Image reading device, and control device for image reading device

Abstract

An image reading device and a control device for the image reading device. Compared with a structure in which the end of the manuscript is detected for read image data over the entire area of the first scanning direction, erroneous detection of the end position of the manuscript in the first scanning direction is suppressed. The image reading device (1) includes: a light receiving unit (48) for reading a manuscript (M) conveyed along a second scanning direction (conveying direction); a manuscript width detection sensor (20) for detecting the end position of the manuscript (M) in the first scanning direction (width direction) intersecting the second scanning direction; and a control / image processing unit (50) for setting a search range for the end in the first scanning direction including the end position detected by the manuscript width detection sensor (20), and for searching the position of the end in the set search range for the read image data obtained by reading the manuscript (M) by the light receiving unit (48).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image reading device and a control device for the image reading device. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-222764) discloses an image processing device comprising an optical sensor for determining the size of a document placed on a tray of an automatic document feeder, and a scanner unit that uses a charge-coupled device (CCD) to read an image of the document fed from the tray. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses that if the optical sensor determines that the document size is incorrect, a display prompting the user to set the appropriate size is displayed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] [Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a structure is used to detect the end of the original document over the entire area of the first scanning direction for the read image data obtained by reading the original document conveyed along the second scanning direction, stripes (black lines) contained in the read image data due to dust, etc. may sometimes be detected as the end of the original document.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to suppress erroneous detection of the position of the end of a document in the first scanning direction, compared to a configuration in which the end of the document is detected for read image data over the entire area in the first scanning direction.

[0006] [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0007] The present invention is an image reading device, comprising: a reading component for reading an original document conveyed along a second scanning direction; a detection component for detecting the end position of the original document in a first scanning direction intersecting the second scanning direction; a setting component for setting a search range of the end portion of the first scanning direction including the end position detected by the detection component; and a search component for searching for the end position within the search range of the end portion set by the setting component for read image data obtained by the reading component reading the original document.

[0008] The present invention is an image reading device, comprising: a conveying component for conveying an original placed on an original table along a second scanning direction; a reading component for reading the original conveyed along the second scanning direction; a selecting component for selecting, with respect to the original placed on the original table, any one end position from a plurality of end positions in the first scanning direction predetermined for a plurality of originals having different lengths in a first scanning direction intersecting the second scanning direction; a setting component for setting a search range of an end portion in the first scanning direction including the end position selected by the selecting component; and a searching component for searching, within the search range of the end portion set by the setting component, for read image data obtained by the reading component reading the original.

[0009] The present invention is a control device for an image reading device, comprising: a detection component for detecting the end position of an original document conveyed along a second scanning direction in a first scanning direction intersecting the second scanning direction; a setting component for setting a search range of the end of the first scanning direction including the end position detected by the detection component; and a search component for searching for the end position within the search range of the end set by the setting component for read image data obtained by reading the original document conveyed along the second scanning direction.

[0010] [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, compared with a configuration in which the document edge is detected for read image data over the entire area in the first scanning direction, erroneous detection of the document edge position in the first scanning direction can be suppressed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a configuration example of an image processing system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing the structure of an image reading device.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a diagram for explaining the structure of a document to be read.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a diagram for explaining the installation position of the document width sensor.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the size and orientation of the document stored in the document storage section and the on / off state of the document width detection sensor.

[0017] Figure 6This is a diagram for explaining the functional structure of the control / image processing unit.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a flowchart for explaining the flow of image processing in the transport reading mode.

[0019] Figure 8 4 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the acquired document width detection result and the temporarily determined positions of the document left end M1 and the document right end Mr.

[0020] Figure 9 (a) to Figure 9 (f) is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the document reading operation.

[0021] [Explanation of Symbols]

[0022] 1: Image reading device

[0023] 2: Server device

[0024] 3: OCR device

[0025] 4: Network

[0026] 10: The original is sent to the device

[0027] 11: Manuscript storage area

[0028] 12: Paper delivery storage unit

[0029] 13: Export roller

[0030] 14: Carding mechanism

[0031] 15: Transport path

[0032] 16: Conveying roller

[0033] 17: Reflector

[0034] 18: Align components

[0035] 20: Original width detection sensor

[0036] 21: First sensor

[0037] 22: Second sensor

[0038] 23: Third sensor

[0039] 30: Original length detection sensor

[0040] 40: Scanner device

[0041] 48: Light receiving part

[0042] 50: Control / image processing unit

[0043] 51: Output target setting unit

[0044] 52: Read image data storage unit

[0045] 53: Document width determination unit

[0046] 54: Document end determination unit

[0047] 55: Original image data capture unit

[0048] 56: Original image data storage unit

[0049] 57: Manuscript analysis data storage unit

[0050] 58: Original image data correction unit

[0051] M: Original

[0052] L: Original length

[0053] W: Original width DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] Image processing system

[0056] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing a configuration example of an image processing system to which this embodiment is applied.

[0057] As shown in the figure, the image processing system is composed of an image reading device 1 , a server device 2 , and an optical character recognition (OCR) device 3 connected to each other via a network 4 so as to be communicable with each other.

[0058] Here, an image reading device 1 reads an image of a document. Furthermore, a server device 2 stores the image data sent from the image reading device 1. Furthermore, an OCR device 3 performs OCR processing on the image data sent from the image reading device 1 upon request from the image reading device 1 and returns the result to the image reading device 1. Furthermore, the server device 2 and the OCR device 3 may include a computer device having a central processing unit (CPU) and memory.

[0059] Image Reading Device

[0060] Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the image reading device 1 .

[0061] The image reading device 1 includes a document feeding device 10 that sequentially conveys documents M from a stack of placed documents, and a scanner device 40 that scans and reads images of the documents.

