JPH0510865B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a registration system for multi-gradation data such as documents and seals, and particularly relates to a system for registering multi-gradation data such as documents and seals. Regarding the key data output method.

(b) Background of the technology In recent years, facsimile devices that read documents, drawings, etc. and transmit image data have rapidly become popular as part of efforts to streamline office work.

On the other hand, in financial institutions and the like, a method is being attempted in which a seal matching device automatically matches a customer's stamp on a bill, check, etc. with a registered seal.

Seal stamp verification involves projecting the stamp to be verified onto an image sensor through an optical lens to obtain image data corresponding to the stamp, and comparing the image data with the image data of the registered seal.

In the seal verification system, not only the seal stamped on the seal registration slip, but also the address, name, etc. written on the slip are read as image data and recorded in the registration file, searched by inputting account number etc. and displayed on the display etc. Output and use.

There is no problem as long as the character data can be read even if it is two-tone data, but stamps often have shading due to uneven adhesion and pressure of vermilion, so it is necessary to read the shading depending on the position within the registration mark and verification mark. Since delicate shading cannot be obtained with two-tone data, attempts are being made to improve the reading density and increase the number of gradations.

The present invention is applied to multi-tone data.

(c) Prior Art and Problems Hereinafter, a conventional method will be explained using a seal registration system as an example with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional method, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of FIG. 1.

In Figure 1, the range indicated by the dashed line is 1
2 is a reading device, 2 is a registration device, 3 is a printer search device, and 4 is a display search device.

Further, 11 is a document, 12 is a seal, 13 is a conveyance unit,
14 is a light source lamp, 15 is a lens system, 16 is a mirror, 17 is an image sensor, 17a is a conversion unit, 1
8 is an image buffer, 18a is an upper gradation bit screen, 18b is a lower gradation bit screen, 19 is a switching section, 20 is a compression section, 21 is a file control section, 22
31 and 41 are registration files, 31 and 41 are decompression units, 33 is a printer control unit, 34 is a printer, 42 is a display control unit, 43 is a display unit (hereinafter referred to as CRT), and 44 is a keyboard.

The compression section 20 of the reading device 1 and the expansion sections 31 and 41 of the printer search device 3 and display search device 4 are connected to the file control section 21 of the registration device 2 by a line.

Further, the document 11 is transported at a constant speed by the transport section 13.

The light source lamp 14 is arranged so as to emit light onto the document 11 on which the stamp 12 and characters (not shown) are written.

A lens system 15 and a mirror 16 are provided above the transport section 13.
and an image sensor 17 are provided.

The irradiated light is not reflected by the stamp 12 and the characters, but is reflected by the white parts other than the stamp 12 and the characters, and the reflected light is focused by the lens system 15,
It is sent to the image sensor 17 via the mirror 16.

In other words, the image of the stamp 12 and characters recorded on the document 11 is projected onto the light-receiving surface of the image sensor 17,
The light image is processed by the image sensor 17 into 8 gradations and 3
It is read in bits.

The conversion unit 17a has a function of converting the 8-gradation 3-bit image data into 4-value data by changing the slice level according to the density of the stamp 12, converting it into 4-gradation 2-bit image data, and sending it to the image buffer 18. have.

The image buffer 18 is an upper gradation bit screen 18a.
It is composed of a lower gradation bit screen 18b and a higher gradation bit screen 18b, and holds multi-gradation image data.As shown in FIG. corresponding 2
Represented by bits a and b, “00”, “01”, “10”,
It has a value of "11", with "00" representing white, "01" representing light gray, "10" representing dark gray, and "11" representing black. The image buffer 18 also has a function of holding image data of the seal 12 and characters, cutting out part or all of it into a registered cutting pattern, and sending it to the compression section 19.

The switching unit 19 has a function of switching, when sending out image data from the image buffer 18, first sending out the image data of the upper gradation bit screen 18a, and then sending out the lower gradation bit screen 18b.

The compression unit 20 has a function of compressing the image data sent from the image buffer 18 and sending it out to the line.

The file control section 21 registers the data sent from the reading section 1 through the line in the registration file 22, and also searches and sends the data from the registration file 22 in response to search requests from the printer search device 3 and the display search device 4. It has a function.

The registration file 22 is a large-capacity electronic file composed of, for example, a magnetic disk, and holds registered image data.

The decompressing units 31 and 41 have a function of decompressing compressed image data sent from the registration file 21 over a line and sending the expanded image data to the printer control unit 32 and display control unit 42.

Since it has such a configuration and function, the stamp 1
2 and document 11, the 8-gradation, 3-bit image data read by the image sensor 17 is converted to 4-gradation, 2-bit image data, and the image data is stored in the image buffer 1.
It is held at 8.

