JPH10107964A - Image forming method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a desired image by discriminating a direction and a form of a read original, laying out an output image depending on the result of discrimination and laying out an original whose discrimination result differs from others among consecutive originals as a different page. SOLUTION: Suppose that originals 1801, 1802, 1803, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810 are laterally written originals directed upward and originals 1804, 1805, and 1806 are laterally written originals directed to the left among a plurality of originals with different forms, then the originals 1801, 1802, 1803 of the same form are laid out on one page and the page is copied as shown in 1811. Moreover, the originals 1807, 1808, 1809 and 1810 of the same form are laid out on one page and the page is copied as shown in 18131. In other words, among consecutive originals, the page is updated between the originals 1803, 1804 and between the originals 1806, 1807 where the forms are changed and then they are laid out. Thus, the direction and the form of the read originals are discriminated and output images are laid out depending on the discrimination result, and the originals among the consecutive originals provide different discrimination results, then they are laid out as separate pages.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming method and apparatus for a copying machine and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a copying machine, work efficiency has been improved by mounting accessories such as an automatic document feeder and an automatic collating device. In addition, digital copiers have been devised, and more advanced functions have been realized by treating images as digital information. As an advanced function, for example, there is a function called a reduced layout function.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example in which the reduced layout function is combined with a double-sided function, a binding margin function, and a staple function. In FIG. 12, 1201, 1202,
Reference numerals 1203, 1204,... Indicate a plurality of horizontally written originals placed upward, and when these are set in the automatic document feeder (DF) in the direction shown in the drawing, the front is shown as 1205 and the back is shown as 1206. The copy is laid out, a binding margin is added, and a copy in which a desired position is stapled is output. Note that “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”,.
“8” corresponds to the order of the originals, that is, the page of the original.

[0004]

However, the following problems have been met in the above-mentioned conventional example. That is, for example,
When a vertically written original such as 1207, 1208, 1209, 1210,... Is set, the table is laid out as 1211 and the back as 1212. Is very unnaturally laid out. Further, the binding margin position and the staple position also become impractical.

Similarly, 1213, 1214, 121
When a vertically written original placed leftward, such as 5, 1216,... Is set, the front is 1217 and the back is 12
It is laid out like 18 and 1219, 12
In the case of a horizontally written original placed leftward, such as 20, 1221, 1222,...
In this case, the layout, the binding margin, the staple position, and the like are not suitable for practical use.

Further, there are various combinations of the orientation of the original (up, down, left, and right) and the type of the original (horizontal writing or vertical writing), and a layout, binding margin, or stapling that is not practical is often performed. .

[0007] Even if the original is laid out in advance, it is often not in accordance with the user's request if the original is laid out again.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and determines the orientation and format of a read document and lays out an output image in accordance with the result of the determination, thereby providing an image intended by the user. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming method and apparatus capable of forming an image.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which reads a plurality of originals, performs a predetermined layout, and forms an output image. A determination unit; and a control unit configured to control the output image to be laid out in accordance with the determination result of the determination unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming method for reading a plurality of originals, laying out a predetermined layout, and forming an output image. And a control step of controlling the output image to be laid out according to the result of the determination in the determination step.

[0011]

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

In the present embodiment, a copying machine will be described as an example of an image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of the copying machine according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 200 denotes an automatic document feeder (hereinafter, referred to as DF), which can automatically feed a plurality of originals one by one, and set the front and back surfaces of each original on a platen sequentially. Since the specific configuration is already known, detailed description is omitted. On the DF200,
A plurality of originals to be read are placed. DF200
Are fed one by one by the DF 200 and placed on the platen 201. 202 is, for example,
A document illumination lamp composed of a halogen lamp,
The document placed on the document table 201 is exposed. 203, 2
Reference numerals 04 and 205 denote scanning mirrors, which are accommodated in an optical scanning unit (not shown) and guide the reflected light from the document to the CCD unit 206 while reciprocating. CCD unit 20
Reference numeral 6 denotes an imaging lens 207 that forms an image of reflected light from a document on the CCD, an imaging device 208 including the CCD, a CCD driver 209 that drives the imaging device 208, and the like. The image signal from the image sensor 208 is, for example, 8
After being converted into bit digital data, it is input to the controller 239. The controller unit 239 includes a microcomputer, an image processing unit, and the like described below, and performs an image forming operation in accordance with an instruction from an operation panel described later. The details of the controller 239 will be described later.

