and when all the information is written, the data is read from the memory 16, character recognition and word matching are performed on the image, and the result is obtained. An image is displayed on the display unit 49.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, since the CCD area sensor 451 is provided for confirming the reading position,
When the position confirmation switch 11 is pressed, the read image can be continuously confirmed before the image processing / recognition by the CCD area sensor 451 and the position can be adjusted while observing the display. Therefore, erroneous recognition due to the reading position error can be prevented, and the recognition rate can be improved and the working time required for rereading and correction can be expected to be reduced.

Although the above-described first and second embodiments have described the case where the present invention is applied to the electronic dictionary, the present invention is applicable to other image acquisition / processing devices such as a handy type copying machine and a handy type. The present invention can also be applied to an optical character reader (handy OCR), an image scanner connected to a personal computer, a food processor, or the like. In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and can be similarly implemented even if various modifications are made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, the contents of the read image can be confirmed before the image processing / recognition, and the position can be adjusted while observing the display. It is possible to provide an image acquisition / processing device that can be expected to prevent such problems, improve the recognition rate, and reduce the work time required for rereading and correction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic dictionary as a first embodiment of an image acquisition / processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration and operation of a reading unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing display contents of an acquired image in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic dictionary as a second embodiment of the image acquisition / processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the configuration and operation of the reading unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing display contents of an acquired image in the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 ... Position confirmation switch 12 ... Reading switch 13 ... Sensor drive unit 14 ... Reading unit 141 ... CCD line sensor 15 ... Image processing / recognition unit 16 ... Memory 17 ... Display unit 21 ... Word 43 ... Sensor drive unit 44 ... First Reading unit 441 ... CCD line sensor 45 ... second reading unit 451 ... CCD area sensor 46 ... selector

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An acquisition image confirmation mode in which an image is acquired by an image acquisition unit and is displayed on the display unit as it is, and an image is acquired by the image acquisition unit, the image is subjected to predetermined processing and displayed on the display unit. An image acquisition / processing apparatus, comprising: an image processing mode for performing the above operation; and a mode switching unit that selectively switches the acquired image confirmation mode and the image processing mode. 2. The image according to claim 1, wherein when the image acquisition unit acquires an image by a scanning method, the image acquisition unit is made to repeatedly perform a scanning operation in the acquired image confirmation mode. Acquisition / processing equipment. 3. The image acquisition unit according to claim 1, wherein the image acquisition unit includes an image acquisition sensor for an acquired image confirmation mode and an image acquisition sensor for an image processing mode.
Processing equipment. 4. The image acquisition sensor for the acquired image confirmation mode is a fixed area sensor, and the image acquisition sensor for the image processing mode is a line sensor for scanning including the image acquisition range of the area sensor. The image acquisition / processing device according to claim 3, wherein 5. The image acquisition method according to claim 1, wherein the image processing has an electronic dictionary function of identifying a character from an acquired image, performing word matching, and displaying the result as an image on a display unit. Processing equipment.