JPH09200493A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To generate an entire image of an original in a complete form which an Nin1 copy with a binding margin and to form an image with well layout balanced by outputting an image of each page of originals to an area of paper other than the space according to a calculated magnification. SOLUTION: CPUs 101-104 of a control section of a copying machine control an image processing unit 20 or the like to discriminate whether or not the mode is the 2in1 mode. When YES, whether or not an original has punch holes, and when YES, areas of the holes are deleted to discriminate an image area by the same process as the case with NO. Then X coordinates of start and end points of the image area to be discriminated are recognized and the result is given to RAMs 121-124. The presence of a succeeding page is discriminated, and when absent, paring processing of pages of 2in1 copy is conducted, a reduction rate is calculated and the image data of the original are reduced. Then a reference position is set upper right, the image data are rearranged, data of the right page are arranged on a table after 2in1 copy, data of the left page are arranged and when no succeeding copy is in existence, the processing is finished.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus having an image editing function for arranging and outputting an image of a document having a plurality of pages on a sheet of paper for each predetermined number of pages. It is a thing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a copying machine, which is an example of an image forming apparatus, is provided with a so-called Nin1 mode in which images of a plurality of originals are arranged side by side on one sheet of paper. It has been effectively used for the purpose of filing manuscripts. Further, as another function, when an image is output on a sheet, for example, a function of forming a blank space of a predetermined size as a binding margin is provided.

[0003]

In the above-described conventional image forming apparatus, the Nin1 copy function and the margin format function act separately, so that if a margin is provided at a predetermined portion of the paper, for example, as a binding margin, the paper is not printed. There are problems that the images on the edges are erased and the layout balance of the images in the area other than the margin on the paper is poor.

It is an object of the present invention to bind an image of a document consisting of a plurality of pages on a sheet of paper for each predetermined number of pages even if a binding margin of a predetermined size is provided on the paper. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of outputting a document image in a perfect form without causing a blank portion such as a margin and the document image to overlap and partially erase the image. A further object of the present invention is to provide a good layout balance even when a margin of a predetermined size is provided on the paper when the images of a document consisting of a plurality of pages are output side by side on a single paper for each predetermined number of pages. An image forming apparatus capable of forming various output images.

[0005]

An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus has an image editing function for arranging and outputting an image of an original composed of a plurality of pages on a sheet of paper for each predetermined number of pages. The reading means for reading image data from the original, the margin setting means for setting the size of the margin formed at a predetermined position on the paper, and the image of each page of the original from the image data read by the reading means An image area extracting means for extracting an area, a size of the image area of each page of the original to be output on one sheet by the image editing function, a margin size set by the margin setting means, and a sheet size. A scaling ratio calculating means for calculating a scaling ratio of the original image based on the original image is formed, and when the image editing function is set, a margin having a size set by the margin setting means is formed at a predetermined position on the paper, and Of and an image editing means for editing the image data so as to output the image of each page of the document in accordance with the magnification calculated by the magnification calculator means in a region other than 該余 white.

With the above structure, when the image editing function is set, a blank space having a size set by the blank space setting means is formed at a predetermined position on the paper, and the scaling factor is calculated in an area other than the blank space on the paper. Since the image of each page of the original is output according to the scaling ratio calculated by the means, the original image is not erased by overlapping the margin portion such as the binding margin and the original image and erasing a part of the image. It can be output in perfect form.

In the image forming apparatus according to claim 2,
The scaling factor calculating means in the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a value obtained by subtracting the size of the margin set by the margin setting means from the size of the sheet and the image of each page of the original to be output on the sheet. The scaling factor is calculated by comparing the size of the area and the value obtained by adding the size of the blank space formed between the image areas, and the image editing unit sets each of the originals when the image editing function is set. The image data is edited so that a blank of a predetermined size is formed between the image areas of the page.

With the above configuration, when the images of a document consisting of a plurality of pages are arranged side by side on a sheet for each predetermined number of pages and output, a good layout balance is obtained even if a margin of a predetermined size is provided on the sheet. It is possible to form various output images.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an overall configuration of a digital copying machine that is an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the copying machine 1 inputs from a scanning system 10 for reading a document and converting it into an image signal, an image processing unit 20 for processing an image signal sent from the scanning system 10, and an image processing unit 20. Based on the image data output from the rotary memory unit 30 and the rotary memory unit 30 for controlling whether to output the image data to the printer device as it is, or to output the image data to the printer device after the rotation process. The print processing unit 40 that drives the laser 61, the laser optical system 60 that guides the laser light from the semiconductor laser 61 to the exposure position on the photosensitive drum 71, develops the latent image by exposure, transfers it onto recording paper, and fixes it. An image forming system 70 for forming an image, an operation panel (see FIGS. 2 and 3) provided on the upper surface of the main body of the copying machine 1, a document is conveyed, and if necessary, Document conveying section 50 for the front and back of the inversion
0.