Reference numeral 210 denotes a photosensitive drum;
Is discharged by the pre-exposure lamp in preparation for image formation.
A charger 213 charges the photosensitive drum 210 uniformly. Reference numeral 214 denotes an exposure unit that is configured by, for example, a semiconductor laser or the like, and that exposes the photosensitive drum 210 based on image data processed by a controller unit 239 that performs image processing and control of the entire apparatus to form an electrostatic latent image. . 215
Denotes a developing device, which stores a black developer (toner). 219, a pre-transfer charger;
High pressure is applied before transferring the developed toner image to paper. 220, 222, and 224 are sheet feeding units;
The transfer paper is fed into the apparatus by driving the paper feed rollers 221, 223, and 225, temporarily stops at the position where the registration roller 226 is provided, and the writing timing with the image formed on the photosensitive drum 210 is set. Will be re-fed.

Reference numeral 227 denotes a transfer charger, which is a photosensitive drum 2
The toner image developed in Step 10 is transferred to a fed transfer sheet. Reference numeral 228 denotes a separation charger, which separates the transfer sheet after the transfer operation from the photosensitive drum 210. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 210 without being transferred is collected by a cleaner 211. 229 is a transfer belt,
The transfer paper after the transfer process is conveyed. A fixing unit 230 fixes the toner image transferred to the transfer paper by, for example, heat. Reference numeral 231 denotes a flapper, which switches the conveyance path of the transfer sheet having undergone the fixing process, and controls either the direction in which copying is completed and the sheet is discharged outside the apparatus or the direction in which the intermediate tray 237 is arranged. Reference numerals 233 to 236 denote conveying rollers which invert (multiply) or non-invert (double-sided) the transfer paper once subjected to the fixing process to the intermediate tray 237 and feed the same. Reference numeral 238 denotes a re-feed roller, and the intermediate tray 2
The transfer paper placed on 37 is again transferred to the registration rollers 23.
It is transported to the disposition position 6. A staple sorter 232 performs collation and staple binding of copied sheets.

[Controller Unit] Next, the detailed configuration of the controller unit 239 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the controller unit 239 according to the present embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 301 denotes a CPU that controls the entire apparatus, and sequentially reads and executes a control procedure (control program) of the apparatus main body from a ROM described later. 30
Reference numeral 2 denotes a CPU bus to which each unit is connected. 303
Is a read-only memory (ROM), which is a memory for storing programs and control data. 304 is a random access memory (RAM) as a main storage device,
It is used as storage of input data, a work storage area, and the like. An I / O interface 305 controls an interface with a connected operation panel and various sensors. More specifically, the operation panel 400 displays the state and the like of the apparatus using liquid crystals and LEDs by an operator performing key input, and motors 307 for driving a paper feeding system, a conveyance system, and an optical system. Clutches 308 and solenoids 309
And paper detection sensors 3 for detecting the conveyed paper
10, a toner remaining sensor for detecting the amount of toner in the developing device 215, and the above-described charger, developing device, pre-transfer charger,
A high-voltage unit 315 that outputs a high voltage to the transfer charger and the separation charger, and a beam detection sensor 314 are connected.

An image processing unit 306 receives an image signal output from the CCD unit 206, performs various types of image processing described later, and outputs a control signal for an exposure unit (laser unit) 214 in accordance with image data. And
The laser beam output from the laser unit 214 irradiates the photosensitive drum 210.

[Image Processing Unit] Next, the image processing unit 306 will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the image processing unit 306 according to the present embodiment. First, in the shading correction circuit 101, the CCD unit 2
After correcting the variation between pixels with respect to the image signal converted to the electric signal by 06, the edge emphasizing circuit 102 performs second differentiation in, for example, a 5 × 5 window to emphasize the edges of the image. Further, the scaling circuit 103 performs data thinning processing at the time of reduction copying, and performs data interpolation at the time of enlargement copying. Next, the density correction circuit 10
4, after converting into a desired density, the binarization circuit 105
In the above, binarization is performed. The binarization method may be a simple binary method, a screen method, an error diffusion method, or another method. Then, the binarized image signal is sent to the laser unit 214 or held in the page memory 108.