[0062] [Original document sent to device]

[0063] The document feeding device 10 includes a document storage section 11 for storing a stack of documents containing multiple documents M, and a paper discharge section 12, located below the document storage section 11, for storing documents M that have been read. Furthermore, the document feeding device 10 includes lead-out rollers 13 for guiding the documents M from the document storage section 11 and conveying them. Furthermore, a combing mechanism 14 is provided downstream of the lead-out rollers 13 in the document conveying direction to comb the documents M one by one. A plurality (four sets in this example) of conveying rollers 16 (an example of a conveying member) are provided in a conveying path 15 for conveying the documents M.

[0064] Furthermore, a reflector 17 is provided at the reading position. The reflector 17 includes a white plate-shaped member extending from the front side toward the back side in the figure and serves as a background for the document M passing through the reading position. The reflector 17 is also used as a white reference for shading correction.

[0065] Furthermore, the document storage section 11 as an example of a document table is provided with an alignment member 18 that presses against both ends of the document M stored in the document storage section 11 in the width direction (first scanning direction) to align the position of the document M in the first scanning direction.

[0066] In addition, a document width detection sensor 20 is provided at the front end side of the document M in the document storage section 11 in the conveying direction and below the lead-out roller 13. The document width detection sensor 20 detects the width (length in the first scanning direction) of the document M stored in the document storage section 11.

[0067] Furthermore, a document length detection sensor 30 is provided at a position facing the conveyance path 15 , which detects the length (the length in the second scanning direction) of the document M conveyed in the conveyance path 15 .

[0068] [Scanner device]

[0069] On the other hand, the scanner device 40 supports the document feeding device 10 in an openable and closable manner, and supports the document feeding device 10 via a device frame 41, and reads an image of the document M conveyed by the document feeding device 10. The scanner device 40 includes a device frame 41 forming a housing; a first platen glass 42A on which the document M to be read is placed in a stationary state; and a second platen glass 42B provided below the reflector 17 and forming an aperture for light to be used for reading the document M conveyed by the document feeding device 10.

[0070] The scanner device 40 also includes a full-rate carriage 43 that is stationary beneath the second platen glass 42B or scans across the entire first platen glass 42A to read an image, and a half-rate carriage 45 that supplies light received from the full-rate carriage 43 to the imaging unit. The full-rate carriage 43 includes a light source device 44A (a white light source) that illuminates the document M, a light source mirror 44B that reflects light from the light source device 44A toward the document M, and a first mirror 46A that receives the reflected light from the document M. The half-rate carriage 45, on the other hand, includes a second mirror 46B and a third mirror 46C that supply light received from the first mirror 46A to the imaging unit.

[0071] Furthermore, the scanner device 40 includes an imaging lens 47 and a light receiving unit 48. The imaging lens 47 optically reduces the optical image obtained from the third mirror 46C. Furthermore, the light receiving unit 48 performs photoelectric conversion on the optical image formed by the imaging lens 47. That is, the scanner device 40 uses a so-called reduction optical system to form an image on the light receiving unit 48. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the light receiving unit 48 is a unit in which rows of imaging elements for red, green, and blue, arranged along the first scanning direction, are arranged along the second scanning direction. Thus, the image formed on the original document M is read as a full-color image using the light receiving unit 48, which is an example of a reading unit.

[0072] The scanner device 40 further includes a control / image processing unit 50. The control / image processing unit 50 performs various image processing operations on the image data of the document M input from the light receiving unit 48. The control / image processing unit 50 controls the operation of each unit in the image reading operation of the image reading device 1.

[0073] For example, in the "fixed reading mode" for reading the image of a document M placed on the first platen glass 42A, the full-speed carriage 43 and the half-speed carriage 45 move in the directions indicated by the arrows at a ratio of 2:1. At this time, light from the light source 44A provided on the full-speed carriage 43 is irradiated onto the surface of the document M to be read. Furthermore, the reflected light from the document M is reflected by the first mirror 46A, the second mirror 46B, and the third mirror 46C in that order and guided to the imaging lens 47. The light guided to the imaging lens 47 forms an image on the light receiving surface of the light receiving unit 48. The array of imaging elements for each color that constitutes the light receiving unit 48 each includes a one-dimensional sensor and processes one line at a time. The full-speed carriage 43 and the half-speed carriage 45 are moved in a direction (the second scanning direction) intersecting the line direction (the first scanning direction) to read the next line of the document M. By performing scanning across the entire document M, the reading of one page of the document is completed.

[0074] On the other hand, in the "transport reading mode" for reading the image of the document M transported by the document feeding device 10, the document M transported in the second scanning direction passes over the second platen glass 42B. At this time, the full-speed carriage 43 and the half-speed carriage 45 are stopped at Figure 1 The state shown is indicated by the solid line. Furthermore, the reflected light from the first line of the conveyed document M is formed by the imaging lens 47 via the first mirror 46A, the second mirror 46B, and the third mirror 46C, and the image is read by the light receiving unit 48. Specifically, after the light receiving unit 48 simultaneously processes one line in the first scanning direction, the next line in the first scanning direction of the document M conveyed by the document feeding device 10 is read. Furthermore, after the leading end of the document M reaches the reading position of the second platen glass 42B, the trailing end of the document M passes the reading position on the second platen glass 42B. Thus, the document M is sequentially read line by line along the first scanning direction, completing the reading of one page of the document along the second scanning direction.

[0075] <Original>

[0076] Figure 3 Is used to illustrate Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an original document M to be read in the image reading apparatus 1 shown.