The image data held in the image buffer 18 is cut out in a predetermined manner, and the data is sent out from the upper gradation bit screen 18a, compressed by the compression section 20, and sent to the registration device 2 via the line, and then switched. By switching the section 19, data is sent out from the lower gradation bit screen 18b, compressed, and sent to the registration device 2. The information is then recorded in the registration file 22 together with, for example, the account number.

In this case, the compression methods include the Modify-Huffman (MH) method, which is a line-by-line run-length compression method, and the Modify-I-Read (MR) method, which compresses the data of the corresponding row based on the previous row data. The MH/MR method, which combines both methods, is used.

Then, as shown in Figure 3, each registered file 2
Recorded in 2. That is, compressed data c and d for each screen of the upper and lower gradation bit screens 18a and 18b are recorded.

When searching for image data registered in this way, for example, when a search request is made by inputting an account number from the printer search device 3 using the printer's keyboard (not shown), the file control unit 21 searches for the requested account number. Multi-tone image data, i.e.
Compressed data a and b are retrieved from the registration file 22 and sent to the printer search machine 3 via the line. Then, the image data is expanded by the expansion section 31 and sent to the printer control section 32, where it is processed using its own gradation processing ability, and the image is printed by the printer 33.

When a search request is made from the display search device 4, the same process is performed by inputting information on the keyboard 40, and the image is displayed on the CRT 43.

In this way, the seal 12 and document 11 can be registered and searched.

However, according to this method, the data sent from the file control unit 21 at the time of search is multi-tone image data, and the gradation processing capability of the printer search device 3 or display search device 4 does not match the sent multi-tone image data. There is no problem if the printer search device 3 or display search device 4 has low processing power, so naturally the output will be in a low gradation.
This means that unnecessary image data is also being sent, and in such a case, it is wasteful to send multi-gradation image data that takes a long time to send, and there is also the disadvantage that search output processing becomes slow.

(d) Object of the Invention The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and to provide a gradation system that can shorten processing time by transmitting gradation data according to the gradation processing capacity of a search device. Provides a data output method.

(e) Structure of the Invention The present invention is characterized in that it is equipped with a recognition means for recognizing the gradation processing ability of the search device, and sends image data of gradation according to the recognized gradation processing ability from the registered file device. This is a gradation data output method that achieves the purpose.

(f) Embodiment of the Invention An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of FIG. 4.

The same reference numerals indicate the same objects throughout the figures.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 23 denotes a gradation recognition section, which is composed of a decoder 23a and a memory 23b, and the gradation processing capacity of each search machine connected to the registration device 2 is recorded in the memory 23b. It has a function of decoding the search signal sent from each search machine and sending out image data of gradation according to its ability from the registration file 22.

Having such a configuration and function, the document 11 or the seal 1 recorded in the registration file 2
When searching image data in step 2, each search device sends a search signal containing a signal unique to the search device to the registration device 2 before inputting the account number of the search data.
When the data is sent to , the gradation processing ability recognizing section 23 decodes this and recognizes the processing ability. Then, the image data is searched based on the input account number and sent out in gradation according to the processing capacity of the search machine.

For example, if the gradation processing capacity of the printer search machine 3 is 2 gradations, and the gradation processing capacity of the display search machine 4 is 4 gradations, as shown in FIG. , only compressed data c is sent out, and in response to a search request from display search device 4, compressed data c and d are sent out.

From the registered multi-tone image data in this manner, tone data corresponding to the tone processing capability of each search device can be sent out.

Therefore, in the case of a search machine with low gradation processing ability, there is no need to send unnecessary data, and the transmission and processing time can be reduced.

(g) Effects of the Invention As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to send gradation data according to the gradation processing capability of the search device. It can save time.

Search devices with different gradation processing capabilities can have a common registration file.

There is an effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the conventional method, Figs. 2 and 3 are explanatory diagrams of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment according to the present invention, and Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of Fig. 4. It is. In the figure, 1 is a reading section, 2 is a registration section, 11
is a document, 12 is a stamp, 17 is an image sensor, 1
7a is a conversion unit, 18 is an image buffer, 18a is an upper gradation bit screen, 18b is a lower gradation bit screen, 19 is a switching unit, 20 is a compression unit, 21 is a file control unit, 22 is a registration file, and 23 is a gradation unit. key recognition unit; 23a is a decoder; 23b is a memory; 3
1 and 41 are expansion units, 32 are printer control units, and 33
is a printer, 42 is a display control unit, 43 is a CRT,
44 indicates a keyboard.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A reading device that reads an image written on a medium as multi-tone data, a registration file device that registers the read multi-tone data, and a multi-tone file supplied from the registration file device. In a registration system including at least one search device that outputs gradation data as an image, the registration file device recognizes the gradation processing capability of the search device based on a search signal transmitted from the search device. 1. A method for outputting gradation data, comprising: recognition means, and transmitting gradation data corresponding to the gradation processing capability recognized by the recognition means from the registered file device.