JPH07239934A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide an image reading device that can obtain parameters for each document search without calculating the number of characters / pictures data and the ratio of the number of data by software processing on the host side such as a personal computer. To do. [Structure] The image reading apparatus 10 reads a document for each scan line, and counts the number of data in a picture area and a character area. Then, the number of data in the pattern area and the number of data in the character area are calculated from the number of data and compared. The result is converted into a code determined in the exchange with the host side as shown in FIG. 7, and the host is notified. In this way, the image data of the document can be provided to the host side such as a personal computer as image characteristic information, and the host side can obtain the parameters for each document search without calculating the character / picture ratio by software processing.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus capable of giving an external apparatus a parameter for searching each document.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, a vast amount of paper documents are used in general society, and the number of documents that must be preserved for business is increasing. Documents that need to be saved require an enormous space if saved as paper documents, and the work efficiency when searching is very poor. Therefore, it has become widespread to store and store information in a storage device such as a magneto-optical disk that can store a large amount of data in a small space. The demand for a scanner device for reading the image data of a paper document has increased, and various technological developments have been made. In many scanners currently used, in order to reproduce the original document more accurately, the gradation-represented part (photograph, halftone image) of the original document is processed by a pseudo halftone process such as dithering or error diffusion. It has an image area separation function that reproduces and reproduces the other part as a character or line drawing by fixed binarization.
A computer such as a personal computer is generally used to search for document data read and stored in a magneto-optical disk by a scanner, and the search efficiency is remarkably improved when searching for a paper document.

In recent years, in order to improve the search efficiency for more specific documents, it has been considered to search for the characteristics of a document (paper document) as a parameter. In this case, there is a case where a pattern portion at a specific portion of a certain document is used as a mark for searching, and the ratio of the characters and the pattern of one original document is used as a parameter. At present, when obtaining the ratio of characters and patterns of document (original) data as the parameter, it is calculated by performing software processing on the document data stored in the storage device on the personal computer, and the result (character and The ratio of pictures) is assigned to each document data as an index at the time of retrieval.

[0004]

However, according to this method, software processing of the document data read from the scanner is required, which considerably complicates the operability of the user of the apparatus. Further, software processing by a personal computer or the like requires a great deal of time, which deteriorates the work efficiency of the user. Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to obtain parameters for each document search without calculating the number of characters / pictures data by software processing on the host side such as a personal computer, and the operability and work of the user. An object is to provide an image reading device with improved efficiency. A second object of the present invention is that the host side such as a personal computer can obtain the parameters at the time of each document search without calculating the character / picture ratio by software processing, and the operability and work efficiency of the user. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image reading apparatus with improved performance.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an image reading apparatus separates a picture area and a text area of an original document by a separating means and a pseudo halftone processing for the picture area.
Data output processing means for outputting the binarized data and outputting fixed binarized data for the character area; counting means for counting the number of data in the picture area and the number of data in the character area of the original; The first object is achieved by comprising a reading unit capable of reading the data counted by the counting unit from an external device. Claim 2
In the invention described above, the image reading apparatus according to claim 1 is provided with an arithmetic means for arithmetically operating a ratio of both areas based on the number of data of the picture area and the number of data of the character area of the document counted by the counting means. The second object can be achieved by making it possible to read out the calculation result in (1) by the reading means.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the data output processing means for each of the picture area and the character area of the document separated by the separating means, and the data obtained by binarizing the picture area by pseudo intermediate processing Fixed for area 2
Outputs the binarized data. Then, the counting means counts each data number, and this value can be output to the external host device or the like by the reading means. Therefore, the value counted together with the image data of the document can be provided to the host side such as a personal computer as the characteristic information of the image. In the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the invention described in claim 1, the calculating means calculates the ratio between the character area and the picture area of the manuscript, and the data together with the image data of the manuscript is used as a feature information of the image such as a personal computer. It can be provided to the host side.