[0077] In this example, the document M is rectangular, with its short sides oriented along the first scanning direction FS and its long sides oriented along the second scanning direction SS. However, it is also possible that the long sides of the document M oriented along the first scanning direction FS and the short sides oriented along the second scanning direction SS. In the following description, the former is sometimes referred to as "longitudinal" and the latter as "transverse." Furthermore, the upstream side of the document M in the second scanning direction SS is referred to as the document leading edge Mt, the downstream side in the second scanning direction SS is referred to as the document trailing edge Mb, the left side of the document M (facing the front side in the figure) is referred to as the document left edge Ml, and the right side of the document M (facing the front side) is referred to as the document right edge Mr. Furthermore, the length of the document M in the second scanning direction SS (the conveyance direction) is referred to as the document length L, and the length of the document M in the first scanning direction FS is referred to as the document width W. In the case of the “portrait orientation”, the document length L>the document width W, and in the case of the “landscape orientation”, the document length L<the document width W.

[0078] <Original width detection sensor>

[0079] Figure 4 2 is a diagram for explaining the installation position of the document width detection sensor 20. Figure 4 , together with the document width detection sensor 20 , the relationship between the alignment member 18 and the sizes and directions of various documents M that can be accommodated in the document accommodating portion 11 is also shown.

[0080] The image reading device 1 of this embodiment employs a so-called center registration method, in which the center of the document M in the first scanning direction serves as a reference line S for conveying the document M. Therefore, the alignment members 18 of this embodiment are arranged symmetrically in the first scanning direction FS about the reference line S, and the alignment members 18 move in conjunction with each other in the first scanning direction FS.

[0081] Furthermore, in the "conveyor reading mode," the image reading device 1 of this embodiment can convey and read documents M of various sizes and orientations, from "business card portrait" to "A3 portrait, A4 landscape." More specifically, the image reading device 1 can read documents M of five different widths W (business card portrait, business card landscape, A5 portrait, A4 portrait, A5 landscape, and A3 portrait, A4 landscape) in the conveyor reading mode, in ascending order of document width W. (In terms of document M types, these four are "business card," "A5," "A4," and "A3"). This embodiment uses the so-called Tokyo 4 size business card as an example.

[0082] Therefore, the document width W for "A3 portrait, A4 landscape" is 297mm. Furthermore, the document width W for "A4 portrait, A5 landscape" is 210mm. Furthermore, the document width W for "A5 portrait" is 148mm. Furthermore, the document width W for "business card landscape" is 91mm. Finally, the document width W for "business card portrait" is 55mm.

[0083] Furthermore, the document width detection sensor 20, an example of a detection component or selection component, includes a first sensor 21, a second sensor 22, and a third sensor 23 arranged along the first scanning direction FS. Specifically, within the center registration reference centered on a reference line S, the first sensor 21 is positioned at the outermost position (farthest from the reference line S), the third sensor 23 is positioned at the innermost position (closer to the reference line S), and the second sensor 22 is positioned between the first and third sensors 21 and 23. Specifically, the first sensor 21 is positioned so that it can detect documents M in "A3 portrait and A4 landscape" formats, but cannot detect documents M in "A4 portrait and A5 landscape" formats, "A5 portrait" formats, "business card landscape" formats, or "business card portrait" formats. Furthermore, the second sensor 22 is positioned so that it can detect documents M in "A3 portrait and A4 landscape" formats, and "A4 portrait and A5 landscape" formats, but cannot detect documents M in "A5 portrait" formats, "business card landscape" formats, or "business card portrait" formats. Furthermore, the third sensor 23 is installed at a position where it can detect originals M of all sizes that can be read in the "conveyance reading mode" ("A3 portrait, A4 landscape", "A4 portrait, A5 landscape", "A5 portrait", "business card landscape" and "business card portrait").

[0084] Figure 5 This is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the size and direction of the document M stored in the document storage unit 11 and the on / off state of the document width detection sensor. Figure 4 , also refer to Figure 5 , the relationship between the size and direction of the document M that can be read in the "feed reading mode" and the output of the document width detection sensor 20 will be described.

[0085] First, when an A3 portrait or A4 landscape document M (both with a document width W of 297 mm) is set in the document accommodating section 11, the first sensor 21, the second sensor 22, and the third sensor 23 are all on (hereinafter referred to as the "first state"). Furthermore, when an A4 portrait or A5 landscape document M (both with a document width W of 210 mm) is set in the document accommodating section 11, both the second sensor 22 and the third sensor 23 are on, while the first sensor 21 is off (hereinafter referred to as the "second state"). In contrast, when an A5 portrait, business card landscape, or business card portrait document M is set in the document accommodating section 11, the third sensor 23 is on, while both the first sensor 21 and the second sensor 22 are off (hereinafter referred to as the "third state").

[0086] Here, the width W of an A5 portrait document is 148 mm, the width W of a business card landscape document (Tokyo 4) is 91 mm, and the width W of a business card portrait document (Tokyo 4) is 55 mm. These documents have different widths W. Therefore, if the document width detection sensor 20 detects a "first state" or "second state," the document width W of the document M contained in the document accommodating portion 11 can be uniquely determined. Specifically, in the "first state," the document width W can be determined to be 297 mm, while in the "second state," the document width W can be determined to be 210 mm. In contrast, if the document width detection sensor 20 detects a "third state," the document width W of the document M contained in the document accommodating portion 11 cannot be uniquely determined. In other words, if the "third state" occurs, the document width W could be any of 148 mm, 91 mm, or 55 mm. In other words, simply because the "third state" has occurred, the document width W of the document M cannot be determined.

[0087] <Control / Image Processing Unit>

[0088] Figure 6 1 is a diagram for explaining the functional structure of the control / image processing unit 50. Figure 6 Only the functional configuration related to image processing of the image reading device 1 is shown, and description of the functional configuration related to control of the image reading operation of the image reading device 1 is omitted.

