JPH087076A - Picture processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable anybody to execute easily the automatic marking of examination paper by using a digital copying machine, and simultaneously to suppress an increase in cost to the minimum by utilizing effectively a memory. CONSTITUTION:The picture of the examination paper is read by a picture reading means A, and its picture information is stored in a picture storage means B. A problem information extracting means D extracts the picture information on a problem out of the said picture information, and stores it in a problem storage means E, and an answer information extracting means F extracts the picture information on an answer, and stores it in an answer information storage means G. A marking means I compares the stored picture information of the answer with the picture information on a correct answer held by a correct answer holding means H, and outputs the picture information on a marked result. Then, the picture information on the marked result and each of picture information on the problem and the answer stored in respective storage means E, G are plotted independently of or in arbitrary combination with each other by a plotting means J, and the picture is outputted to recording paper after being picture-formed by a picture output means C.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading means for reading an image of an original, such as a digital copying machine, and an image storing means for storing image information read by the means.
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus provided with an image output means for forming an image on a sheet of image information stored in the image storage means and outputting the image information, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus having an automatic scoring function for answer sheets.

[0002]

[Prior Art] In various educational settings such as schools and cram schools, students can check the learning results of students and learners, judge the grades according to the learning results, give qualifications, or Frequent tests are conducted to make decisions. As for the question papers used for the various tests, a tester such as a teacher creates the questions and manuscripts himself and copies the required number of question papers with a copier or a simple printing machine, or a professional contractor. The ones that are printed by the company or the ones that are printed by the traders themselves also create the problems are used.

In addition, the grade of the answer sheet after the examination is usually done manually by a teacher who is an examiner at a school or the like, but an entrance examination, a qualification examination, or a large-scale mock examination is done. In this case, a large number of graders share the work, or automatic scoring is performed by an automatic scoring system using a computer. In addition, scoring results of answer sheets of a large number of examinees are totaled by using a computer, an average score and a deviation value are calculated, and a table and a graph are prepared.

[0004]

As described above, in the case of manually scoring the answer sheet, it takes a lot of time and labor, and not only the efficiency of scoring is poor, but also erroneous scoring may be performed. On the other hand, in the case of automatic scoring, many mark sheet methods are adopted in which the answer field of the answer sheet is answered in a predetermined method such as a filled mark, but the answer method is restricted to a very simple one. Not only that, its scoring device is also dedicated, and it is a high-speed processing device that reads a large number of answer sheets and scores in a short time.
It also requires a large amount of memory, which makes it very expensive. Furthermore, the device is large and its usage is special, so it could not be used in individual schools or learning classrooms.

Moreover, since it is only possible to read the mark sheet, it is necessary to purchase it as a dedicated machine, which is an obstacle to downsizing (dispersion). Also, since the answer sheet itself is not graded, it is not possible to return the graded answer sheet to the examinees and use it for learning.
There was also a problem that the examinees could not confirm the correctness of the answer to each question.

Therefore, an automatic scoring / totaling system has been developed in which the answer sheet is not limited to the mark sheet and can be directly scored on any answer sheet, and can be easily used personally by a teacher or the like. In this system, an answer sheet for scoring is set at a predetermined position on the scoring table, and the answer in the answer column is marked with a red pen or the like as in the conventional manual scoring method.
If you add a or ×, it will be automatically read and the total score will be calculated, and that data will be accumulated in the database to create a gradebook for each individual, and the correct answer rate and average score for each question will be displayed. It can also provide statistical information.

However, in such a system,
Grading (marking with ○ ×) itself must be done manually, and the total score on the graded answer sheet must also be filled in.
It takes time and labor for the grader to transcribe the score displayed on the display, which is hardly useful for labor saving.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to obtain an image like a copying machine which is widely used in schools, especially a digital copying machine which has been rapidly spread in recent years. A reading unit (image scanner), an image storage unit (image memory) that stores the read image information, and an image output unit (printer unit) that forms and outputs the stored image information on a sheet of paper are provided. Anyone can easily score any answer sheet (answer draft) using the image processing device, and the score result can be output automatically, and it is cheaper than the conventional automatic scoring system. Moreover, it is intended to be versatile and to be able to significantly reduce the scoring time.

A further object of the present invention is to effectively utilize the memory to minimize the cost increase and to shorten the communication time with the external image processing apparatus.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, as shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 1, is an image reading means (image scanner) for reading an image of a document.
A, an image storage unit (image memory) B that stores the image information read by the unit, and an image output unit (printer) that forms an image of the image information stored in the image storage unit B on a sheet and outputs the image. An image processing apparatus having C and C is provided with the following respective means.

That is, for the answer document having the image information of the question and the answer, the problem information extracting means D for extracting the image information of the problem from the image information of the answer document read by the image reading means A, and the problem extracted by the problem information extracting means D. Question information storing means E for storing the image information of the answer, answer information extracting means F for extracting the image information of the answer to the above question from the image information of the answer document read by the image reading means A, and the image of the answer extracted thereby. Answer information storage means G for storing information, correct answer information holding means H for inputting or preliminarily storing and holding at least correct image information for the question image information stored in the question information storage means E, and answer information storage means Scoring means I for comparing the image information of the answer stored in G with the image information of the correct answer held in the correct answer information holding means H and outputting the scoring result. A drawing means J for inputting the image information of each question and answer stored in the question information storage means E and the answer information storage means G or the image information of the scoring result by the scoring means I and drawing them individually or in any combination. And are provided. In the correct answer information holding means H, in addition to the correct answer image information for the question image information, for example, information about the point allocation of the question can be input or stored in advance.

Further, it is checked whether image information common to the image information of the problem extracted by the problem information extracting means D is already stored in the problem information storing means E,
It is advisable to provide a problem information storage control means K for storing the extracted problem image information in the problem information storage means E only when it is not stored.

Further, with respect to the answer document in which the question and the answer are depicted by image information of different colors, the question information extracting means D
Is a means for extracting only the image information of the color corresponding to the problem from the image information of the answer document read by the image reading means A, and the answer information extracting means F is the image of the answer document read by the image reading means A. It is preferable to use a means for extracting only the image information of the color corresponding to the answer from the information.

Alternatively, the question information extracting means D and the image reading means A are applied to the answer document in which the drawing area of the question is specified.
It can be used as a means to recognize the drawing area in question from the image information of the answer manuscript read by, and extract the image information in the drawing area. Furthermore, the answer information for the answer manuscript specifying the drawing area of the answer The extraction unit F may be a unit that recognizes the drawing area of the answer from the image information of the answer document read by the image reading unit A and extracts the image information in the drawing area.

Still further, possession information detecting means L for detecting possession information of an external image processing device capable of transmitting / receiving data to / from this image processing device, and problem information storage in the possession information detected thereby. It is checked whether or not the image information of the question and the answer stored in the means E and the answer information storage means G and the image information of the scoring result by the scoring means I are held, and only the image information that is not held is stored in the outside. It is preferable to provide a transmission means M for transmitting to the image processing apparatus.