[0007]

Embodiments of the image reading apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. Figure 1
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an image reading device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A document placed on the platen glass 11 is illuminated by a lighting lamp 13 which is integrally formed with the first mirror 12.
The reflected light is scanned by the first mirror 12, the second mirror 14 and the third mirror 15 which are integrally formed. After that, the reflected light is focused by a lens 48, and a CCD (Charge Coupled Dev)
ice) 16 is irradiated and photoelectrically converted. First mirror 1
2, the illumination lamp 13, the second mirror 14, and the third mirror 15 are movable in the A direction by using the traveling body motor 17 as a drive source.

The originals stacked on the original tray 18 are sent to the discharge rollers 23 and 24 through the reading position B by the pickup roller 19, the pair of registration rollers 20, the conveying drum 21, and the conveying roller 22, and the discharge tray 25. Discharged on top. When passing through the reading position B, the document is illuminated by the illumination lamp 13 moving near the reading position B, and the reflected light thereof is reflected by the first mirror 12, the second mirror 14 and the third mirror 14 which are integrally formed. Scanned by the mirror 15. After that, the reflected light is focused by the lens 48 and CC
D16 is irradiated and photoelectrically converted. The pickup roller 19 and the registration roller pair 20 in these processes are
The transport drum 2 is driven by a sheet feeding motor (not shown).
1, the transport roller 22, and the pair of paper discharge rollers 23 and 24 are driven by the transport motor 26.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the image reading apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. SBU (Senser B
The reflected light of the original entering the CCD 16 on the ward unit 27 is converted into an analog signal having a voltage value according to the intensity of the light in the CCD 16, and the analog signal is divided into odd bits and even bits and output. It These analog image signals are MBU (Mother Board).
AHP (Analog Data Processing Peripheral Device) 29 on (Unit) 28 removes the dark potential part, combines odd bits and even bits, adjusts the gain to a predetermined amplitude, and then inputs it to the A / D converter to convert it into a digital signal. To be done.

Next, the digitized image signal is SC
The SIP 3 (scanner imaging peripheral device) (31) on the U (scanner central device) 30 performs correction processing such as shading correction, gamma correction, and MTF correction, and fixed 2
Binarization processing such as value, dither, and error diffusion is performed, and the video signal is output together with the page synchronization signal, the line synchronization signal, and the image clock. Further, depending on the operation mode of the SIP3 (31), multi-valued data that is not binarized is output as a video signal together with a page sync signal, a line sync signal, and an image clock.

The video signal output from the SIP3 (31) is sent to the IEU (Image En) via the connector 39.
Hance Unit) 38. IEU38
Performs a predetermined image processing on the input video signal in the IEU 38 and outputs it again to the SCU 30. SCU30 is I
The video signal input from the EU 38 is input to the selector 40. The other input of the selector 40 is SIP3 (3
It is a video signal output from 1) and IEU3
The video signal subjected to the image processing in 8 can be selected. The output of the selector 40 is input to the selector 41, and the other input of the selector 41 is the video signal from the RCU 82, so that the reading surface of the original can be selected.

An RCU (back side central unit) 82 is a unit for controlling the back side reading of the document when simultaneously reading both sides of the document. The RCU 82 is the CP in the SCU 30.
It is controlled by U (Central Processing Unit) 35 through serial communication, and the read back side image data is used as a video signal for MB.
Transfer to SCU30 via U28. The video signal output from the selector 41 is connected to the selector 42 and the connector 43, and the other input of the selector 42 is the video signal from the video adapter 49. With this configuration, the video adapter 49 can be connected to the end of the connector 43. The video signal output of the selector 42 is S
BC (Scan Buffer Controller)
r) is input to 32.