Next, the image signal held in the page memory 108 is stored in the large-capacity hard disk 110 after the information amount is compressed by the compression / expansion circuit 109. The original set on the DF 200 is sequentially sent to and read from the original platen, and the above-described binarization circuit 105,
The data is sent to the compression / expansion circuit 109 via the page memory 108. The compression / expansion circuit 109 compresses the sent image signal and sends it to the hard disk 110. The hard disk 110 sequentially holds the plurality of compressed image signals sent thereto. Furthermore, hard disk 1
The compressed image signals held in 10 are sequentially read out, decompressed by a compression / decompression circuit 109, and then sent to the page memory 108 once. And the laser unit 21
4 to form an image.

The method of compressing and expanding image data in the compression / expansion circuit 109 is not particularly limited, and any method may be used. Here, the merits of compressing the image data include reducing the amount of information per image data of one page, storing information of more pages on the hard disk 110,
There are two objectives of reducing the time required for accessing 10 and improving the productivity of the apparatus.

The above-described control of the reduced layout and the like is temporarily stored in the page memory 108, edited on the memory, and output to the laser unit 214. Editing on the memory is performed by the memory control circuit 107 by the memory 1
08 by controlling an address signal and an enable signal.

On the other hand, the document orientation detection unit 106 determines the orientation (up, down, left, and right) of the document and whether the document is written vertically or horizontally based on the image signal from the shading correction circuit 101. Then, the determination result is held in the TAG memory 111.

On the other hand, the CPU 301 reads the judgment result held in the TAG memory 111 and gives an instruction to the memory control circuit 107 based on the read result, and the memory control circuit 107 edits the image in the memory 108 based on the instruction of the CPU 301. Do the work.

[Operation Panel] Next, the configuration of the operation panel 400 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is an external view showing the configuration of the operation panel 400 according to the present embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 401 denotes a numeric keypad for setting the number of copies and other necessary numerical values, and reference numeral 401-1 denotes a copy start key for instructing a copy start. Reference numeral 402 denotes a function key for designating copy, fax, and file functions. A large-format liquid crystal touch panel 403 displays keys on the liquid crystal surface, and the operator performs desired operations by pressing the displayed keys with a finger. 404-41
Reference numeral 3 denotes a portion related to the present invention among the keys displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 403. Descriptions of keys not directly related to the present invention are omitted.

Reference numeral 404 denotes a group of keys for setting the direction of the document, which specifies the direction of the document based on the operator. The keys 404, 407, 407 408, a rightward designation key 409, and an automatic determination key 410. Here, when the operator selects and presses any one of 406 to 410, the display of the selected key is inverted to indicate that the key is selected. The example illustrated in FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the upward direction is specified. And 406-409
Is selected, the control is performed assuming that the original is placed in each direction. When the automatic determination key 410 is selected, control is performed assuming that the direction determined by the document direction detection unit 106 incorporated in the apparatus has been designated.

Reference numeral 405 denotes a key group for setting the character arrangement of the original, which designates whether the original is a vertical original or a horizontal original. The horizontal original designation key 411, the vertical original designation key 412, the automatic It consists of a judgment key 413. Here, when the operator selects and presses any one of 411, 412, and 413, the display of the selected key is inverted,
It indicates that it is selected. The example shown in FIG. 4 shows a state where horizontal writing is specified. And 41
When either 1 or 412 is selected, the apparatus control is performed assuming that the document is a vertically written document or a horizontally written document in each direction. When the automatic determination key 413 is selected, the control is performed on the assumption that the character arrangement determined by the document orientation detection unit 106 has been specified, similarly to the above-described document orientation.