[0089] The control / image processing unit 50 includes an output destination setting unit 51, a read image data storage unit 52, a document width determination unit 53, a document edge determination unit 54, a document image data clipping unit 55, a document image data storage unit 56, a document analysis data storage unit 57, and a document image data correction unit 58. The following describes the components of the control / image processing unit 50.

[0090] The output target setting unit 51 receives the scan results of the document M fed from the light receiving unit 48 line by line in the first scanning direction FS. Furthermore, regarding the scan results for one line of the received document M in the first scanning direction FS, the output target setting unit 51 outputs data on the leading end side of the document M in the conveyance direction to the read image data storage unit 52 and the document end determination unit 54, and outputs data on the trailing end side of the same document M in the conveyance direction to the document end determination unit 54. As a result, the output target setting unit 51 outputs scanned image data Ds, which is a summary of the scan results for one line in the first scanning direction FS for one sheet (one page) of the document M, to the read image data storage unit 52. Furthermore, the output target setting unit 51 outputs leading end image data Dt, which is a summary of the scan results for one line in the first scanning direction FS for multiple lines (less than one page) in the second scanning direction SS, to the document end determination unit 54. Although details will be described later, the actual scanned image data Ds includes not only the scanned results for a single document M but also the scanned results for areas outside the respective ends of the document M (the document leading end Mt, the document left end M1, the document right end Mr, and the document trailing end Mb). Therefore, the scanned image data Ds of this embodiment captures a scanned area larger than a single document M.

[0091] The read image data storage unit 52 includes a memory such as a random access memory (RAM), and receives and stores the read image data Ds sent from the output destination setting unit 51. Furthermore, in response to a request from the document image data extraction unit 55, the read image data storage unit 52 outputs the stored read image data Ds to the document image data extraction unit 55.

[0092] The document width determination unit 53, an example of a setting unit, receives detection results of the document M fed from the first to third sensors 21 to 23 that constitute the document width detection sensor 20. Based on the received detection results, the document width determination unit 53 tentatively determines the document left end M1 and the document right end Mr of the document M. The document width determination unit 53 then tentatively determines a left search range R1 that includes the document left end M1 based on the tentatively determined document left end M1, and a right search range Rr that includes the document right end Mr based on the tentatively determined document right end Mr. The document width determination unit 53 then outputs the tentatively determined document left end M1, document right end Mr, left search range R1, and right search range Rr to the document end determination unit 54. In this embodiment, the left search range R1 and right search range Rr are examples of end search ranges. Furthermore, the left search range R1 is an example of a first search range, and the right search range Rr is an example of a second search range.

[0093] The document end determination unit 54, an example of a search unit, receives leading edge image data Dt from the output destination setting unit 51. Furthermore, the document end determination unit 54 receives the document left end M1, document right end Mr, left search range R1, and right search range Rr from the document width determination unit 53. Furthermore, the document end determination unit 54 receives the detection result of the document M from the document length detection sensor 30. Based on the received data, the document end determination unit 54 temporarily associates the positions of the respective ends of the document M to be read with the positions of the respective ends of the document M in the read image data Ds, which is the result of the reading of the document M. More specifically, based on the received data, the document end determination unit 54 temporarily determines, in the read image data Ds, a leading edge position Pt corresponding to the document leading edge Mt, a left edge position P1 corresponding to the document left end M1, a right edge position Pr corresponding to the document right end Mr, and a trailing edge position Pb corresponding to the document trailing edge Mb. The document end determination unit 54 then outputs the tentatively determined leading end position Pt, left end position P1, right end position Pr, and trailing end position Pb to the document image data clipping unit 55. In this embodiment, the left end position P1 and the right end position Pr are examples of end positions. Furthermore, the left end position P1 is an example of the position of one end, and the right end position Pr is an example of the position of the other end.

[0094] The document image data clipping unit 55, an example of a clipping component, receives the read image data Ds from the read image data storage unit 52. Furthermore, the document image data clipping unit 55 receives the leading edge position Pt, left edge position P1, right edge position Pr, and trailing edge position Pb from the document edge determination unit 54. Based on the received data, the document image data clipping unit 55 distinguishes between the area of the read image data Ds obtained by reading the document M and the area obtained by reading outside the document M (specifically, the reflector 17), extracting and outputting data corresponding to the results of reading the document M. In other words, the document image data clipping unit 55 clips the read image data Ds based on the leading edge position Pt, left edge position P1, right edge position Pr, and trailing edge position Pb, and outputs the resulting document image data Dm to the document image data storage unit 56.

[0095] The document image data storage unit 56 receives and stores the document image data Dm sent from the document image data cutting unit 55. Furthermore, the document image data storage unit 56 outputs the stored document image data Dm to an external device (in this example, the OCR device 3) as needed. Furthermore, in response to a request from the document image data correction unit 58, the document image data storage unit 56 outputs the stored document image data Dm to the document image data correction unit 58.

[0096] The document analysis data storage unit 57 receives and stores document analysis data Da obtained by performing OCR processing on document image data Dm sent from an external device (in this example, the OCR device 3). Furthermore, upon request from the document image data correction unit 58, the document analysis data storage unit 57 outputs the stored document analysis data Da to the document image data correction unit 58. In this embodiment, the document analysis data Da is an example of optical character recognition processed data.

[0097] The document image data correction unit 58 receives document image data Dm from the document image data storage unit 56. Furthermore, the document image data correction unit 58 receives document analysis data Da, obtained by analyzing the same document M as the document image data Dm, from the document analysis data storage unit 57. The document image data correction unit 58 then corrects the end position of the document M based on the document analysis data Da, as needed, on the received document image data Dm. Therefore, the document image data correction unit 58 may not correct the document image data Dm. The document image data correction unit 58 then outputs output data Do (= document image data Dm + document analysis data Da) to an external device (in this example, the server device 2). This output data Do corresponds to the corrected or uncorrected document image data Dm and the document analysis data Da.