With the above configuration, the video signal output from the SIP3 (31) is processed by the IEU 38 and the video adapter 49 according to the selection condition of each selector, and is input to the SBC 32 which manages the DRAM 84 and includes the SIMM 33. It is stored in the image memory composed of the DRAM 84. Next, the image data stored in the image memory is connected to the selector 44 and the connector 45. A DCU (data comparison unit) 46 is connected to the connector 45, and the DCU 46 compresses the input image data. The image data compressed by the DCU 46 becomes the other input of the selector 44, and the image data that has been subjected to the compression process and the image data that is not compressed can be selected. The image data output of the selector 44 is sent to the host computer via the SCSI controller 34.

The CPU 35 on the SCU 30 is an EPROM
36 and RAM 37, the SCSI controller 34 is controlled to exchange various data and commands with the host computer. Also, the CPU 35
Controls the reading operation such as timing control of the traveling body motor 17, the sheet feeding motor, and the conveyance motor 26, and manages the state. Further, the CPU 35 selects, controls, and manages various image processing modes of read data. ADU (AD
The F drive device) 47 has a function of relaying the power supply of the electrical components used in the automatic document feeder (ADF) unit.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the SIP3. SI
P3 is a gate array of a circuit portion for performing the image processing on the image signal digitized by the A / D converter on the MBU 28. The function of the gate array will be described below for each internal circuit block. C
PUI / F section (CPU interface section) 61 is CP
Data is exchanged with the U35, and the mode performed by each processing unit in the SIP 3 is switched according to the data set by the CPU 35. The timing generation unit 62 is the SCU 30.
From the clock generator (not shown), the timing signals (page sync signal,
Line synchronization signal, pixel clock, etc.) are generated and output.
The shading calculation processing unit 63 performs shading correction processing on the digital image signal received from the MBU 28. The gamma conversion processing unit 64 performs gamma correction on the shading-corrected digital image signal.

The multi-value data processing unit 65 performs various correction processes such as a filter calculation process on the gamma-corrected digital image signal based on the information of the CPU I / F unit 61, and outputs it as a multi-value video signal together with a timing signal. . The fixed binarization processing unit 66 compares the digital image signal with the CP
Sharpening processing such as MTF correction and binarization processing with a constant threshold value are performed based on the information of the UI / F unit 61, and the binary video signal is output together with the timing signal. Dither processing unit 6
7 is a CPU I / F unit 61 for the above digital image signal.
A general dither process is performed as a pseudo halftone reproduction method based on the information of (1) and is output as a binary video signal. The error diffusion processing unit 68 also sends a CPU to the previous digital image signal.
A general error diffusion process is performed as a pseudo halftone limiting method based on the information of the I / F unit 61, and the binary video signal is output. The image signal selection circuit unit 69 is the CPU I / F unit 6
One of the dither-processed video signal and the error-diffusion processed video signal is selected as a binary video signal which is a pseudo-halftone representation (halftone) based on the information of 1, and is output together with the timing signal.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of the IEU 38. I
The EU 38 inputs various video signals from the SIP3 (31) and performs the following processing as predetermined image processing. A video signal that is halftone processed in the picture area is selected, and a video signal that is fixed and binarized in the character area is selected. Output. IEP (Ima
The ge enhancement peripheral device) 74 is a gate array of the circuit portion that performs the image processing.