The scanning system 10 and the image processing unit 20 form a reading section IR, and the print processing unit 40, the laser optical system 60, an image forming system 70 form a printer section PR.

The reading unit IR reads an image of an original placed on the original glass 19 and generates image data corresponding to each pixel of the image of the original. Exposure lamp 1
2 and a first scanner 11 having a first mirror 13a
And a second having a second and a third mirror 13b, 13c
The scanner 14 is moved in the directions of arrows b and b '(sub-scanning direction) in the figure by driving the scan motor M2. The light from the exposure lamp 12 is reflected by the document on the document glass 19 and is reflected by the first to third mirrors 13a, 13b, 13.
The line sensor 17 is irradiated via the lens c and the lens 15. The line sensor 17 has a large number of photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1, and reads an image at 400 dpi, for example, and outputs image data corresponding to each pixel. Further, as described above, the line sensor 17 can sub-scan the original image by moving the scanner unit in the directions of the arrows b and b '. The sensor SE3 is for detecting that the first scanner 11 is at the home position.

The image data output from the line sensor 17 is processed by the image processing unit 20 and then transmitted to the rotary memory unit 30. Rotating memory unit 3
0 temporarily stores the image data received from the image processing unit 20, and after the rotation editing process or directly in the print unit P.
Send to R.

Next, the print section PR will be described.
The print processing unit 40 includes the rotation processing memory unit 30.
The laser optical system 60 is controlled based on the image data received from. The laser optical system 60 scans and exposes a semiconductor laser 61 that emits a laser beam modulated (on / off) controlled by the print processing unit 40 and a laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 61 onto the photosensitive drum 71. Of polygon mirror 62, fθ lens 63, and mirrors 64a and 64b.

A charging charger 72, a developing device 73, a transfer charger 74, a separation charger 75, a cleaner 76, and an eraser lamp 77 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 71 which is rotationally driven along the rotation direction thereof. A toner image is formed by a well-known electrophotographic process and is transferred onto a sheet. The paper is the paper feed cassette 81a, 81b.
From the sheet feeding rollers 82a and 82b, and is sent to the position of the transfer charger 74 by the sheet conveying path 83 and the timing roller 84. Transfer charger 74
The paper on which the toner image is transferred at the position is
5, the fixing device 86, and the discharge roller 87, and the sheet is discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 88. These various rollers and the photosensitive drum 71 are driven by the main motor M1.

In the vicinity of the paper feed cassettes 81a and 81b, paper size detection sensors SE1 and SE2 for detecting the size of the paper stored in each cassette are provided. Further, reference numeral 100 in FIG. 1 denotes a paper skew detection unit. This configuration diagram shows an example (example 1) in which the sheet inclination detection unit is provided on the transport belt section and an example (example 2) in which the sheet inclination detection unit is provided immediately after the timing roller 84.

The document feeder 500 includes a document feed tray 51
The original set on 0 is automatically conveyed onto the original glass 19, and the original read by the scanning system 10 is discharged to the original discharge section 511.

In the normal mode, one or a plurality of originals are placed with the side to be read facing upward in the original feed tray 5
10 and set the side regulating plate to the width of the document.
When the operation is started, the lowermost original of the set originals is sequentially conveyed by the paper feed roller 501, separated by the separation roller 502 and the separation pad 503, and fed one by one (dotted line in the figure). See section). The conveyed document passes through the intermediate roller 504 and passes through the registration sensor S.
After the document is detected by E51 and the width size sensor SE53, the skew feeding is corrected by the registration roller 505. Immediately after the trailing edge of the document passes the left edge of the document scale 512, the document transport belt 506 slightly reverses and stops.

As a result, the right end of the original comes into contact with the edge of the original scale 512, and the original is set at an accurate position on the original glass 19. At this time, the leading edge of the next document is
Reaching the registration rollers 505, the transport time of the next original is shortened.

When the document is set at the correct reading position on the document glass 19, the scanning system 10 scans the document for reading. When the reading of the original is completed, the original is conveyed to the left by the original conveying belt 506 and the reversing roller 507.
The conveyance direction is changed by, and the sheet is passed above the switching claw 508 and discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 511.