[0098] <Image processing flow in conveyor scanning mode>

[0099] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the image processing flow in the conveyor reading mode. It is assumed that, in the initial state, a document M of a certain size (business card, A5, A4, or A3) is stored (placed) in the document storage section 11 of the image reading device 1 in either a "portrait" or "landscape" orientation (in the case of A3 size, only "portrait" is permitted).

[0100] First, the image reading device 1 receives a "reading instruction" from the user in the conveyance reading mode (step 10). In response, the document width determination unit 53 obtains the document width detection results (i.e., the document width detection results) from the first to third sensors 21 to 23 regarding the document M (step 20). Based on the obtained document width detection results, the document width determination unit 53 then provisionally determines the document width W of the document M stored in the document storage unit 11, the position of the document's left end M1, the position of the document's right end Mr, the left search range R1 including the position of the document's left end M1, and the right search range Rr including the position of the document's right end Mr (step 30).

[0101] Next, the conveying operation of the document M stored in the document storage section 11 begins, and the reading operation of the document M using the light receiving section 48 begins. In this embodiment, as described above, the document M is conveyed in a so-called center registration method, with the reference line S located in the center of the first scanning direction FS as the center. Furthermore, in conjunction with this, the output target setting section 51 begins acquiring the reading results of the light receiving section 48. In other words, the output target setting section 51 begins acquiring the read image data Ds associated with the conveyed document M (step 40). At this time, the output target setting section 51 outputs data in parallel to the read image data storage section 52 and the document end determination section 54. As a result, the read image data Ds is output to the read image data storage section 52, and the leading edge image data Dt is output to the document end determination section 54. In this example, after the output of the leading edge image data Dt to the document end determination section 54 is completed, the output of the read image data Ds to the read image data storage section 52 is completed. Then, the read image data storage unit 52 stores the sent read image data Ds.

[0102] Next, the document edge determination unit 54 searches for an edge of the leading edge image data Dt of the document M received from the output destination setting unit 51 within the left search range R1 and the right search range Rr temporarily determined in step 30 (step 50). Specifically, the document edge determination unit 54 searches for the left end position P1 corresponding to the left end M1 of the document within the left search range R1, and searches for the right end position Pr corresponding to the right end Mr of the document within the right search range Rr.

[0103] Next, the document end determination unit 54 determines whether the edges at both ends have been found (step 60). Specifically, it is determined whether both the left end position P1 and the right end position Pr are detected in the leading edge image data Dt. The left end position P1 in the first scanning direction FS is detected based on whether a linear stripe extending along the second scanning direction SS exists within the left search range R1. Furthermore, the right end position Pr in the first scanning direction FS is detected based on whether a linear stripe extending along the second scanning direction SS exists within the right search range Rr.

[0104] Furthermore, in step 50 , the document edge determination unit 54 obtains the document length detection result of the document M detected by the document length detection sensor 30 , i.e., the document length detection result. Based on the obtained document length detection result, the document edge determination unit 54 determines the document length L, the document leading end Mt, and the document trailing end Mb of the document M being conveyed and read.

[0105] If a positive determination (YES) is made in step 60, the document end determination unit 54 determines the left end position Pl and the right end position Pr based on the leading end image data Dt (step 70). The document end determination unit 54 directly determines the left end position Pl and the right end position Pr based on the leading end image data Dt, which are the light reception results of the light receiving unit 48.

[0106] Next, the document image data extraction unit 55 extracts data from the read image data Ds read from the read image data storage unit 52, using the leading edge position Pt, left edge position P1, right edge position Pr, and trailing edge position Pb determined by the document edge determination unit 54 as boundaries. In other words, the document image data extraction unit 55 extracts document image data Dm from the read image data Ds based on the respective edge positions (step 80). The thus-extracted document image data Dm is stored in the document image data storage unit 56, read from the document image data storage unit 56, and transmitted to the OCR device 3 via the network 4 (step 90).

[0107] Here, the OCR device 3 performs a known OCR process on the received document image data Dm. The OCR device 3 of this embodiment generates document analysis data Da by performing the OCR process on the document image data Dm. The document analysis data Da includes character data Dc obtained by digitizing a plurality of characters (character codes) and position data Dp obtained by digitizing the arrangement of each character (see the following description). Figure 9 (c) Figure 9 (f)). Then, the OCR device 3 transmits (returns) the generated document analysis data Da to the image reading device 1 via the network 4.

[0108] The image reading device 1 receives the document analysis data Da (step 100), and the received document analysis data Da is stored in the document analysis data storage unit 57. Subsequently, the document image data correction unit 58 associates the document image data Dm obtained based on the common (identical) document M and read from the document image data storage unit 56 with the document analysis data Da read from the document analysis data storage unit 57 to create output data Do, and transmits the output data Do to the server device 2 via the network 4 (step 170). Thus, if an affirmative determination (yes) is made in step 60, the document image data correction unit 58 outputs the document image data Dm without performing any special corrections.

[0109] In contrast, if a negative determination (No) is made in step 60, the document edge determination unit 54 determines the left end position Pl and the right end position Pr based on the document width detection result acquired in step 20, rather than the leading end image data Dt (step 120). In other words, the document edge determination unit 54 determines the left end position Pl and the right end position Pr in the leading end image data Dt based on the detection results of the document width detection sensor 20 (the first sensor 21 to the third sensor 23), rather than the reading result of the document M.