[Control by Designation of Document Orientation] Next, the reduced layout double-sided control in the embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining reduced layout double-sided control according to the embodiment. This control is performed as an operation for editing the image on the page memory 108 described above under the control of the memory control circuit 107 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 301. That is, the operation panel 400 or the document direction detection unit 1
The layout, binding margin staples, and the like are controlled as described below, depending on the orientation of the original designated by 06 and the distinction between vertical writing and horizontal writing.

In FIG. 5, 501, 502, 503,
Reference numerals 504,... Are a plurality of horizontally written originals placed upward, and when these are set in the illustrated direction in an automatic document feeder (DF), the front is laid out like 505 and the back is laid out like 506. , A binding margin is added, and a desired position is a stapled copy. Note that “1” in the figure,
“2”, “3”, “4”,.
That is, it corresponds to the page of the document. This is the same operation as in FIG.

On the other hand, 507, 508, 509, 510,
Are a plurality of vertically written originals placed upward, and when these are set in the DF in the direction shown in the drawing, the table is laid out as in 511, the back is as in 512, and a binding margin is added. The desired position is a stapled copy.

In the same manner, originals 513, 5
14, 515, 516,..., The front is laid out like 517, the back is laid out like 518, a binding margin is added, and the desired position is a stapled copy.
Further, left-side horizontal originals 519, 520, 521, 52
In the case of 2,..., The front is laid out like 523 and the back is laid out like 524, a binding margin is added, and a desired position is a stapled copy.

Incidentally, as a combination (not shown), for example, there is a case of a downward-facing document or the like.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the re-layout of a document that has already been reduced in layout. In FIG.
.., 1, 1602, 1603,... Are originals that have already been reduced in layout to 4in1. Reference numerals 1604 and 1605 are obtained by sequentially reading reduced-layout documents, dividing each document into four blocks, and laying out the blocks as 9in1 copies. Whether the document has already been reduced in layout may be determined by automatic detection, or may be determined by designation from the operation panel 400.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a modification of the relayout shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 17, it is determined whether or not each block in the document is blank, and if it is a blank block, the blocks are laid out and laid out again. FIG.
1701, 1702, 1703, ... are already 4in1
The original document 1702 has one block blank. That is, 1701 has four blocks of 1, 2, 3, and 4; 1702 has three blocks of 5, 6, and 7; and 1703, four blocks of 8, 9, 10, and 11 Exists. 17
Numerals 04 and 1705 sequentially read the reduced-layout originals and laid out them again as 9in1 copies. And 1709, 1710, 1711 are similarly 1
707 blank blocks are laid out and laid out to 4in1.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a layout of a plurality of documents formed in different formats. That is, 1801,
1802, 1803 and 1807, 1808, 1809,
Reference numeral 1810 denotes an upward horizontal writing document, 1804, 1805, and 1
If 806 is a left-to-right horizontal writing document, the same format 1801, 1802, 1803 is laid out on one page, copied like 1811, and the same format 18
04, 1805, 1806 on one page,
Copy as in 1812 and use the same format 180
7, 1808, 1809, and 1810 are laid out on one page and copied as indicated by 1813. In other words, the pages are updated and laid out between 1803 and 1804 and between 1806 and 1807 where the format changes in a continuous document.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a layout of a document having a blank portion in the document. As shown, 1902,
1903, 1905, and 1906 each have a margin, and only about half of one page is described. At this time, the layout is performed by narrowing the margins of 1902, and the layout is performed by narrowing the margins of 1905 and 1906.
7 can be laid out.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a layout of a document whose margins are not uniform. As shown, 200
Documents 1, 2002, 2003, and 2004 have irregular margins, respectively.
As shown at 07, the margins 2005 and 2006 can be laid out in a uniform manner.

