JPS62168455A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To read out image information from a recording device and to generate a copy in case of obtaining the same copy afterwards, by recording simultaneously its image information in the recording device such as a magnetic disk, etc., in case of copying an original. CONSTITUTION:An image scanner 100 reads the image of an original placed on an original platen, and generates digital image information. An image printer 101 contains the image forming part of an electrostatic electrophotographic system, and forms an image by bringing a laser beam to scanning against a photosensitive drum. In case of copying the original, the digital image information generated by the image scanner 100 is sent to the image printer 101, printed by a laser printer, and also recorded simultaneously in a disk memory 102. In this way, in case of obtaining the same copy afterwards, the copy is obtained by the image information obtained from the disk memory 102.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that copies a document and records its image information on a recording device.

<Summary of the Invention> The present invention includes an image scanner that reads an image of a document and generates image information, a recording device that records the image information generated by the image scanner, and a recording device that prints a corresponding image on paper from the image information. The image scanner reads an image of a document, and the image printer forms an image on the paper to make a copy, and if necessary, the image information is transferred together with the copy to the recording device. This enables electronic filing of manuscripts by recording them on the .

<Prior Art and Its Disadvantages> Copying machines that have been commonly used in the past cannot be used to search for a desired manuscript from a large number of materials in such cases where the same copy as a previously recopied copy is required. There was a problem that it took time, and even if it was possible to find the materials right away, the materials were easily damaged.Also, if the copies were filed in a thick file or bound,
I had to go through the same effort every time I recopied it.
Purpose of the Invention The purpose of the present invention is to make it possible to simultaneously record image information on a recording device such as a magnetic disk when copying a manuscript, and to read out the image information from the recording device and copy the image when making the same copy later. An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing device that allows a printer to form an image on paper.

<Configuration and Effects of the Invention> The present invention includes an image scanner that reads an image of a document and generates image information, a recording device that records the image information generated by the image scanner, and a recording device that prints a corresponding image from the image information onto a sheet of paper. an image printer that forms the image on the
has a copying mode in which image information read by the image scanner is formed into an image by the image printer, and a copying/recording mode in which the image information is recorded in the recording device along with the copying, and the copying mode and the copying mode are provided. - A feature is that a mode selection means for selecting a recording mode is provided.

With the above configuration, in the copy mode, the image information of the document read by the image scanner is formed as an image on the paper by the image printer, so it is possible to copy the document in the same way as a conventional copying machine. can be obtained. Furthermore, in the copy/record mode, the image information of the document read by the image scanner is also recorded on the recording device. Therefore, desired image information can be read out from the recording device at a later time when it becomes necessary, and the image can be formed on a sheet of paper using the image scanner. In this way, by recording documents that may be copied multiple times in the recording device, copies can be easily made in a short time when necessary.

<Example> FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

The image processing device is an image scanner 100. Image printer 101. It consists of a disk memory 102.

The image scanner 100 reads an image of a document placed on a document table and generates digital image information, and the entire control is performed by program processing of the CPU 1. The control program is written in the ROM 2 in advance. The RAM 3 is a memory used as various buffers and flags necessary for generating image information.

The VRAM 4 is a memory that stores image information for one screen, and the contents of each memory are displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 6.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a liquid crystal display panel controller, which reads the contents of the VRAM and generates drive signals necessary for the liquid crystal display panel.

The interface circuit 7 is a circuit that interfaces with various peripheral devices, and includes a motor driver 8 that drives the optical system motor 9. Line image sensor 1 such as COD
1, a key controller 12 for controlling a key-powered device 13, and a controller 14 for a so-called mouse 15 used as a coordinate input device. Furthermore, the interface circuit 2 of the image printer 101
3 and the interface circuit 33 of the disk memory 102, and the CPU 20 is connected to the CPU 20 of the image printer 101 and the CPU of the disk memory 102.
Data and commands are transmitted to and from U30.

The image printer 101 is a so-called laser printer that includes an electrostatic electrophotographic image forming unit and forms an image by scanning a photoreceptor drum with a laser beam, thereby forming a toner image on a sheet of paper.

The overall control of the image printer 101 is performed by program processing of the CPU 20, and the control program is written in the ROM 21 in advance. The RAM 22 is used as a working area when executing the program. The interface circuit 23 includes a driver 24. which drives the semiconductor laser unit 25. A driver 26 of a mirror motor 27 that rotates a polygon mirror for scanning a laser beam in the axial direction of the photoreceptor drum, and a driver 28 of a main motor 29 that rotates the photoreceptor drum and conveys paper are connected. . The CPU 20 drives the various drivers to form an image while temporarily storing the image information transmitted from the image scanner 100 in a buffer configured in the RAM 22.

The disk memory 102 is an image recording device using a magnetic disk as a medium, and the entire control is performed by program processing of the CPU 30, and the control program is written in the ROM 31 in advance.

The RAM 32 is used as a working area when executing the control program.