[0110] Next, the document image data extraction unit 55 extracts data from the read image data Ds read from the read image data storage unit 52, using the leading edge position Pt, left edge position P1, right edge position Pr, and trailing edge position Pb determined by the document edge determination unit 54 as boundaries. In other words, the document image data extraction unit 55 extracts document image data Dm from the read image data Ds based on the respective edge positions (step 130). The thus-extracted document image data Dm is stored in the document image data storage unit 56, read from the document image data storage unit 56, and transmitted to the OCR device 3 via the network 4 (step 140).

[0111] The image reading device 1 receives document analysis data Da from the OCR device 3 (step 150). The received document analysis data Da is stored in the document analysis data storage unit 57. Next, the document image data correction unit 58 corrects the document image data Dm read from the document image data storage unit 56 based on the document analysis data Da read from the document analysis data storage unit 57. Specifically, the document image data correction unit 58 re-crops the document image data Dm with respect to each end (particularly, the left end position P1 and the right end position Pr) based on the position data Dp constituting the document analysis data Da. The document image data correction unit 58 then associates the document image data Dm, which it has read from the document image data storage unit 56 and has undergone correction, with the document analysis data Da read from the document analysis data storage unit 57 to create output data Do, which is then transmitted to the server device 2 via the network 4 (step 170). Upon receiving the output data Do, the server device 2 stores the received output data Do.

[0112] <Specific examples>

[0113] Next, the image processing in the transport reading mode will be described with reference to a specific example.

[0114] Figure 8 20 and the positions of the document left end M1 and the document right end Mr temporarily determined in step 30. Figure 8 In FIG. 1 , the left search range R1 determined based on the left end M1 of the document and the right search range Rr determined based on the right end Mr of the document are also indicated by parentheses.

[0115] (First state)

[0116] First, when the first sensor 21 , the second sensor 22 , and the third sensor 23 are all in the “first state” of “ON”, the document width determination unit 53 temporarily determines that the document width W of the document M to be read and stored in the document storage unit 11 is “297 mm”.

[0117] Next, the document width determination unit 53 temporarily determines the document M so that the document left end M1 is “−148.5 mm” and the document right end Mr is “+148.5 mm”.

[0118] In addition, the document width determination unit 53 temporarily determines "-153.5mm to -143.5mm" including the left end Ml of the document and becoming ±5mm of the left end Ml of the document as the left search range Rl, and temporarily determines "+143.5mm to +153.5mm" including the right end Mr of the document and becoming ±5mm of the right end Mr of the document as the right search range Rr.

[0119] In this example, the document M is conveyed using the so-called center registration method. Therefore, the positions of the document's left end M1 and right end Mr (coordinates in the first scanning direction FS) are obtained by bisecting the document's width W in the first scanning direction FS with the reference line S as the origin. Furthermore, in this example, the left search range R1 is set to ±5 mm from the document's left end M1, and the right search range Rr is set to ±5 mm from the document's right end. However, these ranges can be other than 5 mm, and the ranges can differ in the positive and negative directions, for example, +10 mm and -5 mm. These conditions also apply to the second and third states described below.

[0120] (Second State)

[0121] In the second state where the first sensor 21 is OFF and the second and third sensors 22 and 23 are ON, the document width determination unit 53 temporarily determines that the document width W of the document M to be read and stored in the document storage unit 11 is 210 mm.

[0122] Next, the document width determination unit 53 temporarily determines the document M so that the document left end M1 is “−105 mm” and the document right end Mr is “+105 mm”.

[0123] In addition, the document width determination unit 53 temporarily determines "-110.0mm to -100.0mm" including the left end Ml of the document and being ±5mm of the left end Ml of the document as the left search range Rl, and temporarily determines "+100.0mm to +110.0mm" including the right end Mr of the document and being ±5mm of the right end Mr of the document as the right search range Rr.

[0124] (Third state)

[0125] Furthermore, in the "third state" where the first sensor 21 and the second sensor 22 are "off" and the third sensor 23 is "on", the document width determination unit 53 temporarily determines that the document width W of the document M accommodated in the document accommodating unit 11 and to be read is "148 mm".

[0126] Next, the document width determination unit 53 temporarily determines the document M so that the document left end M1 is “−74 mm” and the document right end Mr is “+74 mm”.

[0127] In addition, the document width determination unit 53 temporarily determines "-79.0mm to -69.0mm" including the document left end M1 and being ±5mm of the document left end M1 as the left search range R1, and temporarily determines "+69.0mm to +79.0mm" including the document right end Mr and being ±5mm of the document right end Mr as the right search range Rr.

[0128] Here, when the "first state" and the "second state" among the "first state" to the "third state" are detected, the actual document width W of the document M substantially matches the document width W provisionally determined in step 20. Therefore, an affirmative determination (YES) is made in step 60, and the processes of steps 70 to 100 and step 170 are subsequently executed in sequence.

[0129] In contrast, when the "third state" is detected, the actual document width W of the document M may be approximately the same as the document width W tentatively determined in step 20 (for example, when the document M is "A5 portrait"), or may not be completely consistent (for example, when the document M is "business card landscape" or "business card portrait"). In the former case, if the document widths W are approximately the same, as in the "first state" and "second state" described above, an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step 60, and the processes of steps 70 to 100 and 170 are subsequently executed in sequence. In the latter case, if the document widths W are not completely consistent, a negative determination (No) is made in step 60, and the processes of steps 120 to 170 are subsequently executed in sequence.

[0130] Hereinafter, the case where the document M is in "A5 portrait format" (hereinafter referred to as "first example") and the case where the document M is in "business card landscape format" (hereinafter referred to as "second example") in the "third state" will be described in more detail.