In the case of a double-sided original, when the reading of the first side is completed, the original is conveyed to the left by the original conveying belt 506, the conveying direction is changed by the reversing roller 507, and the original is again glassed by the switching claw 508. Then, the second surface of the original is set to the reading position. The document whose second side has been read is conveyed to the left by the document conveying belt 506, and is rotated by the rotating roller 507, the switching claw 508, and the discharge roller 5.
After passing 09, the sheet is discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 511.

Next, the operation panel used in the above copying machine will be described. 2 and 3 are views showing the operation panel. Using this operation panel, the relative position (direction) of the binding margin with respect to the original image is designated. Referring to FIG. 2, on the operation panel, a numeric keypad 9 for setting a numeral is set.
1, a clear key 92 for clearing the number of characters, a stop key 93 for stopping the copying operation, a panel reset key 94 for setting the mode to the initial state, and a start key 95 for instructing the start of the copying operation are provided. An LCD 96 for setting modes other than the above and a touch panel 97 covering the upper surface thereof are provided.

The function of this apparatus is divided into a general mode, a basic mode, an applied mode, and a specialized mode. Within each of these modes, the mode included in each mode is set by a hierarchical screen configuration. It is configured to That is, the function set by the touch panel 97 changes on each screen. For example, the basic mode includes modes such as paper selection, magnification selection, and exposure level adjustment. In addition, the advanced mode includes original mode (single side /
Modes such as double-sided), copy mode (single-sided / double-sided), discharge mode (sort / non-sort etc./grouping) are included. Further, the specialized mode includes modes such as a binding margin mode and a mirror image mode.

As described above, FIG. 2 shows a state in which the single-sided original / double-sided copy mode is selected on the screen for setting the original mode and the copy mode of the application mode. Further, FIG. 3 shows a screen for setting the binding mode of the specialized mode, in which 10 m is placed at the left end of the document in the manual mode.
It shows that the mode for forming the binding margin of m is selected. Next, the configuration of the control unit of the copying machine will be described.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of the control unit of the copying machine. The control unit has four CPUs 101 to 104.
It is composed mainly of. ROMs 111 to 11 storing programs are stored in the CPUs 101 to 104, respectively.
4, and RAMs 121 to 124, which are work areas, are connected.

The CPUs 101 to 104 are connected to each other on a command line, and are configured to exchange necessary command information. Regarding the image data, the image data is input and output through the image data line, but at this time, each unit is connected to the image data line by the respective BUSSWs (bus switches) 141 to 144.

The CPU 101 controls input from various operation keys on the operation panel and display output to the display section. The initial mode setting of the operation panel, the total counter, and the item counter are stored in the NVRAM 125.

The CPU 102 controls each part of the image processing unit 20 and the drive control of the scanning system 10. CP
U103 is a print processing unit 40 and a laser optical system 60.
And control of the image forming system 70.

The CPU 104 performs processing for adjusting the overall timing of the control unit and setting the operation mode. Further, by controlling the rotary memory unit 30,
The read image data is temporarily stored in the image memory / code memory. The CPU 104 reads the stored image data and outputs it to the print processing unit 40.

The image signal processor 20 includes a line sensor 17
The image signal output from the photoelectric conversion element (CCD) 16 constituting the above is processed, and the image data is output to the rotary memory unit 30. The image processing unit 20 is an A / D
It includes a converter, a shading correction unit, a scaling processing unit 201, an image quality correction unit (other than the scaling processing unit 201, not shown), and the like. The image signal input from the photoelectric conversion element 16 is A / D converted, quantized into 8-bit image data for each pixel, shading correction, scaling processing,
And, after undergoing various processes such as image quality correction, it is outputted as image data.

The rotary memory unit 30 includes a switching unit and a CP.
Binarization processing unit that creates binary data based on the parameter setting from U104, A4 size 2 at 400 dpi
A multi-port image memory having a page capacity, a code processing unit having a compressor and a decompressor that can operate independently, a code memory having a multi-port, a rotation processing unit,
It is configured by a multi-value quantization processing unit that creates multi-value data based on the parameter setting from the CPU 104 (all are not shown). The CPU 104 controls all of these.

Next, the Nin1 function, which is an image editing function for arranging and outputting the images of a document having a plurality of pages on a sheet of paper for each predetermined number of pages, will be described. In the following description, 2in1 will be described as an example of Nin1, but the same applies to other cases such as 4in1.

In the copying machine of this embodiment, as will be described below, the area of the image information of each original is detected, and 2 in 1 is detected.
The image reduction ratio is calculated from the image area of the document to be copied, the size of the binding margin, and the paper size, and the image information is rearranged in consideration of the layout.