[Document Orientation Detection] Next, the document orientation detection unit 106 in the embodiment will be described in detail. The document direction detection unit 106 determines two directions: the direction in which the document is placed (up, down, left, and right) and the character arrangement (vertical writing, horizontal writing) of the document. As described above, the operation panel 400
In, when the automatic determination is specified as the document orientation specification and when the automatic determination is specified as the character arrangement specification, control is performed assuming that each determination result is specified.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the outline of document orientation detection. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of document orientation detection. First, in step S801 shown in FIG. 8, the document orientation detection unit 106 inputs a document image signal. Here, reference numeral 601 shown in FIG. 6 is an image of the input document. Next, in step S802, the character area is separated, and only the character portion in the read image is extracted. Specifically, first, a cumulative histogram in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the document is obtained, and a character region is extracted from the cumulative histogram. 6A shows the cumulative histogram in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the document, and FIG. 6B shows the cut-out rectangular character area. Next, in step S803, a character is cut out from the extracted character area as indicated by 603 in FIG. Then, in step S804, matching in the character direction is performed to recognize whether the character is facing up, down, left, or right. Specifically, as shown by 604 in FIG.
The direction of the character is recognized by obtaining the degree of matching with the template rotated by 90 °. In the example indicated by reference numeral 604 in FIG. 6, since the degree of matching at 0 ° is the largest, it is recognized as being upward. Next, in step S805, the final document orientation is determined from the cut-out character array and the recognized character orientation.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the orientation and format of a document, in which reference numeral 701 denotes upward horizontal writing, 702 denotes leftward horizontal writing, and
03 is vertical writing to the right, and 704 is vertical writing to the top.

[Hard Disk and TAC Memory] Next, the hard disk 110 and the TAG memory 111 will be described. FIG. 14 shows the hard disk 110 and T
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an address map of an AG memory 111. In the figure, reference numeral 1400 denotes an address map in an effective use area of the hard disk 110, and shows a state where n pages of originals are stored. That is, 1401 is the image signal of the first page, 1402 is the image signal of the second page, 1403 is the image signal of the third page, 1404 is the image signal of the fourth page, and 1405 is the image signal of the fourth page.
Is an image signal of the fifth page, 1406 is an image signal of the sixth page, 1407 is an image signal of the seventh page, and is omitted. 1408 is an image signal of the (n-1) th page, and 1409 is n. This is the image signal of the page.

On the other hand, reference numeral 1410 denotes an address map in the effective use area of the TAG memory 111, which holds the orientation in which a plurality of originals are set. That is, 1411
Is the orientation of the first page, 1412 is the orientation of the second page, 1413 is the orientation of the third page, 1414 is the orientation of the fourth page, 141
Reference numeral 5 denotes a document orientation of the fifth page, 1416 denotes a document orientation of the sixth page, 1417 denotes a document orientation of the seventh page, omission is omitted, 1418 denotes a document orientation of the (n-1) th page, and 1419 denotes a document orientation. This is the orientation of the document on the nth page.

Here, the characteristic feature is that the image signal held in the hard disk 110 and the TAG memory 11
1 is one-to-one correspondence and is stored in the same order. Each document orientation of the TAG memory 111 is composed of 8 bits, and is held as shown in FIG. That is, bit 1 of 8 bits
−0 indicates the orientation of the document in the up, down, left, and right directions (00: top, 01: right, 1
0, lower, 11: left), bit 2 represents the layout of the characters on the document (0: horizontal writing, 1: vertical writing), bit 6
-3 is a spare part, and the most significant bit 7 is a bit for parity check.

As described above, the hard disk 110 and the TA
By configuring the G memory 111 so as to correspond to a pair, the CPU does not need to access a large address space on the hard disk 110, but only needs to access a small address space of the TAG memory 111, thereby enabling quick processing. Thus, it is possible to improve the productivity of the device.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail. In the second embodiment, a full-color copying machine will be described as an example of an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the structure of a full-color copying machine. In the figure, reference numeral 900 denotes an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as DF), which can automatically feed a plurality of originals one by one, and set the front and back sides of each original on a platen sequentially. Since the specific configuration is already known, detailed description is omitted. A plurality of documents 902 to be read are placed on the DF 900. Then, the document 902 is fed one by one by the DF 900 and placed on the document table 901. A document 902 on a document table 901 is illuminated by a light 903, and mirrors 904, 905, and 9
An image is formed on the CCD 908 by the optical system 907 via the line 06. Further, a first mirror unit 910 including a mirror 904 and an illumination 903 is mechanically driven at a speed V by a motor 909, and a second mirror unit 911 including mirrors 905 and 906 is driven at a speed of Ｖ V, and
Is scanned.