[0016]

In the image processing apparatus according to the present invention, when a normal copy original is set as the original and read by the image reading means A, the read image information is temporarily stored in the image storage means B, and the stored image information is stored. Since the image is formed on the paper and output, it is possible to easily make the required number of copies as in the conventional digital copying machine.

If the answer original is set as the original and is read by the image reading means A, the image information of the question given there is extracted by the question information extracting means D from the image information of the read answer original. Problem information storage means L
The image information of the answer to the question is extracted by the answer information extraction means F and stored in the answer information storage means G.

Then, the stored answer image information and the correct answer image information held by the correct answer information holding means H are compared by the scoring means I to output the image information of the scoring result, and then the question information storage means E and The image information of the question and the answer stored in the answer information storage means G or the image information of the scoring result by the scoring means I are drawn by the drawing means J individually or in any combination, and then drawn by the image output means C. Since it can be output, you can set the score automatically just by setting the answer manuscript in which the answer is written.

Therefore, it is cheaper and more versatile than the conventional automatic scoring system, and the scoring time can be greatly shortened. In addition, each image information of the question and answer (often less than one page) is extracted from the image information of the read answer manuscript, each image information is stored separately, and these are stored when needed. The outputs can be output individually or in any combination, so that the memory can be effectively used and the product cost can be minimized.

Further, by the problem information storage control means K,
It is checked whether the image information common to the problem image information extracted by the problem information extracting unit D is already stored in the problem information storage unit E, and only when it is not stored, the extracted problem image information is displayed. If it is stored in the problem information storage means E, the amount of memory used can be further reduced.

Further, with respect to the answer manuscript in which the question and the answer are depicted by image information of different colors, the question information extracting means D
However, only the image information of the color corresponding to the problem is extracted from the image information of the answer document read by the image reading means A,
The answer information extraction means extracts only the image information of the color corresponding to the answer from the image information of the answer document read by the image reading means A, thereby simplifying the extraction processing of each image information of the question and the answer, and the processing speed. Can be speeded up.

Alternatively, with respect to the answer document in which the drawing area of the question or the answer is specified, the question information extracting unit D recognizes the drawing area of the question from the image information of the answer document read by the image reading unit A and draws the drawing area. The image information in the area is extracted, and the answer information extraction unit F recognizes the drawing area of the answer from the image information of the answer document read by the image reading unit A, and extracts the image information in the drawing area. Thus, the processing speed can be increased similarly to the above.

Furthermore, possession information detecting means L detects possession information of an external image processing device capable of transmitting / receiving data to / from this image processing device, and the question information storage means E and the answer are contained in the possession information. The transmitting means M checks whether or not the image information of the question and the answer stored in the information storage means G and the image information of the scoring result by the scoring means I are held, and only the image information that is not held is externally stored. If you send it to the image processing device of
Since there is no waste of transmitting all the image information of the question, the answer, and the scoring result to the external image processing device, the communication time with the external image processing device can be shortened.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of an image processing apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention.

The image processing apparatus 1 is a digital copying machine 2
In addition, an application unit 3 for realizing the scoring process according to the present invention is connected via an interface (hereinafter referred to as "I / F") unit 4. The I / F unit 4 connects the digital copying machine 2 and the application unit 3 and is used for mutual command communication and image input / output.
The digital copying machine 2 and the application section 3 are provided with microcomputers (abbreviated as CPU) 20 and 30 for controlling them respectively.

FIG. 3 shows this more concretely, and the application section 3 is a C managed by the OS.
An application control unit 31 including a PU and an application base board 32 that performs processing such as various recognition, scoring, and drawing are connected by a bus, and input / output of video data is performed between the digital copying machines 2 by a communication command by RS232C. To do. Further, an application program may be provided to the application section 3 by the IC card 33, and a dictionary, font data, question data (including correct answer and point allocation data), etc. may be supplied using the IC card 33.

Alternatively, a magneto-optical disk device (MO) which takes in such information from an external image processing device (facsimile device (FAX) and various devices having a facsimile function) 5 via a communication line or is connected by SCSI. , A floppy disk device (FDD), a hard disk device (HDD) or other recording medium of the external storage device 6 or a host 7 such as a personal computer or a workstation. LCD
Reference numeral 34 is a dedicated liquid crystal display of the application section 3, which can also serve as a display section provided on the operation panel of the digital copying machine 2.

FIG. 4 shows a structural example of the mechanical section of the digital copying machine 2 in this embodiment. This digital copier 2
Is roughly divided into an upper image scanner (hereinafter referred to as "scanner section") 100 and a laser printer (hereinafter referred to as "printer section") 200 arranged below the image scanner. FIG. 5 is an enlarged explanatory view showing the image forming operation around the photosensitive drum of the printer section.

A contact glass 101 on which a document is placed is arranged at the top of the scanner section 100, and an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as "ADF") 102 is mounted thereon. The ADF 102 includes a document table 107 on which a plurality of documents can be set, a calling roller 108 for separating each document set on the document table, a sheet feeding roller 109 for feeding the separated documents, and a sheet feeding roller 109. It is provided with a conveyance belt 110 that conveys a document that is printed while sandwiching it with the contact glass 101 and sets it at the exposure position.

Further, a document reversing mechanism 111 for automatically reversing a double-sided document is provided near the end of the conveying belt 110 in the document discharge direction (right direction in FIG. 4). The document reversing mechanism 111 includes a reversing roller 112 and a switching claw 113. The switching claw 113 is located at the position of the phantom line in FIG. 4 in the single-sided mode for copying a single-sided document.
In the double-sided mode for copying a double-sided original, the positions are switched to the positions indicated by the solid lines in FIG.

Therefore, the document is fed from the document table 107,
When the exposure of one side of the document set at the exposure position of the contact glass 101 is completed, the document is sent out from the contact glass 101 by the conveyor belt 110, and if the one-sided mode is selected, the switching claw 113 is changed to the phantom line in FIG. Since it is in the position, it is discharged to the paper discharge tray 114 as it is by the reversing roller 112.

In the double-sided mode, since the switching claw 113 is switched to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, the original is reversed by the reversing roller 112 and fed again onto the contact glass 101 by the conveyor belt 110 to expose it. Set to position. Then, when the exposure of the other side of the original is completed, the original is conveyed by the conveyor belt 1.
After being sent out from the contact glass 110 by 10, the switching claw 113 is switched to the position of the imaginary line in FIG. 4, so that the reversing roller 112 discharges it to the paper discharge tray 114 as it is.

On the other hand, below the contact glass 101, an optical scanning system 103 is provided. The original set on the contact glass 101 has its lower surface exposed by the exposure lamp 104 of the optical scanning system 103,
The reflected light, that is, the image light, passes through various mirrors and lenses 105 provided in the optical scanning system 103, and enters a light receiving surface of a one-dimensional CCD color image sensor (hereinafter simply referred to as “CCD”) 106 which is a photoelectric conversion device. It is imaged.