[0131] [First example]

[0132] First, the first example, that is, the case of "A5 portrait" (a case where an affirmative determination (YES) is made in step 60) will be described.

[0133] Figure 9 (a) to Figure 9 (c) is a diagram for explaining the "first example". Here, Figure 9(a) shows the relationship between the read image data Ds and the front end side image data Dt, the left search range Rl and the right search range Rr, the original front end Mt, the original rear end Mb, the original left end Ml and the original right end Mr. Figure 9 (b) shows the relationship between the original image data Dm and the original front end Mt, original rear end Mb, original left end M1 and original right end Mr, and the front end position Pt, rear end position Pb, left end position Pl and right end position Pr. Figure 9 (c) shows the relationship between the document image data Dm and the document analysis data Da constituting the output data Do. Figure 9 (c) also shows the relationship between the character data Dc and the position data Dp constituting the document analysis data Da.

[0134] When the document M is in A5 portrait format, the left end M1 of the document is located in the left search range R1 temporarily determined based on the detection result of the document width detection sensor 20, and the right end Mr of the document is located in the right search range Rr (see FIG. Figure 9 (a)). Accordingly, an affirmative determination (YES) is made in step 60. Then, based on the detection result of the document length detection sensor 30, the document leading end Mt and the document trailing end Mb are determined.

[0135] At this time, based on the reading result of the leading end side of the document M by the light receiving unit 48, namely the leading end side image data Dt, the left end position P1 is determined based on the left end M1 of the document, and the right end position Pr is determined based on the right end Mr of the document (step 70). Furthermore, the leading end position Pt is determined based on the document leading end Mt, and the trailing end position Pb is determined based on the document trailing end Mb. Therefore, in the case of the "first example," the document leading end Mt and the leading end position Pt coincide, the document trailing end Mb and the trailing end position Pb coincide, the document left end M1 and the left end position P1 coincide, and the document right end Mr and the right end position Pr coincide. Thus, in the case of the "first example," all four end positions coincide.

[0136] Then, the read image data Ds, which is the result of reading the entire document M, is cut out at the leading end position Pt, trailing end position Pb, left end position Pl, and right end position Pr (see steps 80, Figure 9 In this example, it is assumed that a character string is written on the scanning target surface of the "A5 portrait" document M (in the illustrated example, "abcde fghij klmnopqrst uvwxy" is arranged in five segments per line).

[0137] Subsequently, the document image data Dm is sent to the OCR device 3 (step 90), and the document analysis data Da, which is the result of the OCR processing of the document image data Dm, is received from the OCR device 3 (step 100). Here, the document analysis data Da includes character data Dc obtained by digitizing the character string and position data Dp obtained by digitizing the arrangement of each character (see Figure 9 (c)).

[0138] Here, in the case of the "first example", the manuscript analysis data Da is compared with Figure 9 The output data Do (see Figure 9 (c)) is sent to the server device 2 in step 170, completing a series of processing.

[0139] [Second example]

[0140] Next, the second example, that is, the case of “the business card is oriented horizontally” (a case where a negative determination (No) is made in step 60 ) will be described.

[0141] Figure 9 (d) to Figure 9 (f) is a diagram for explaining the "Second Example". Here, Figure 9 (d) shows the relationship between the read image data Ds and the front end side image data Dt, the left search range Rl and the right search range Rr, the original front end Mt, the original rear end Mb, the original left end Ml and the original right end Mr. Figure 9 (e) shows the relationship between the original image data Dm, the original front end Mt, the original rear end Mb, the original left end M1 and the original right end Mr, and the front end position Pt, the rear end position Pb, the left end position Pl and the right end position Pr. Figure 9 (f) shows the relationship between the document image data Dm and the document analysis data Da constituting the output data Do. Figure 9 (f) also shows the relationship between the character data Dc and the position data Dp constituting the document analysis data Da.

[0142] When the document M is in the "business card landscape" orientation, the document left end M1 is not located in the left search range R1 temporarily determined based on the detection result of the document width detection sensor 20, and the document right end Mr is not located in the right search range Rr (refer to FIG. Figure 9 (d)). Accordingly, a negative determination (No) is made in step 60. Then, the document leading end Mt and the document trailing end Mb are determined based on the detection result of the document length detection sensor 30.

[0143] At this time, the left end position Pl and the right end position Pr are determined based on the result of the manuscript width detection sensor 20 detecting the manuscript M, that is, the manuscript width detection result (step 120). To be more specific, the left end position Pl is determined based on the left end M1 of the "A5 portrait" manuscript whose manuscript width W is larger than the actual manuscript M (business card horizontal direction), and the right end position Pr is determined based on the right end Mr of the same "A5 portrait" manuscript. At this time, the left end position Pl is located to the left (outer side) of the actual manuscript M (business card horizontal direction) with respect to the left end M1 of the manuscript, and the right end position Pr is located to the right (outer side) of the actual manuscript M (business card horizontal direction) with respect to the right end Mr (refer to Figure 9 (e)). Furthermore, the leading edge position Pt and trailing edge position Pb are determined based on the "A5 portrait" format. Therefore, in the second example, the leading edge Mt and leading edge position Pt match, but the trailing edge Mb and trailing edge position Pb, the left edge M1 and left edge position P1, and the right edge Mr and right edge position Pr do not match. Thus, in the second example, one end position matches, but the other three end positions all do not match.

[0144] Then, the read image data Ds, which is the result of reading the entire document M, is cut out at the leading end position Pt, trailing end position Pb, left end position Pl, and right end position Pr (see steps 130, Figure 9 (e)). Accordingly, the read image data Ds obtained by reading an area larger than the original M is processed into smaller-sized original image data Dm. Furthermore, in this example, it is assumed that a character string is recorded on the read side of the "business card landscape" original M (in the illustrated example, "Fujitaro ○○○ Co., Ltd. Telephone number (details omitted) Email address (details omitted)" is arranged into four segments). However, in the case of the "second example," the area of the original image data Dm is significantly larger than the actual area of the original M. Therefore, even after the read image data Ds is cropped, a large blank area still exists in the original image data Dm.