Reference numeral 912 denotes an image processing circuit which processes the read image information as an electric signal, temporarily stores it in an image memory, and outputs it as a print signal. The print signal output from the image processing circuit unit 912 is sent to a laser driver (not shown), and drives four semiconductor lasers (not shown). A polygon mirror 913 receives four laser beams emitted from four semiconductor lasers (not shown). One of them is a mirror 914, 915, 91
6, the next one scans the photosensitive drum 921 via the mirrors 918, 919, 920, the next one scans the photosensitive drum 925 via the mirrors 922, 923, 924, The last one is a mirror 926,
After passing through 927 and 928, the photosensitive drum 929 is scanned.

On the other hand, reference numeral 930 denotes a developing unit for supplying yellow (Y) toner. The developing unit 930 forms a yellow toner image on the photosensitive drum 917 in accordance with the laser beam. Reference numeral 931 denotes a developing unit for supplying magenta (M) toner. A developing device for forming a magenta toner image on the photosensitive drum 921 in accordance with the laser beam; and a developing device 932 for supplying cyan (C) toner in accordance with the laser beam, and a cyan toner image on the photosensitive drum 925 in accordance with the laser beam. 933 is a developing unit that supplies black (Bk) toner, and forms a black toner image on the photosensitive drum 929 according to the laser beam.

As described above, the toner images of the four colors (Y, M, C, and Bk) are transferred to the paper, and a full-color output image can be obtained.

The paper fed from one of the paper cassettes 934 and 935 and the manual feed tray 936 is sucked onto the transfer belt 938 via the registration roller 937 and is conveyed. Here, in synchronization with the paper feed timing, the toner of each color is developed in advance on the photosensitive drums 917, 921, 925, and 929, and the toner is transferred to the paper as the paper is transported.

The paper on which the toner of each color has been transferred is separated, transported by a transport belt 939, and fixed by a fixing device 940.
Is fixed to the toner image paper, and is discharged to a sorter / stapler 941 in the case of one-sided copying, and is discharged to a two-sided path 942 in the case of double-sided copying.

In the case of double-sided copying, the sheet discharged from the fixing unit 940 to the double-sided path 942 is inverted by the reversing path 943, and is held on the double-sided tray 945 via the transport unit 944. The paper held in the double-sided tray 945 is fed again, and registration rollers 937 are formed to form an image on the back surface.
Is adsorbed on the transfer belt 938 and transported. Similarly to the front side, the timing of paper feeding is synchronized, and the toner of each color is developed in advance on the photosensitive drums 917, 921, 925, and 929, and the toner is transferred to the paper as the paper is transported. Thereafter, the sheet is separated, conveyed by a conveying belt 939, the toner is fixed on the sheet by a fixing device 940, and is discharged to a sorter / stapler 941 in the same manner as in the case of one-sided copy.

The sorter / stapler 941 can perform collation and stapling of discharged copies. The specific configuration is already known and will not be described. An operation panel 946 is equivalent to the operation panel described above.

[Flow of Image Processing] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the flow of image signals. In the figure, 908
Denotes a CCD, which outputs a read image as a digital signal for each of three color components of red (R), green (G), and blue (B). Reference numeral 1012 denotes a masking circuit, which converts an input (R0, G0, B0) signal into a standard (R, G, B) signal by an operation according to the following equation.

[0054]

(Equation 1)

Here, cij (i = 1, 2, 3j = 1, 2, 3) is a constant peculiar to the apparatus in consideration of various characteristics such as sensitivity characteristics of the CCD sensor / spectral characteristics of the illumination lamp.

Reference numeral 1004 denotes a luminance / density conversion unit,
It is configured by a look-up table of M or ROM, and an operation such as the following equation is performed.

[0057]

(Equation 2)

Reference numeral 1006 denotes an output masking / UCR circuit which converts the M1, C1, and Y1 signals into Y, M, C, and Bk signals, which are toner colors of the image forming apparatus.
The calculation is performed according to the following equation.

[0059]

(Equation 3)

Here, aij (i = 1, 2, 3, 4j = 1, 2, 3, 4) is a constant peculiar to the apparatus in consideration of various color characteristics of the toner.
1 is obtained by the following equation.