Since the optical scanning system 103 is driven in the left-right direction in the drawing by a mechanical driving system, the image light obtained by exposing each portion of the document surface is sequentially CCD by line.
Read at 106. In this embodiment, the CCD 106
Since a color image sensor is used as the color image sensor, it outputs color image information by three signals corresponding to the R, G, and B components of the amount of light received in the image.

The image information (image data) read by the CCD 106 is temporarily stored in an image memory, which will be described later, and subjected to image processing, which will be described later, if necessary, and then converted into output image data (video data). It is sent to the writing device 201 of the laser printer 200.

As a result, the laser light modulated according to the output image data is emitted from the writing device 201 through the writing optical system and is rotated in the direction of the arrow as clearly shown in FIG. The surface of the photosensitive drum 202 is exposed (first exposure). The surface of the photosensitive drum 202 has a first
The entire surface is uniformly charged to a predetermined high potential by the charging charger 203, and when irradiated with laser light, the charge disappears and the potential changes according to the light intensity, and the potential distribution corresponding to the image, that is, static A latent image is formed.

The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 202 is supplied by the two-stage developing rollers R1 and R2 (FIG. 5) when it passes through the black developing unit 204.
A black toner image is formed by contacting the component developer and making it visible by the adsorption of the black toner.

Next, the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 202 attenuated by the second charging charger 205 due to the black image formation is restored by corona discharge. Then, the LED (light emitting diode) 206 for the second exposure emits light corresponding to the red image, and an electrostatic latent image of the red image is formed on the photoconductor drum 202. And the red developing unit 2
By the non-magnetic one-component non-contact development 07, the red toner image is formed by adhering the charged red toner to the red image portion without disturbing the previously formed black image.

On the other hand, recording paper (plain paper) is fed from a selected one of the paper feed cassettes 212 or 213 by the paper feed roller group 214 or 215, and the recording paper is fed by the registration roller pair 216 to the photosensitive drum 202. The photosensitive drum 2 is synchronized with the formation timing of the upper toner image.
It is fed so as to overlap the surface of 02. Then, by the transfer belt 208 to which a positive bias voltage is applied, negatively charged black and red toner images are formed on the recording paper P.
(FIG. 5).

After the transfer, the recording paper P is separated from the photosensitive drum 202 by the separation claw 209, and the transfer belt 2
Then, the toner image on the recording paper is thermally fixed by the fixing unit 217. After that, the recording paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 219 by the paper discharge roller group 218.

On the other hand, after the transfer of the toner image and the separation of the recording paper, the residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 202 is cleaned by the cleaning brush BK and the cleaning blade CB of the cleaning unit 210, and the charge removing L is performed.
Residual charges are erased by the entire surface exposure by the ED211 and the AC corona discharge of the charge eliminating charger to prepare for the next image formation.

Reference numeral 220 denotes a manual paper feed section, which is inserted from here when it is desired to make a copy onto a recording paper of a different size or type from the recording paper set in the paper feed cassettes 212 and 213. Can be fed. Further, in the case of performing double-sided copying or composite copying, the one-sided copied recording paper sent from the fixing unit 217 is guided to the re-feeding path 221 by switching the conveyance path of the discharge roller group 218, and exposed again from there. Body drum 202
And the transfer belt 208.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of the operation panel of the digital copying machine 2. This operation panel 10
To the left end of the figure, a group of keys according to the present invention used for selecting the function of the application section 3 of FIGS. 2 and 3, namely, the scoring key 11, the graph key 12, the table key 13, the question key 14, the registration key 15, Print key 16 and registration N
O. A key 17 is provided.

With each of these keys, a grading mode for scoring an answer sheet (answer sheet), a graphing or tabulating mode for a series of scoring or accumulated image data (scoring data) of scoring results, and a question sheet (question sheet) ) Creating a question mode, a registration mode for registering image data of a new question sheet, a registered question data (question image data), answer data (answer image data), a print mode for printing scoring data, Problem registration number corresponding to the registration data you want to print. Can be specified.

Reference numeral 34 denotes the LCD shown in FIG. 3, which displays guidance in each of these modes and the score of the scoring result. Further, a touch panel having a large number of keys is attached on the screen of the LCD 34, and the same designation as described above can be made by touching the keys.

In addition to these, the operation panel 10 also includes a start key 18, a numeric keypad 19, an interrupt key 120,
Paper selection key 121, examinee designation key 122 (described later), paper ejection tray selection key 123, mode selection key 12
4, reduction key 125, enlargement key 126, zoom key 12
7, a sort key 128, a double-sided key 129, a staple key 131, and a control key group 132 having various keys.
It has.

It should be noted that composite printing (printing the image of the answer sheet black and the image of the scoring result in red at the same time), data transmission / reception, data to the external image processing device 5, external storage device 6 or host 7 Transmission or data reception from the transmission can be selected by a touch key input on the control key group 132 or the LCD 34.

Next, FIG. 7 shows a structural example of the data processing and control system of the digital copying machine 2 and the application section 3 in the image processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. Arranged on the lower side of this figure are the respective units on the side of the digital copying machine 2 which are controlled or used by the CPU 20 for copy control.
In addition to the scanner unit 100, ADF 102, printer unit 200, and operation panel 10 described above, an image processing unit 21 and an application I / F 22 are provided.

The copy control CPU 20 is a microcomputer including a central processing unit (CPU), ROM, RAM, I / O, etc., and controls the entire digital copying machine 2 as a whole. The image processing unit 21 includes the scanner unit 100.
Various image processing such as various corrections, color processing, and dither processing is performed on the image data (image information) read by the method, the details of which will be described later.

Under the control of the copy control CPU 20, the application I / F 22 sends response data to the application section 3, receives a command from the application section 3 and exchanges image data with the application section 3. It is a bidirectional I / F such as RS232C.

As described above, the ADF 102 automatically feeds a plurality of originals set on the original table 107 of FIG. 4 one by one to the exposure position on the contact glass 101. In addition, a predetermined signal or command is output to the copy control CPU 20 each time the document is fed. As a result, the copy control CPU 20 can detect page breaks in a plurality of originals, and the application unit 3 detects page breaks in the image data read by the scanner unit 100 according to the response data sent via the application I / F 22. Can be notified.

The copy control CPU 20 causes the scanner unit 100 to read the images of a plurality of originals, and when each read image data is transmitted to the application unit 3, the page number of the image data to be transmitted and the number thereof. Information indicating whether the reading surface is the front surface or the back surface can be notified to the application unit 3 as response data.

The scanner section 100 is an image scanner, which reads the image of the document set at the exposure position on the contact glass 101 by the ADF 102 as described above, and A / D converts the image data. The scanner unit 100 can also read only the image in the reading area designated by the command from the application unit 3.

The printer section 200 is a printer engine, and performs an image forming (printing) operation based on the video data sent as described above. The video data is sent from the scanner unit 100, the image processing unit 21, or the application unit 3.