The function of the gate array will be described below for each circuit block. The CPU I / F unit 70 is the CPU 35
Data is transmitted and received, and the mode and the processing threshold value to be performed by each processing unit in the IEP 74 are switched according to the data set by the CPU 35. The timing generation unit 62 uses I
An EU clock generation oscillator (not shown) generates and outputs timing signals (page synchronization signal, line synchronization signal, pixel clock, etc.) necessary for passing various data. The image area separation processing unit 72 discriminates the picture area portion and the character area portion of the document from the multi-valued video signal input from the SIP3 (31), and outputs the result. The determination result can be read by the CPU 35 via the CPU I / F unit 70. The image signal selection circuit unit 73 uses the information of the image signal selection circuit unit to set SIP3 (3
The halftone-processed video signal input from 1) is selected, and the fixed binarized video signal input from the SIP3 (31) is selected in the character area and output together with the timing signal.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the SCU3
The procedure of the process performed by the CPU 35 on the 0 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The CPU 35 starts the reading of the document by using the reading command from the host as a trigger.
When the reading operation is started, first, the state of the scanner such as the setting state of the original is checked (step 11),
If there is an abnormality (step 11; Y), the result is notified to the host and the reading is finished (step 12).
If it is normal (step 11; N), the original is read for each scan line (step 13).
Next, the IEP 74 is checked to count the number of data in the picture area and the number of data in the character area (step 14). Then, the completion of the document reading operation is checked (step 15), and if not completed (step 15; N), the process returns to step 13. When the manuscript reading operation is completed (step 15; Y), the number of data in the picture area and the data in the character area for one manuscript is notified to the host (step 16),
The original reading operation ends.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the SCU3
The procedure of the process performed by the CPU 35 on the 0 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The CPU 35 starts the reading of the document by using the reading command from the host as a trigger.
When the reading operation is started, first, the state of the scanner such as the setting state of the original is checked (step 21),
When there is an abnormality (step 21; Y), the result is notified to the host and the reading is finished (step 22). If it is normal (step 21; N), the document is read for each scan line (step 23). Next, the IEP 74 is checked to count the number of data in the picture area and the number of data in the character area (step 24). Then, the completion of the document reading operation is checked (step 2
5) If not completed (step 25; N), return to step 23. When the document reading operation is completed (step 25; Y), the ratio is calculated from the number of data in the picture area and the number of data in the character area for one document (step 2).
6) The result is converted into a code determined by the exchange with the host (an example of this code is shown in FIG. 7) and contacted to the host (step 27), and the operation of reading the original is completed.

[0021]

According to the present invention, the number of data in the picture area and the character area separated by the separating means is counted by the counting means, and the data can be read out to the external device by the reading means. The host side can obtain the parameters for each document search without the need to calculate the number of characters / patterns data by software processing, and the operability and work efficiency of the user are improved. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the calculating means calculates the ratio of the number of data counted by the counting means, and the reading means can provide it to the host side such as a personal computer as the image feature information together with the image data of the document. As a result, the host side can obtain the parameters for each document search without calculating the character / pattern ratio by software processing, and the operability and work efficiency of the user are improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of SIP3.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an IEU.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an example of a code determined in exchange with a host.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Image Reading Device 11 Original Plate Glass 12 First Mirror 13 Illumination Lamp 14 Second Mirror 15 Third Mirror 16 CCD 17 Traveling Motor 18 Document Tray 19 Pickup Roller 20 Registration Roller 21 Conveying Drum 22 Conveying Rollers 23, 24 Paper Ejection Roller 25 Output tray 26 Transport motor 27 SBU 28 MBU 29 AHP 30 SCU 31 SIP3 32 SBC 33 SIMM 34 SCSI controller 35 CPU 36 EPROM 37 RAM 38 IEU 39, 43, 45 Connector 40, 41, 42, 44 U 47 Selector ADU 48 lens 49 video adapter 61, 70 CPU I / F section 62 timing generation section 63 shading calculation processing section 64 gamma conversion processing section 65 multi-valued data processing section 66 fixed binary value Conversion processing unit 67 Dither processing unit 68 Error diffusion processing unit 69, 73 Image signal selection circuit unit 71 Timing generation unit 72 Image area separation processing unit 74 IEP 82 RCU 84 DRAM

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. Separation means for separating a picture area and a character area of an original, and data which is binarized by pseudo halftone processing is output to the picture area, and fixed binarized data is output to the character area. The data output processing means for outputting, the counting means for counting the number of data in the picture area and the number of data in the character area of the original document, and the reading means for making it possible to read the data counted by the counting means from an external device. An image reading device characterized by the above. 2. A calculation means for calculating the ratio of both areas from the number of data in the picture area and the number of data in the character area of the document counted by the counting means, and the result of calculation by this calculating means is also read out by the reading means. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus is enabled.