[0061]

(Equation 4)

From the above equations (2), (3) and (4), the C1, M1, Y1 and Bk1 signals based on the R, G and B signals read by the CCD sensor are converted into toner spectral distribution characteristics. , And outputs the corrected C, M, Y, and Bk signals.

On the other hand, a character / line drawing detection circuit 1005 determines whether each pixel in the original image is a character or a part of a line drawing, and generates a determination signal TEXT. Reference numeral 1007 denotes a compression / expansion circuit which compresses the image signal (R, G, B) and the character / line drawing determination signal TEXT to reduce the amount of information, and stores it in the memory 1008.
Image signals (R, G, B) based on the data read from
And the character / line drawing determination signal TEXT. Since the image compression / expansion circuit is known, its description is omitted.

The image signal read by the CCD 908 is
After being compressed by a compression / expansion circuit 1007 via a masking circuit 1012 and a luminance / density conversion unit 1004, the data is written to a memory 1008. Character / line drawing determination circuit 1
Character / line drawing determination signal TEXT determined by 005
Is also compressed by the compression / expansion circuit 1007,
008. In this memory 1008, a series of image signals of a plurality of pages are written.

Reference numeral 1009 denotes a document orientation detection unit for detecting the orientation of the read document, similarly to the above-mentioned reference numeral 106. That is, it is determined whether the original is placed vertically, horizontally, or horizontally, and whether the original is written vertically or horizontally, and the result is stored in the TAG memory 10 similar to 111.
Write 11 And, like the above-described embodiment,
The image signal held in the memory 1008 and the detection information held in the TAG memory 1011 have a one-to-one correspondence for each page.

Reference numeral 1010 denotes a memory controller which reads the result detected by the document orientation detection unit 1009 from the TAG memory 1011 according to the orientation of the document and the character arrangement designated by the operation panel 956, similarly to the above-described embodiment. , An image layout at the time of writing an image signal to the memory 1008 is controlled. That is, when writing an image, the initial position and up / down of the address counter are controlled to control the writing position and the transposition.

The data read from the memory 1008 is decompressed by a compression / decompression circuit 1007 and sent according to the image forming timing of a copying machine.
It is sent to the laser driver via the circuit.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the timing of reading / writing from / to the memory 1008. In FIG.
The image data read by D908 is written to the memory 1008 at the timing shown by 1101. Further, the image data written on the memory 1008 is 11
02, 1103, 1104 and 1105. 1102, 1103, 110
4 and 1105 are performed at intervals of time d / v as shown in the figure. Here, d is the interval between four drums arranged at equal intervals, and v is the speed of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor belt.

[Original Direction Detection] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the original direction detecting unit 1009. As shown in the figure, RGB signals, which are image signals based on a read original,
The signal is converted to ND (monochromatic) by the thinning circuit 1301,
The memory 1 is thinned out and binarized to reduce the amount of information sufficiently.
302. Then, the CPU 1301 accesses the image information held in the memory 1302, and determines the orientation of the document and the vertical / horizontal writing. A specific determination method may be a method known as a conventional technique, and although not described here, a code 2 bits indicating the orientation (up, down, left, and right) of the document and a code indicating whether the document is written vertically or horizontally. It is represented by a total of 3 bits of 1 bit.

Further, since there is no possibility that an undetectable document or an erroneous detection is possible, in this embodiment, orientation detection is performed for each of a plurality of documents fed by the DF.
By determining a plurality of detection results in majority, the detection accuracy can be improved.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, in the full-color copying machine, the orientation of the original and whether the original is written vertically or horizontally are determined, and the layout is performed according to the determination result. As in the embodiment described above, a desired reduced layout can be performed.

Even if the present invention is applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), an apparatus including one device (for example, a copier, a facsimile) Device).

Also, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (CPU or MP) of the system or apparatus.
It goes without saying that U) can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) May perform some or all of the actual processing, and the processing may realize the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instructions of the program code, It goes without saying that the CPU included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the above-described flowcharts. Each module shown will be stored in a storage medium.