Arranged on the upper side of FIG. 7 are the units on the side of the application unit 3 which are controlled or used by the CPU 30 for controlling the application, and are the ROM 23 and the RAM 2.
4, OCR unit 25, barcode recognition unit 26, dictionary search unit 27, dictionary unit 28, non-volatile memory 29, voice output device 36, timer 37, question data memory 38, data storage unit 39, answer data memory 40, image Memory 41, scoring processor 42, copy I / F 43, operation panel I / F
An F44, an external memory I / F 45, a FAX I / F 46, a host I / F 47, an IC card I / F 48, and various I / Fs of an expansion board I / F 49 are provided.

The application control CPU 30 is a microcomputer including a central processing unit (CPU), ROM, RAM, I / O, etc., and the application unit 3 is operated in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 23 or other storage device.
Control the whole system. For example, the operation panel I / F4
4 for controlling the operation panel 10, issuing a command to the digital copying machine 2 and managing response data through the copy I / F 43, setting a timer, and managing a memory.

The ROM 23 is a fixed memory for storing application programs for operating the application control CPU 30, font data, constant data, and the like. The RAM 24 is a memory used as a buffer memory for input data, a working memory of the CPU 30 for controlling the application, a temporary storage memory for recognition results, scoring results, and the like.

The OCR section 25 uses the image data read by the scanner section 100 to draw the characters of the question printed on the answer sheet, ruled lines such as answer boxes, and the examinee's number (examinee N).
o. ) Or the handwritten character, symbol or mark of the answer is recognized, the recognized character or the like is searched by the dictionary search unit 27 for a word or the like in the dictionary 28 and collated. The dictionary 28 stores words and the like, and new words / phrases can be registered / changed.

The bar code recognition section 26 is provided in the scanner section 10.
Based on the image data read by 0, a barcode that identifies the question drawn (printed) on the answer sheet or a barcode that indicates the correct answer to each question is recognized. The non-volatile memory 29 is an EEPROM, a RAM backed up by a battery, or the like, and stores maintenance information of the image processing apparatus 1 and various mode setting information. Also, other information can be stored as necessary.

The voice output device 36 is a buzzer or a speaker that outputs a warning sound of erroneous operation or a message voice of operation guidance to the user. The timer 37 has a clock function, measures time, and periodically generates a timer interrupt signal or the like required by the application controlling CPU 30. The problem data memory 38 is a RAM or a non-volatile memory that stores the problem data drawn on the answer sheet among the image data read by the scanner unit 100.

The data storage unit 39 stores question data, correct answer data, score data, annotation data, scoring patterns (○,
A RAM or a non-volatile memory that stores management data and the like. The answer data memory 40 is a RAM or a non-volatile memory that stores the answer data drawn on the answer sheet among the image data read by the scanner unit 100.

The image memory 41 is a RAM for storing image data read by the scanner section 100 (image processing is performed by the image processing section 25 as necessary) or image data (video data) to be output to the printer section 200. It is a non-volatile memory. The scoring processing unit 42 performs the processing relating to the scoring of the answer sheet and the preparation of the question sheet, which are the main functions of the present invention, the details of which will be described later.

The copy I / F 43 is a CPU for controlling an application.
Under the control of 30, the various commands are sent to the digital copying machine 2, the response data indicating the status is received from the application section 3, and the image data is transmitted to and from the digital copying machine 2 through the video signal line and the control signal line. It is a bidirectional I / F such as RS232C for exchanging.

The operation panel I / F 44 is an application control C
A bidirectional I / F such as RS232C that sends display data to the operation panel 10 and receives a key operation signal from the operation panel 10 under the control of the PU 30. The external memory I / F 45 is an SCS I / F that transmits and receives (communicates) data with the external storage device 6 under the control of the application control CPU 30.

FAX I / F 46 is a line control unit (NCU)
And the like, and transmits and receives data to and from the external image processing device 5 (see FIG. 3) under the control of the application control CPU 30. The host I / F 47 sends / receives data to / from the host 7 (see FIG. 3).
/ F, RS232C, RS422, or an I / F such as an internet.

The IC card I / F 48 is an I / F for detachably mounting the JEIDA compliant IC card 33 (see FIG. 3). The expansion board I / F 49 is an I / F for removably mounting an expansion board storing an application program for giving the image processing apparatus 1 a new function different from the scoring function according to the present invention. .

Here, the scanner unit 1 in this embodiment
A read data processing system according to 00 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an outline of a portion mainly related to image processing of the control unit of this digital copying machine. The video processing circuit 51, the image processing circuit 52, the selector 53, the video writing processing circuit 54, and the LD control unit. 55, an LED control unit 56, etc., and is controlled by the copy control CPU 20 shown in FIG.

The CCD color image sensor 106 and the video processing circuit 51 belong to the scanner section 100, and the video processing circuit 51 outputs R, G, B output from the CCD color image sensor 106 shown in FIG. 4 according to the original image. The respective signals are subjected to A / D conversion, black offset correction, shading correction, pixel position correction, etc. are performed, and multi-valued red image data DR, green image data DG, and blue image data DB are output.

The image processing circuit 52 is included in the image processing section 21 shown in FIG. 7, and as shown in FIG.
MTF correction circuit 62, binarization circuit 63, scaling circuit 64,
The γ correction circuit 65 and the image quality processing circuit 66 are used to perform image processing on the image data DR, DG, DB of each color input from the video processing circuit 51. This process will be described in detail later.

The multi-valued black image data BKD and the binary red image data RD output from the image processing circuit 52 are temporarily stored in the image memory 41, read out and input to the selector 53, and the normal In the copy mode, it is sent to the video writing processing circuit 54 of the printer unit 200, but in the scoring mode, it is sent to the application unit 3. A part of the selector 53 also belongs to the image processing unit 21, and when sending each image data to the video writing processing circuit 54, processing (outlining, shadowing, italics, etc.) and editing (moving, moving, etc.) are performed as necessary. Synthesis, etc.) can be performed.

When printing the scoring result or question paper, the image data generated by the application unit 3 is input to the selector 53. When outputting the scoring result, only the red image data RD is output, which is combined with the black image data BKD of the answer sheet read from the image memory 41 and sent to the video writing processing circuit 54. When outputting the problem paper, only the black image data BKD is sent to the video writing processing circuit 54 as it is.

The video writing processing circuit 54 includes a selector 53.
4 is converted into a video signal corresponding to the writing speed of the printer unit 200, the LD control unit 55 is controlled according to the black image data BKD, and the laser of the writing device 201 shown in FIG. Diode (LD) 223
The light emission of is modulated and controlled. If there is red image data RD, the LED controller 56 is controlled accordingly to turn on / off the light emission of the LED 206 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
Turn it off.

Here, the processing in the video processing circuit 51 and the image processing circuit 52 will be described in more detail.
The R, G, and B image signals read by the CCD color image sensor 106 are A / D converted by being given appropriate gains in the video processing circuit 51, and black offset correction, shading correction, and pixel position correction are performed. , Are output as red image data DR, green image data DG, and blue image data DB which are 8-bit digital data synchronized with a predetermined clock.