First, the image editing flow for binarizing the scanned image data, putting it in the memory map, and making it 2 in 1 with the binding frame will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, here, two pages of A4 portrait image are
A case of making a 2 in 1 copy in a horizontally long size and 1 page of left binding will be described.

First, in step S101, 2 in
It is determined whether or not the mode is one. If it is the 2 in 1 mode, the process proceeds to step S102, and if not, the process proceeds to step S114, the image data is arranged on the memory with the upper left reference, and the process ends.

When it is determined in step S101 that the 2 in 1 mode is selected, it is determined in step S102 whether or not the document has punch holes. If there is a punch hole, the process proceeds to step S103, the punch hole area is deleted from the image area, and if there is no punch hole,
Control goes to step S104.

Next, in step S104, an image area determination process is executed. Next, in step S105, based on the determined image area, the coordinates of the starting point and the ending point of the X axis of the image area are recognized and input to the memory.

Next, it is judged whether or not there is a manuscript for the next page (step S106), and if there is the next page, step S1.
The processing from 02 onward is continued, and the image area determination and the memory input of the coordinates of the starting point and the ending point of the X axis are performed over the entire page. On the other hand, if there is no next page and the above processing is completed for all pages, in step S107, 2i
The pairing process of the page to be copied n1 is executed. In addition,
This processing will be described later in detail.

Next, in step S108, the reduction rate k is calculated. Next, in step S109,
The image data of the original is reduced at the calculated reduction rate k and rearranged in the memory map. Next, step S11
At 0, the array of image data is changed with the reference position of the reduced image data set to the upper right. Next, step S1
In 11, the image data on the right page side is first arranged in the table after 2 in 1 copying, and further, in step S112, the image data on the left page is arranged. Finally, it is determined whether or not there is a next 2 in 1 copy (step S
113), if there is a next copy, the process proceeds to step S111 to continue the subsequent processes, and if not, ends the process.

By the above processing, the image data of all the originals are reduced at the reduction rate k and are rearranged with the upper right corner as the reference position. The exchange of image data in the above-described image editing flow is performed between the CPU 104 and the rotary memory unit 30.

Next, 2i in step S107 shown in FIG.
The pairing process of the page to be copied n1 will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the pairing process.

Referring to FIG. 6, first, step S201.
At, the lengths a1 and a2 of the image area on the document are calculated. The lengths a1 and a2 of the image area on the document are calculated by subtracting the start point coordinates from the end coordinates of the image area obtained in step S105 shown in FIG. 5 and multiplying the result by the inter-coordinate distance L. .

Next, in step S202, the image area on the paper is calculated. If the image area on the paper, that is, the length of the paper excluding the binding margin is H, the length of the paper is A, and the binding margin length is I, the image area on the paper is H.
= A-I is calculated.

Next, in step S203, the ratio m for normal 2 in 1 copying is calculated. Here, the normal 2-in-1 copy is a method of calculating the ratio m from only the paper size and the document size, as in the above-described conventional copying machine. Therefore, the ratio m is a value obtained by doubling the document size and dividing this by the paper size.

Next, in step S204, it is determined whether or not the image of the original document is reduced by the calculated ratio m to fit within the original document area of the paper. Specifically, if the margin amount between the images of the originals and at both ends is M, a margin is provided at both sides of the two originals and at three places between them in the 2in1, so that the image area H on the paper is (a1 + a2) ×
It is determined whether or not it is larger than m + 3M. If it is larger, the image of the original will not be lost even if it is printed with the same reduction ratio. Therefore, since the ratio m calculated above is used as it is, the ratio m is substituted for the reduction ratio k in step S206. On the other hand, if it is not large, part of the original image may be missing if it is left as it is. To ensure that all original images are output in a complete form, including the binding margin and margin. , (H-3M) / (a
The value of 1 + a2) is the reduction rate k.

By the above processing, the image of the original can be completely output in the form including the binding margin and the margin, and the reduction ratio k that can form the image with a good layout balance can be calculated. it can. It should be noted that the above-mentioned margin M may use a predetermined value, or may use a different value depending on each position.