That is, at least the program code of each of the “determination module” and the “control module” may be stored in the storage medium.

[0080]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By determining the orientation and format of the read document and laying out the output image according to the determination result, it is possible to form an image intended by the user.

[0081]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing unit 306 according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of the copying machine according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a controller unit 239 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an external view illustrating a configuration of an operation panel 400 according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining reduced layout double-sided control according to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an outline of document orientation detection.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the orientation and format of a document.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of document orientation detection.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of a full-color copying machine according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flow of an image signal according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing read / write timing for a memory 1008;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a reduced layout function is combined with a two-sided function, a binding margin function, and a staple function.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a document orientation detection unit 1009 shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 shows a hard disk 110 and a TAG memory 11
1 is a diagram showing an address map of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of information stored in a TAG memory 111;

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a re-layout of a document already reduced in size.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a modification of the relayout shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a layout of a plurality of documents formed in different formats.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a layout of a document having a blank portion in the document.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a layout of a document in which margins of the document are irregular.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a memory map of each module stored in a storage medium.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Shading correction circuit 102 Edge enhancement circuit 103 Magnification circuit 104 Density correction circuit 105 Binarization circuit 106 Document direction detection unit 107 Memory control circuit 108 Page memory 109 Compression / expansion circuit 110 Hard disk 111 TAG memory

Claims (22)

[Claims] An image forming apparatus that reads a plurality of documents, performs a predetermined layout, and forms an output image, a determining unit that determines the orientation of the read plurality of documents, An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to control a layout of an output image. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a designation unit for manually designating the orientations and formats of the plurality of read originals, and laying out an output image based on the designation contents when the orientation and format of the originals are designated by the designation unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines a direction and a format of the document. 4. The layout according to claim 1, wherein the layout arranges a plurality of images on one sheet.
The image forming apparatus as described in the above. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls to lay out the document on another page when there is a document having a different determination result among the continuous documents. 6. The image according to claim 1, further comprising a detecting unit configured to detect a margin of the document, wherein the control unit controls a margin of the output image based on a detection result of the detecting unit. Forming equipment. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit controls so as to eliminate a blank portion of the output image. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit controls the output image so that the margins are uniform. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the read document is a laid-out document, the control unit controls to re-layout an output image according to the determination result. . 10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: compression means for compressing the image data; decompression means for decompressing the compressed image data; and storage means for storing the image data compressed by the compression means. Item 2. The image forming apparatus according to Item 1. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a second storage unit that stores a determination result of the determination unit, wherein the determination result is stored in association with image data. . 12. An image forming method for reading a plurality of originals, laying out a predetermined layout, and forming an output image, comprising: a determining step of determining the orientation of the read plurality of originals; A control step of controlling the output image to be laid out. 13. When an orientation and a format of a plurality of read originals are designated by designating means for manually designating the orientations and formats, an output image is laid out based on the designated contents. Item 13. The image forming method according to Item 12. 14. The image forming method according to claim 12, wherein said determining step determines the orientation and format of the document. 15. The image forming method according to claim 12, wherein the layout arranges a plurality of images on one sheet. 16. The image forming method according to claim 12, wherein in the control step, when there is a document having a different determination result among consecutive documents, the control is performed so that the document is laid out on another page. 17. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a detection step of detecting a margin of the document, wherein the control step controls a margin of an output image based on a detection result in the detection step.
The image forming method as described in the above. 18. The image forming method according to claim 17, wherein said control step performs control so as to eliminate a blank portion of an output image. 19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the control step controls the output image so that the margins of the output image are uniform.
The image forming method as described in the above. 20. The image forming method according to claim 12, wherein, when the read document is a laid-out document, the control step controls to re-layout an output image according to the determination result. . 21. A computer-readable memory storing a program code for image formation, comprising: a code for a determination step for determining the orientation of a plurality of read originals; and an output image according to a determination result in the determination step. Computer-readable memory having a code for a control step for controlling the layout. 22. A computer-readable medium storing a program code for image formation, comprising: a code for a determination step of determining the orientation of a plurality of read originals; and an output image according to a determination result in the determination step. And a code for a control step for controlling the layout.