The black offset correction is a correction for subtracting the black level of the dark current of the CCD 106 from the image data. The shading correction is the exposure lamp 104 in the main scanning direction.
(FIG. 4) In order to eliminate the unevenness of the light amount and the unevenness due to the sensitivity difference between the pixels of each color sensor of the CCD 106, a white plate having a uniform density is read before the scanning of the original, the data is stored for each pixel, and the original is read. The correction is performed by dividing the stored image data by the data of the white plate for each pixel that has been stored. Pixel position correction is to correct a pixel position shift in the sub-scanning direction when a CCD with three lines is used.

The image processing circuit 52 is constructed as shown in FIG. 9, and the RGB image data DR, DG, and DB output from the video processing circuit 51 are converted into multivalued black image data and red image data by the color separation circuit 61. Separated from the data, the MTF correction circuit 62 MTF corrects the black image data as it is with 8 bits.
After the correction, the red image data is binarized with a fixed threshold value by the binarization circuit 63 to be 1 bit.

Then, each of the scaling circuits 64 performs electrical scaling in the main scanning direction, the γ correction circuit 65 performs γ correction, and the image quality processing circuit 66 performs image quality processing such as dithering and error diffusion (gradation). Process). The MTF correction is to correct the deterioration of the optical frequency characteristic with a two-dimensional spatial filter.

When the image processing apparatus of this embodiment is used in the normal copy mode, the user can use the ADF shown in FIG.
The original is set on the original table 107 of 102 with the original facing up, and
After the number of copies is designated by the ten keys 19 on the operation panel 10 shown in (1) (when the number of copies is one, it is not necessary to designate the number of copies), and the start key 18 is pressed.
The original document 07 is fed and set at the exposure position on the contact glass 101 with the image surface facing downward.

After that, the image of the original is read by the scanner section 100 and the image data is read by the image processing section 21.
The image processing as described above is performed by the image memory 41.
Then, a copy process is performed in which the printer unit 200 forms an image on a specified number of sheets of recording paper and discharges it as a copy.

Further, the document whose reading (exposure) is completed is either discharged as it is onto the discharge tray 114 by the ADF 102, or inverted and set again at the exposure position on the contact glass 101, and then the scanner unit 100 is used. A copy process similar to that described above is performed on the original, and the original that has been read is ADF1.
The sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 114 by 02.

When the ADF 102 is used as a pressure plate, the user sets the original at the exposure position on the contact glass 101 of the scanner section 100 face down, and after designating the number of copies with the ten keys 19 of the operation panel 10, When the start key 18 is pressed, the image of the original is read by the scanner unit 100, the image data is subjected to the above-described image processing by the image processing unit 21 and stored in the image memory 41, and then the printer unit 200 stores it. Images are formed on the recording paper by the specified number. Further, the image processing apparatus of this embodiment can perform color copying of two colors, but since its operation is the same as that of a conventional two-color digital copying machine, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The processing of the application section 3 in the scoring mode, graph creating mode, question paper creating mode, print mode, etc., which are the modes relating to the present invention, will be described below with reference to FIG. 10 and subsequent figures.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of the application section 3 in the scoring mode. This routine is called by the main routine (not shown) when the start key 18 is pressed in the state where the scoring mode is set, and starts. First, in step 1, the original (answer sheet) is placed on the original table 107 shown in FIG. It is checked whether or not it is set (using an output signal of a document detection sensor (not shown)).

Here, when the application section 3 is caused to perform the processing in the scoring mode, the user sets the image surface upward on the document table 107 as in the case of making a copy of the answer sheet to be scored as a document. After pressing the scoring key 11 of the operation unit 10 shown in FIG. 6 to enter the scoring mode, the start key 18 is pressed to generate a scoring start signal.

If it is determined in step 1 that a document is set on the document table 107, the ADF 102 is determined in step 2.
Then, the original on the original table 107 is fed and set at the exposure position on the contact glass 101 by the step 3
Then, an image reading operation is performed in which the image of the original is read by the scanner unit 100, the image data is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 21 as necessary, and the image data is stored in the image memory 41.

Next, in step 4, the problem data is extracted from the image data of the original document stored in the image memory 41, and in step 5, the problem data is managed as management data (for managing the image data). The necessary data) is stored in the question data memory 38 and the answer data is extracted from the image data of the original document stored in the image memory 41 in step 6, and the answer data is extracted in step 7. Is stored in the answer data memory 40 together with the management data. Although not shown, after the above-described image reading operation is completed, the document on the contact glass 101 is also discharged to the discharge tray 114.

Subsequently, in step 8, the scoring processing unit 42 performs scoring processing on the answer data stored in the answer data memory 40 using the correct answer data stored in the data storage unit 39, and in step 9 Perform output processing. That is, the scoring result is displayed on the LCD of the operation panel 10.
It is displayed on the screen 34, the voice output device 36 is notified by voice, or the printing process described later is performed as necessary.

After that, in step 10, an original request process, that is, a message for requesting the user to set an original on the original table 107 is displayed on the LCD 34 of the operation panel 10, and then in step 11, whether or not the scoring mode is set. If the setting is released, the process returns to the main routine, but if not, step 1
Then, the processing similar to the above is performed.

The above-described processing corresponds to the case where the ADF 102 automatically feeds the manuscript (answer sheet).
When F102 is opened / closed and set on the contact glass 101 and the start key 18 is pressed, the application unit 3 may perform the same processing as steps 3 to 10 of FIG. 10 each time.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of a subroutine of the answer data extraction processing in FIG. First, there is a problem I that is drawn at a predetermined position from the image data just read on the image memory 41.
The D information is read, the content is recognized by the OCR unit 25 or the barcode recognition unit 26, and the position and size of the drawing area (answer area) of the answer of the image data stored in the image memory 41 is obtained from the recognition result. The answer area calculation process is performed to extract the image data in the answer area.

Here, this ID information is composed of a bar code portion including answer area information and question information portion and a character portion including user information, as shown in FIG. 12, for example. Further, FIG. 13 shows a specific configuration example of the bar code portion, and FIG. 14 shows a specific configuration example of the character portion. Further, FIG. 15 shows the layout of the answer area on the manuscript (answer sheet) by each coordinate shown in FIG.

Of the ID information, the contents of the answer area information and the question information portion which compose the bar code portion can be recognized and known by the bar code recognition portion 26, and the user information which composes the character portion is the OCR portion. It can be recognized and known by 25.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing another example of the subroutine of the answer data extraction processing in FIG. First, all the image data that has just been read (for one page) is read from the image memory 41, the answer area of the image data is recognized by the OCR unit 25, and the image data in the answer area is extracted.

When recognizing the answer area or the question area (drawing area of the question), the recognition processing by the OCR unit 25 is actually performed on all the read image data, and the answer column or the question column is selected from them. The answer area or question area can be recognized by identifying the ruled line or the like. Further, the contents of the ID information can be known by the recognition processing by the OCR unit 25.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing still another example of the subroutine of the answer data extraction processing in FIG. First, the ID information of a question (assuming that the color information corresponding to the question and the answer are included) is read from the image data just read on the image memory 41. The OCR unit 25 or the barcode recognition unit 26 recognizes the content of the ID information.