A controller 34 that controls the disk unit 35 is connected to the interface circuit 33, and a controller 34 that controls the disk unit 35 is connected to the interface circuit 33.
0 outputs the image information transmitted from the image scanner 100 to the disk controller 34.

FIG. 2 shows a recording format of image information recorded on the disk memory 102. As shown in FIG.

Image information to be recorded in the disk memory is basically stored in the order in which it was recorded, but it is stored by category. In the figure, (1) is the first category, which represents an area for recording an image of, for example, an in-house letter, and (2) is a second category, in which image information of, for example, an overseas in-house letter is recorded.

The image information VD for one manuscript is an index used when searching for that image! It is recorded together with D. As will be described later, this index includes image information of a designated area of the image information of one page of the original, and information such as title, date, shipping address, etc.

The index and image information for each category are managed using image numbers to determine where they are recorded. For example, in the case of the first category, images numbered 0 to 101 have already been recorded. Therefore, when a new image is recorded in this category, it will be recorded as the 102nd image.

Such a final screen number is also recorded for each category.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the main processing procedure of the CPUI of the image scanner. First, a key is read to determine whether the key manual device (see FIG. 13) has been operated (nlo). If any key is operated, the process corresponding to that key is performed and the process returns to the key reading routine again.

When the print key is operated, the state of the flag Fi is first determined (n14) (at this time, the flag FS is in the reset state). This flag Fi represents a plurality of flags corresponding to the selected category key as described later. For example, when recording image information in the disk memory as the first category, the first category key is operated. ,F.

is set. If the print key is operated directly without operating the category key, the flag Fi is in the reset state, so the image scanner starts scanning and the image information read from the image sensor is stored in the display memory (Fig. 1, 4). (see) and transmits image information to the image printer (n 16-
= n 1 B). This operation is performed until scanning is completed (n 20).

By directly operating the print key in this way,
The machine is in "copy mode" and can make copies of originals in the same way as with conventional copying machines.

At this time, if the image printer is disabled,
Since the read image is displayed on a liquid crystal display panel provided on the image scanner, the image can be confirmed before being formed on the paper.

When a category key is operated, a flag corresponding to the operated category is set, and other flags are reset (n 30 - n 32 - n 34). If you operate the print key after specifying a category in this way, the final screen number Mi already recorded in the recording area of that category will be incremented, and a file will be opened so that image information will be recorded in that area. (n14-
=n40). After that, the image scanner starts scanning, and the image information read by the image sensor is written to the VRAM and transmitted to the disk memory and image printer, respectively (n
42→n44). In this way, the image printer copies the image and records the image information in the disk memory.

After scanning is completed, a request is displayed to specify which area of the read image is to be used as an index (n48).

Coordinate input device installed in the image scanner (Figure 1
5) is used to specify the area from which the display screen of the liquid crystal display panel is to be extracted, and the data is temporarily stored as area data (n50→n52).

When the key (mouse key) that completes the area specification is operated, the image data of the area specified by the area data stored in n52 is transmitted to the disk memory among the image information already read into the VRAM. . The disk memory writes this image information into the index area D as shown in FIG. 2 (n62).

After operating the category key as described above, by operating the print key, the "copy/record mode J" is entered, and image information is recorded for each specified category.

A search key is operated to read out a desired image from the image data recorded in this manner. When this key is operated, image information is read from the beginning of the specified category and written to VRAM (n70-=n72)
. At this time, by reading and displaying only the index, it is possible to find an image representing the desired document in a short time. When image information is read from the disk memory in this way, the flag FS is set (
n74).

If the print key is operated in this state, the read image information is transmitted to the image printer and an image can be formed on the paper (n13→n80).

In the manner described above, image information already recorded on the disk memory can be selectively read out and a copy thereof can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, an image scanner is provided with a liquid crystal display panel to display an image read by an image sensor or an image read from a disk memory, but the display device and coordinate input device are made separate and independent. An image processing device can also be configured. FIG. 4 is a block diagram in that case.

Image scanner 200 generates image information of a document placed on a document table and transmits it to disk memory 102, image printer 101, and monitor 201. The monitor 201 receives this image information and displays it on the CRT, and also receives the image information transmitted from the disk memory 102 and displays it on the CRT. The monitor 201 also includes a mouse and its controller as a coordinate input device for specifying the area to be extracted. It is also possible to separate the functions of each part in this way and transmit data and commands between each part using a common lot line.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image processing device that is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the recording data format of a disk memory (recording device), and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the image processing device shown in FIG.
A flowchart showing the processing procedure of the PUI, and FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an image processing apparatus according to another embodiment. 100-image scanner, 1O1-image printer, 102-disk memory (recording device).

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) an image scanner that reads an image of a document and generates image information; a recording device that records the image information generated by the image scanner; and an image printer that forms a corresponding image on paper from the image information; It has a copying mode in which image information read by the image scanner is formed into an image by the image printer, and a copying/recording mode in which the image information is recorded in the recording device along with the copying, and the copying mode and the copying mode are provided. - An image processing device characterized by being provided with mode selection means for selecting a recording mode.