[0145] Subsequently, the document image data Dm is sent to the OCR device 3 (step 140), and the document analysis data Da, which is the result of the OCR processing of the document image data Dm, is received from the OCR device 3 (step 150). Here, the document analysis data Da includes character data Dc obtained by digitizing the character string and position data Dp obtained by digitizing the arrangement of each character (see Figure 9 (f)).

[0146] Here, in the case of the "second example", the manuscript image data Dm is not directly output, but is corrected (re-cut) based on the manuscript analysis data Da (step 160). If further specific explanation is given, in step 160, based on the manuscript analysis data Da (especially the position data Dp), the area where the character string exists is extracted from the manuscript image data Dm, and the end positions (front end position Pt, rear end position Pb, left end position Pl and right end position Pr) are reset and re-cut based on the reset to include all the said character strings. Here, for the reset end positions, it is ideal to set all four end positions as objects, but it is preferable to set the end positions as follows: Figure 9 As shown in (f), at least the left end position Pl and the right end position Pr are set as the target. Figure 9 (e)) is reprocessed into smaller size original image data Dm (refer to Figure 9 (f)).

[0147] In the case of the "second example", the document analysis data Da is associated with the document image data Dm corrected in step 160, and the output data Do (see Figure 9 (f)) is sent to the server device 2 in step 170, completing a series of processing.

[0148] <Other>

[0149] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the two edges of the document M in the first scanning direction FS (the left end M1 and the right end Mr) cannot be found in step 60, the left end position P1 and the right end position Pr are determined based on the document width detection result of the document width detection sensor 20. However, this is not limiting. For example, if a negative determination (No) is made in step 60, the read image data Ds itself may be sent to the OCR device 3, and the end positions including the left end position P1 and the right end position Pr may be determined based on the obtained document analysis data Da. In this case, the read image data Ds is clipped based on the document analysis data Da to obtain the document image data Dm.

[0150] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the two end edges of the document M in the first scanning direction FS (the document left end M1 and the document right end Mr) cannot be found in step 60, the left end position P1 and the right end position Pr are determined based solely on the document width detection result of the document width detection sensor 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the size information of the document M (such as "A4 portrait") received through user input or the position information of the alignment member 18 may be further incorporated into the determination criteria.

Claims

1. An image reading device, comprising: a reading component for reading an original document conveyed along a second scanning direction; a detecting component for detecting a position of an end portion of the document in a first scanning direction intersecting with the second scanning direction; a setting component for setting a search range of the end portion in the first scanning direction including the end portion position detected by the detection component; a search unit that searches for a position of the end portion in a search range of the end portion set by the setting unit, with respect to read image data obtained by the reading unit reading the original document; as well as A capture component, when the search component searches for the end position in the search range of the end, the read image data is captured based on the end position searched by the search component; when the search component fails to search for the end position in the search range of the end, the capture component captures the read image data based on the end position detected by the detection component.

2. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein When the search unit fails to find the end position within the end search range, the cutting unit cuts out data based on a position determined based on the end position detected by the detection unit and a predetermined document size.

3. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein The interception unit intercepts data based on optical character recognition processed data obtained by performing optical character recognition processing on the read image data when the search unit fails to find the end position in the search range of the end.

4. The image reading device according to claim 3, wherein The cutting unit cuts off data at a predetermined portion outside a range where characters are assumed to exist in the optical character recognition processed data.

5. The image reading device according to claim 3, wherein A range in which the optical character recognition process is performed on the read image data is determined based on a position of the document detected by the detection unit.

6. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein Also includes: The conveying member conveys the document along the second scanning direction with the center of the document in the first scanning direction as a reference. The detecting component detects the position of one end and the position of the other end in the first scanning direction as the end position, The setting component sets a first search range including the position of the one end and a second search range including the position of the other end as the search range of the end portion, The searching part searches for the position of the one end in the first searching range set by the setting part, and searches for the position of the other end in the second searching range set by the setting part.

7. An image reading device comprising: A conveying member conveys the document placed on the document table along a second scanning direction; a reading component for reading the document conveyed along the second scanning direction; a selection unit for selecting, with respect to the document placed on the document table, any one of a plurality of end positions in the first scanning direction that intersects the second scanning direction and that are predetermined for a plurality of types of documents having different lengths in the first scanning direction; a setting component for setting a search range of the end portion in the first scanning direction including the end portion position selected by the selection component; a search unit that searches for a position of the end portion in a search range of the end portion set by the setting unit, with respect to read image data obtained by the reading unit reading the original document; as well as A capture component, when the search component searches for the end position in the search range of the end, the read image data is captured based on the end position searched by the search component; when the search component fails to search for the end position in the search range of the end, the capture component captures the read image data based on the end position selected by the selection component.

8. A control device for an image reading device, comprising: a detecting unit for detecting a position of an end portion of a document conveyed along a second scanning direction in a first scanning direction intersecting the second scanning direction; a setting component for setting a search range of the end portion in the first scanning direction including the end portion position detected by the detection component; a search unit that searches for the end position within the search range of the end set by the setting unit, with respect to read image data obtained by reading the original document conveyed along the second scanning direction; as well as A capture component, when the search component searches for the end position in the search range of the end, the read image data is captured based on the end position searched by the search component; when the search component fails to search for the end position in the search range of the end, the capture component captures the read image data based on the end position detected by the detection component.

Images