Then, after extracting only the image data (answer data) of the color corresponding to the answer from the image memory 41,
An answer area calculation process for obtaining the position and size of the answer area is performed. For example, as shown in FIG. 18A, if the question data and the answer data forming the image data just read on the image memory 41 are black data and red data, respectively, the image memory is processed by the black and red discrimination processing. Only the answer data can be extracted from 41 as shown in FIG.

Since the contents of the question data extraction process in FIG. 10 are substantially the same as the contents of the answer data extraction process described above, illustration and description thereof will be omitted. If ID information is attached to the answer sheet (original), by recognizing the ID information, this ID information can be obtained from correct answer (and score) data for many questions stored in advance in the data storage unit 39. Correct answer (and score) data for each question on the attached answer sheet can be specified and used in the scoring process.

Further, when the ID information for identifying the problem is printed on the barcode 71 as in the answer sheet 70 shown in FIG. 25, the barcode recognition unit 26 recognizes the barcode 71. The ID information can be known by using the question column 72 of the answer sheet 70 as in the case described above.
The correct answer (and score) data for each question (question 1 to question 8) can be specified from the data stored in the data storage unit 39.

As shown in FIG. 26, the correct answer data includes a character or symbol code (or a pattern or font) of correct answer information and position information indicating where on the answer sheet the answer is.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the image data read by the scanner unit 100 is temporarily stored in the image memory 41, and then the question data and the answer data are extracted from the image data. 10
The question data and the answer data may be directly extracted from the image data read by 0.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing an example of the subroutine of the answer data storage processing in FIG. First, the examinee entered in the answer sheet is recognized from the content of the ID information (including user information) recognized during the answer data extraction processing, and an information storage area for the examinee is secured in the answer data memory 40. After performing memory management such as checking free memory and allocating memory, the problem registration No. (The question registration number of the examination question taken by the examinee) and the extracted answer data are stored.

The question data storage process in FIG. 10 is the same as the above-described answer data storage process, but with the following process added. In other words, after the examinee who is entered on the answer sheet is recognized from the content of the ID information (including user information) recognized during the question data extraction process, the question data common to the question data extracted by the question data extraction process is a problem. It is checked whether or not it is already stored in the data memory 38, and only when it is not stored, an information storage area for the examinee is secured in the question data memory 38, and the question registration number. And the extracted problem data are stored.

Here, the contents stored in the answer data memory 40 are as shown in FIG. 20, for example. (A) of the figure shows the examinee information table for setting the examinee and registering or retrieving the examinee information for that examinee, and (b) of the figure registered with the examinee information table. The content of the examinee information for each examinee is shown in FIG. 6C, and the content of the question information which is a part of the examinee information is shown.

The question information is the question registration number of the examinee who took the examination. , And answer data (answer information) at that time, question registration No. Problem data (problem information) indicated by
Have a pointer to. 20D shows the question registration number. The answer data (answer information) for each question that constitutes the question registered in (3) is shown, and the contents thereof are shown in (f) of FIG. 20E shows question data commonly used when printing the score results of all the examinees, and the content thereof is shown in FIG.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the scoring process subroutine in FIG. First, the answer data stored in the answer data memory 40 is read one by one (for example, the answer data recognized from the respective columns 1 to 8 corresponding to each question in the answer column 74 of the answer sheet 70 shown in FIG. 25 are sequentially read). , Correct answer / score data for the problem are read from the data storage unit 39.

Then, the answer data and the correct answer data are matched, and it is judged whether or not the two data are matched (matched). If they are matched, the answer is correct. Therefore, the score is calculated from the score data. For example, in the example of the answer sheet 70 shown in FIG. 25, if the points of [Q1] to [Q4] are 10 points each, and the answer to [Q1] is correct, the score is 10 points.
It is a point. The calculated score is added and stored in the answer data memory 40. At this time, it is preferable to store the judgment result of the correctness of the graded answer.

If the answer data and the correct answer data do not match, the score is not calculated and the addition is not stored because the answer is incorrect. If the points are the same for each question, the point data need only be read once, so there is no need to read it for each answer score. After that, it is judged whether or not there is the next answer data, and if there is, the process returns to the first step of reading the answer data, and the above processing is repeated until there is no answer data recognized from one answer sheet.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing the processing of the application section 3 in the print mode. In this routine, the print mode is set, the examinee who is the subject of printing, and the question registration number. When the start key 18 is pressed in the state where is designated, the main routine calls and starts.

Here, when the application section 3 is caused to perform the processing in the print mode, the user presses the print key 16 of the operation section 10 shown in FIG. Examinee No. 19 Enter. By repeating this key operation, all required examinees are designated. It should be noted that the examinees are divided into classes and the class number. By inputting, it is possible to specify a plurality of examinees with one numeric keypad input.

The user is required to register the registration number. Press the key 17 and use the numeric keypad 19 to enter the question registration number. Enter. By repeating this key operation, all required problems are specified. The application unit 3 recognizes these key operations and takes the examinee No. And the problem registration number. When the start key 18 is pressed by the user, a search / print start signal is generated.

When the routine shown in FIG. 22 is started, first, in step 21, the question data of the designated examinee (the first designated examinee when a plurality of examinees are designated) in the question data memory 38. The question data search process for searching the answer data memory 40 is performed in step 22.
The answer data retrieval process for retrieving the answer data for the question data is performed, and in step 23, the process for obtaining the scoring result data for the answer data is performed. The scoring result data may be obtained by performing the same processing as the scoring processing of FIG. 21 each time, or may be stored during the scoring processing and read and obtained during the processing in this print mode.

After the scoring result data is obtained, the output process is performed, that is, the scoring result is displayed on the LCD 34 of the operation panel 10, the voice output device 36 is notified by voice, or the print process described later is performed as necessary. It is checked whether or not another examinee is designated, and if so, a process for retrieving question data of the next designated examinee is performed, and thereafter, the same process as described above is performed.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart showing an example of the subroutine of the answer data search process in FIG. First, the examinee information of the designated examinee is searched from the examinee information table (see (a) of FIG. 20) in the answer data memory 40, and the question information obtained from the examinee information ((b) of FIG. 20). (See Reference) to check whether or not the examinee has taken the test for the specified question (question registration No.), and if so, obtain answer data for the question.

FIG. 24 is a flow chart showing an example of a subroutine of the printing process during the output process in FIGS. 10 and 22. First, the problem data on the image memory 41,
Secure a drawing area for answer data and scoring result data. At this time, the drawing address (drawing position) and the size of those data are recognized.

Then, each image data obtained by the question data extraction process, the answer data extraction process, and the scoring process of FIG. 10 or the question data retrieval process, the answer data retrieval process, and the scoring result acquisition process of FIG. 41 is drawn on the sheet 41 and sent to the printer unit 200 to print the image on the recording paper. At this time, the drawing position on the image memory 41 is adjusted so that the image data do not overlap,
If they still overlap, processing such as changing the toner color may be performed.