Next, in accordance with the above image editing flow, 2 in
A specific example of performing one copy will be described.
FIG. 7 shows one page of image data copied in 2 in 1. The image shown in FIG. 7 is "T", and the two points on the left side are punch holes. Scan this and binarize it into 2
FIG. 8 shows a three-dimensional array (here, for example, 10 dots × 10 dots). "1" in FIG. 8 indicates the black portion of FIG. 7, that is, "T" and the punched hole portion, and "0" indicates the white portion of the margin. In addition, the coordinates of each dot are represented by the horizontal axis direction X (1, 2 ,,
, 10) and the vertical direction Y (A, B, C, ..., J). Here, paying attention to the horizontal axis, the character region is X = 4 to
9 That is, 6 dots are the image area. Further, the portion of X = 10 after the image area is the area after the image, which is one dot here. The area of the image data is determined based on these pieces of information (step S10).
4). The coordinates of the punched holes are (2, D) and (2, D
However, since the punch hole has a predetermined coordinate or positional relationship, the punch hole is excluded from the designation of the image area when determining the area of the image data based on this (step S202). In this way, the CPU 104 confirms the coordinates of the starting point and the ending point of the X axis of the image area, and inputs them to the memory (step S105). Similarly, the image data is input to the memory over all pages (step S106).

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the pages to be copied in 2 in 1 are paired (step S107). The state of 2 in 1 copying after pairing is shown in FIG. Here, a1 and a2 are the lengths of the image areas (values converted from the end point coordinates and the start point coordinates to the actual lengths in consideration of the length of 1 dot), I is the length of the binding margin, and H is the paper. It is the length of the upper image area, that is, the length excluding the binding margin. The reduction ratio k is calculated from these values according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 (step S108). When the value of the reduction rate k is calculated, it is 2i
The image data of the original to be copied n1 is reduced by the magnification of k and rearranged in the memory map (step S109).

Finally, the work of arranging the two pages of the reduced image data in the A4 landscape table with the binding frame is started. Before that, in order to consider the layout, the reference position of the reduced image data is changed to the upper right as shown in FIG.
That is, in FIG. 11A, the origins of the X axis and the Y axis are at the upper left, but the X axis is at the upper right as shown in FIG.
The binarized data is converted so as to bring the origin of the Y axis (step S110).

Next, the upper right corner of the paper is the reference coordinate (XX, 0)
A method of arranging the image data in such a case will be described.
FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method of arranging image data. First, assuming that the distance between coordinates is L, the right margin is M, so the writing position in the X-axis direction is (XX-M /
L). Next, assuming that the Y-axis direction has even margins vertically, the margin amount C1 is C1 = (image size in the YY-Y-axis direction) / 2, so the coordinates of the image writing position are , (XX-M /
L, C1 / L). Next, when the center margin M is taken again, the coordinates of the writing position of the left image are (XX- (2
M + a2) / L, C1 / L).

Based on the writing reference position of each image obtained by the above calculation, first the image data on the right page side is arranged (step S111), and then the image data on the left page side is arranged. (Step S112).

By the above processing, since the image data is arranged from the side opposite to the binding frame, the image data does not overlap the binding frame, and the image of the original can be completely copied in 2in1. In addition, appropriate margins are provided between the images and on both sides of the images, so that the images can be formed with a good layout.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an overall configuration of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a diagram showing a screen for setting an original mode and a copy mode of an application mode of the operation panel of the copying machine shown in FIG.

3 is a diagram showing a screen for setting a binding margin mode of a specialized mode on the operation panel of the copying machine shown in FIG.

4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit of the copying machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an image editing process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a pairing process shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a document image.

8 is a diagram showing a state in which the original image shown in FIG. 7 is binarized.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating pairing of pages for 2 in 1 copying.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining 2 in 1 copy after pairing.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a change in the reference position of reduced image data.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method of arranging image data with the upper right corner of a sheet as a reference.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Copier 20 Image processing unit 30 Rotating memory unit 101-104 CPU 201 Magnification processing unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus having an image editing function for arranging and outputting images of a document consisting of a plurality of pages on a sheet of paper for each predetermined number of pages, and a reading means for reading image data from the document. Margin setting means for setting the size of the margin formed at a predetermined position on the paper; image area extraction means for extracting the image area of each page of the document from the image data read by the reading means; The scaling factor of the document image is calculated based on the size of the image area of each page of the document to be output on one sheet by the editing function, the size of the margin set by the margin setting unit, and the size of the sheet. When the image editing function is set, a variable-magnification calculating unit for forming a margin having a size set by the margin setting unit at a predetermined position on the sheet and other than the margin on the sheet are formed. And a image editing means for editing the image data so as to output the image of each page of the document in accordance with the magnification calculated by the magnification calculating means in the region, the image forming apparatus. 2. The scaling factor calculating unit subtracts the size of the margin set by the margin setting unit from the size of the sheet and the image area of each page of the document to be output on the sheet. And the value obtained by adding the size of the blank space formed between the image areas to each other, the scaling factor is calculated, and the image editing unit is configured to set the image editing function when the image editing function is set. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data is edited so that a blank space having a predetermined size is formed between the image areas of the pages of the document.