The drawing processes may be carried out individually or in any combination. For example, when only the problem data drawing process is performed, the process shown in FIG.
Question paper 70 'printed with only the problems shown in 8
When the question data drawing process and the answer data drawing process are performed, the answer sheet 70 on which the question and the answer as shown in FIG. 25 are printed is subjected to the question data drawing process, the answer data drawing process, and the scoring result data drawing process. In this case, the scoring sheet 80 on which the questions, answers, and scoring results are printed as shown in FIG. 27 can be output.

By the way, the scoring sheet 80 shown in FIG.
The same image as the answer sheet 70 shown in FIG. 5 is printed, the score is printed in the score field 85 in a pattern like a handwritten character, and if the answer character in each field of the answer field 84 is the correct answer. If ○ is a non-correct answer, × is printed in a handwriting-like pattern. At that time, if the same image as the answer sheet is printed with black toner and the score and the pattern of ○ and × are printed with red toner, the scoring result is easier to understand and when the teacher gives a score on the answer sheet. It will be close.
Furthermore, in the non-correct answer column, correct answer characters and the like and annotations can be printed with red toner.

The printing colors are not limited to black and red, but if the developing units 204 and 207 shown in FIG. 4 are replaced with units using toners of other colors, it is possible to print with any two colors.

As shown in the answer sheet 70 'shown in FIG. 28, the answer columns 1 to 8 for each question in the answer column 74' are
By printing the barcode 76 in which the correct answer is encrypted in the vicinity thereof, respectively, the barcode recognition unit 26 can sequentially recognize the position and the code of the barcode, and then decode the correct answer. By doing so, it is not necessary to recognize the question, and the answer data recognized for each question and the decoded correct answer data can be immediately compared (matched) to judge the correctness of the answer.

Next, when the graph key 12 of the operation unit 10 is pressed, the graph creating mode is set, and when the start key 18 is pressed, the graph creating mode routine shown in FIG. 29 is started. In this routine, first, specify the parameters for the desired data, that is, the history of scoring results of multiple tests for each examinee and the data to be graphed, such as the scoring results data of all the students in one test. Inputs such as data from the operation unit 10 are accepted.

Then, the designated data in the management data of the data storage unit 39 is converted into a predetermined format for the graph creating process which is a known technique and is drawn on the image memory 41 to perform the graph creating process. The created graph data can be output to the printer unit 200, and a graph as shown in FIG. 31, for example, can be printed on recording paper and output.

When the table key 13 of the operation unit 10 is pressed, the table creation mode is set, and when the start key 18 is pressed, the data desired to be displayed instead of the graph creation process is displayed in the same procedure as the graph creation mode described above. Perform the creation process. Thereby, for example, a table as shown in FIG. 32 can be printed on recording paper and output. In this way, it is possible to obtain the output of graphs and tables such as deviation values and history.

Next, when the question key 14 of the operation unit 10 is pressed, the question paper creation mode is entered, and when the start key 18 is pressed, the question paper creation mode routine shown in FIG. 30 is started. In this routine, first, the operation unit 10 inputs the data desired by the question creator, such as inputting parameters for the question, that is, outputting what number of questions of which category and level.

Then, the question data corresponding to the input information is randomly selected from a large number of questions registered in the question data memory 38, and the question data is transferred. Problem drawing processing is performed on the image memory 41 in a predetermined format.

Then, the data of the problematic paper thus drawn is sent to the printer section 200 to form an image on the recording paper and output it. Thereby, for example, a question sheet similar to the answer sheet shown in FIG. 28 can be obtained. If the required number is set in the same way as the number of copies when inputting parameters, the same problem paper will be printed for that number of sets.

When inputting parameters, an input method by reading a job sheet can be used. In that case, the image of the job sheet set by the scanner unit 100 is read, the character or bar code described in the image data is recognized in the same manner as the processing in the scoring mode, and the code data is converted into the code data. The specified number of problem data with a code matching with is randomly selected from the data storage unit 39 and drawn on the image memory 41.

In the data storage unit 39, necessary problem data is fetched and stored from the external image processing device 5, the external storage device 6, or the host 7. In addition, the operation unit 10
By pressing the registration key 15 of No. 1, the question paper registration mode is entered, and when a new question paper is set in the scanner section 100 and the start key 18 is pressed, the image data thereof is displayed in the same manner as in the scoring mode. The image data is read and temporarily stored in the image memory 41, and the OCR unit 2 stores the image data.
5, character recognition and ruled line recognition are performed, converted into a predetermined data format, stored in the problem data memory 38, and registered in the data storage unit 39.

This text data is stored in a storage medium such as a floppy disk or a magneto-optical disk of the external storage device 6 and loaded into a personal computer or the like to take in the stored data, or directly via a network. It is also possible to incorporate the answer data into a personal computer or the like and add the answer data to the registered data in the data storage unit 39.

Further, by using the marker recognition of the editing function, or by using a digitizer and using it, the answer portion and the question portion are recognized separately from the read image data of the question paper on which the correct answer is written, It is possible to register a new question paper and correct answer data for each question without editing operation on a personal computer. Then, the data of the newly registered question paper (excluding correct answer data) can be image-formed on the recording paper by the printer unit 200 to print a required number of question papers.

In this embodiment, if a normal copy original is set as the original and read by the scanner section 100, the read image data (image information) is temporarily stored in the image memory 41, and the stored image data is stored. Since the image is formed on the recording paper (paper) and output, it is possible to easily make the required number of copies as in the conventional digital copying machine.

If an answer sheet is set as a manuscript and read by the scanner section 100, question data and answer data are extracted from the read image data of the answer sheet, and the respective image data are extracted from the question data memory 3 respectively.
8. Stored in the answer data memory 40. However, after the problem data is extracted, it is checked whether problem data that is common to the problem data is already stored in the problem data memory 38, and if it is not stored, the extracted problem data is used as the problem data memory. 38.

Then, the stored answer data is compared with the correct answer data held in the data storage unit 39 to output scoring result data, and then the answer data stored in the question data memory 38 and the answer data memory 40 are stored. The question data or the scoring result data obtained by the scoring process can be drawn individually or in any combination on the image memory 41 and can be output by the printer section 200. Can be scored.

Therefore, it is cheaper and more versatile than the conventional automatic scoring system, and the scoring time can be greatly shortened. Moreover, since the question data and the answer data are extracted from the read image data of the answer sheet and the scoring result data is obtained from them, the memory can be effectively used and the cost increase can be minimized.
Furthermore, because each of those image data is stored separately,
They can be output individually or in any combination when needed.

For an answer sheet in which a question and an answer are drawn in different colors, only the image data of the color corresponding to the question is extracted from the image data of the answer sheet read by the scanner section 100 and read by the scanner section 100. On the answer sheet in which only the image data of the color corresponding to the answer is extracted from the image data of the answer sheet or the drawing area of the question and the answer is specified, the question area is extracted from the image data of the answer sheet read by the scanner unit 100. Is recognized, the image data in the question area is extracted, the answer area is recognized from the image data of the answer sheet read by the scanner unit 100, and the image data in the answer area is extracted. The processing is simplified and the processing speed can be increased.

Since the question data, the answer data, and the scoring result data can be handled individually as described above, the processing shown in FIG. 33 can also be performed. That is, when the possession information is inquired to the external image processing device 5 capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from this image processing device and the possession information transmitted from the image processing device 5 is detected, the possession information is detected. It is checked whether or not the question data stored in the question data memory 38, the answer data stored in the answer data memory 40, and the scoring result data obtained by the scoring process are held,
Only the image data that is not held is transmitted to the image processing device 50.

As a result, the question data, the answer data,
Since it is not necessary to transmit all the marking result data to the external image processing device 50, the communication time with the image processing device 50 can be shortened.

[0136]

As described above, the image processing apparatus according to the present invention can usually be used as a copying machine to make a copy of an original, and the answer original is set and read in place of the original. Since automatic scoring can be performed and the result can be output by displaying or printing on recording paper, automatic scoring work can be performed without increasing the space. Further, since the conventional digital copying machine can be used almost, the cost increase is small.

Further, each image information of the question and the answer is extracted from the image information of the read answer manuscript, each image information is stored separately, and these are independently or arbitrarily combined when necessary. Since the data can be output, it is possible to effectively use the memory and minimize the cost increase.

The image processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention extracts the image information common to the image information of the problem extracted from the image information of the read answer document only when the image information is not already stored in the problem information storage means. Since the problem image information is stored in the problem information storage means, the memory can be significantly reduced.

The image processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 3 separately extracts the image information of the color for the question and the image information of the color for the answer from the image information of the read answer document, so that the processing speed can be reduced by simplifying the processing. Higher speed can be achieved. The image processing device according to the invention of claim 4 or 5 recognizes the drawing area of the question or answer from the image information of the read answer document and extracts the image information in the drawing area. Higher speed can be achieved.

The image processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 6 detects the holding information of the external image processing apparatus capable of transmitting and receiving data, and sends only the image information which is not included in the holding information to the image processing apparatus. , It is not necessary to transmit all the image information of the question, answer, and scoring result to the external image processing apparatus, and the communication time with the external image processing apparatus can be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of an image processing apparatus having a scoring function according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of an image processing apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing it more specifically.

4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a mechanical portion of the digital copying machine 2 in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged explanatory view showing an image forming operation around the photosensitive drum of the printer unit 200.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of an operation unit of the digital copying machine 2 in the same manner.

7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a data processing and control system of a digital copying machine 2 and an application section 3 in the image processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an extracted processing system of read data by the scanner unit 100.

9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an image processing circuit 52 in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing processing in a scoring mode by the application unit 3 of this embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a subroutine of answer data extraction processing in FIG.

12 is an explanatory diagram showing a format example of ID information of a question to be read in the answer data extraction processing of FIG.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific configuration example of the barcode section in FIG.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific configuration example of a character portion.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a layout of a solution area on the solution sheet with each coordinate shown in FIG.

16 is a flowchart showing another example of the subroutine of the answer data extraction processing in FIG.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing yet another example of a subroutine of answer data extraction processing.

18 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the answer data extraction process of FIG.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of a subroutine of answer data storage processing in FIG.

20 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of data stored in the answer data memory of FIG. 7. FIG.

21 is a flowchart showing an example of a scoring process subroutine in FIG.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a process in a print mode by the application unit 3 of this embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of a subroutine of answer data search processing in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print processing subroutine during the output processing in FIGS. 10 and 22.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a completed answer sheet used in this embodiment.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a storage format of correct answer information.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of a scoring sheet in which the scoring result is printed out by being superimposed on the image of the answer sheet shown in FIG. 25.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of a question paper used in this embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing processing in the graph creation mode by the application unit 3 of this embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing the processing in the question paper creation mode.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of graphing scoring result data.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of tabulation of scoring result data.

FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing a data transmission process according to the present invention by the application unit 3 of this embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 5: Image processing device 2: Digital copying machine 3: Application part 4: Interface part 6: External storage device 7: Host 10: Operation panel 11: Grading key 12: Graph key 13: Table key 14: Question key 15: Registration key 16: Print key 17: Registration number. Key 18: Start key 19: Numeric keypad 20: Copy control CPU 21: Image processing unit 23: ROM 24: RAM 25: OCR unit 26: Bar code recognition unit 30: Application control CPU 31: Application control unit 32: Application base Board 33: IC card 34: LCD 38: Question data memory 39: Data storage unit 40: Answer data memory 41: Image memory 42: Scoring processing unit 51: Video writing circuit 52: Image processing circuit 53: Selector 54: Video writing Embedded processing circuit 55: LD control unit 56: LED control unit 70, 70 ': answer sheet (question sheet) 80: scoring sheet 100: image scanner (scanner section) 106: CCD color image sensor 200: laser printer (printer section) 223: Laser diode

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An image reading unit for reading an image of a document,
In an image processing apparatus including an image storage unit that stores image information read by the unit, and an image output unit that forms an image of the image information stored in the image storage unit and outputs the image, a problem and an answer are provided. Problem information extracting means for extracting the image information of the problem from the image information of the answer document read by the image reading means, and the image information of the problem extracted by the problem information extracting means. Question information storage means for storing, answer information extraction means for extracting image information of an answer to the question from image information of the answer document read by the image reading means, and image information of answers extracted by the answer information extraction means And answer information storage means for storing, and at least a correct answer image for the image information of the question stored in the question information storage means Correct answer information storage means for inputting or storing and holding information in advance, image information of the answer stored in the answer information storage means and image information of the correct answer stored in the correct answer information storage means are compared to obtain a scoring result. Inputting the scoring means for outputting, the image information of each of the questions and answers stored in the question information storage means and the answer information storage means, or the image information of the scoring result by the scoring means, individually or in any combination. An image processing apparatus comprising: a drawing unit for drawing. 2. It is checked whether image information common to the image information of the problem extracted by said problem information extraction means is already stored in said problem information storage means, and if it is not stored, said image information is extracted. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising problem information storage control means for storing problem image information in the problem information storage means. 3. An image of a color corresponding to a question from the image information of the answer document read by the image reading unit by the question information extracting unit for the answer document in which a question and an answer are depicted by image information of different colors. The means for extracting only information, wherein the answer information extracting means is means for extracting only image information of a color corresponding to the answer from the image information of the answer document read by the image reading means. The image processing device according to 1 or 2. 4. The question information extraction means recognizes the drawing area of the question from the image information of the answer original read by the image reading means, and draws the answer area with respect to the answer original document in which at least the drawing area of the question is specified. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, which is means for extracting image information in an area. 5. The answer information extracting unit recognizes the drawing area of the answer from the image information of the answer original read by the image reading unit, and draws the answer with respect to the answer original specifying at least the answer drawing area. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, which is means for extracting image information in an area. 6. The possession information detection unit according to claim 1, wherein the possession information detection unit detects possession information of an external image processing device capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from the device. Whether the image information of the question and the answer stored in the question information storage unit and the answer information storage unit and the image information of the scoring result by the scoring unit are held in the holding information detected by the unit Check
An image processing apparatus, comprising means for transmitting only image information that is not held to the external image processing apparatus.