Information processing apparatus, control method thereof, storage medium, and computer program product

Abstract

The invention provides an information processing apparatus, a control method thereof, a storage medium, and a computer program product. Disclosed is an information processing apparatus including: one or more memory devices storing a set of instructions; and one or more processors that execute the set of instructions to: obtain, from first data, first text data related to text included in the first data, the first data being print data; converting the first data into second data, wherein the second data is raster image data; obtaining second text data related to a text included in the second data from the second data; and comparing the first text data and the second text data using text location information, and checking whether the second data has an abnormality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and a control method thereof, a storage medium and a computer program product. Background Art

[0002] In a digital printing system in the field of commercial printing, a scanner is arranged inline inside a machine of an image forming device, and detects an abnormality in a printed product from an image obtained by reading the printed product. When performing abnormality detection, there is a detection method (hereinafter referred to as RIP detection) in which a difference is detected as an abnormality by comparing image data of a bitmap raster image generated in RIP processing with read image data obtained by a scanner. Note that RIP is an abbreviation for a raster image processor.

[0003] This RIP detection has the following problems. In a digital printing system, the creator of the print data can also specifically specify the font type to be used in the print data. However, there are cases where the font specified in the print data cannot be used on the image forming device side, and in this case, the font is replaced with another font on the image forming device side. In this case, the characters after RIP expansion may become characters that the creator does not want, resulting in so-called "garbled characters" in some cases. In addition, it is well known that the combination of fonts with transparent effects and special effects, etc., can cause problems such as garbled characters, skipped characters, and missing characters.

[0004] In this way, the bitmap image data after RIP processing may have character problems such as garbled characters, skipped characters, and missing characters. Therefore, when performing RIP detection on an image read by a scanner, there is a problem that the character problem cannot be detected by comparing the bitmap image data with the data obtained after the character problem has occurred. That is, when both the image data generated by RIP processing and the scanned image data have character problems in a similar manner, there is a problem that the data may be determined to be normal. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-121769 proposes the following technology: garbled characters are checked by comparing PDL text data extracted from print data written in the PDL language before RIP processing with text data recognized by OCR of the bitmap RIP image data after RIP processing.

[0005] However, the above conventional technology has the following problems. In the above conventional technology, the extraction order of PDL text data extracted from PDL data needs to match the recognition order of OCR text data recognized by OCR of RIP image. Note that PDL is an abbreviation of page description language, and OCR is an abbreviation of optical character recognition. In the case where the extraction order matches the recognition order, garbled characters can be detected by comparing character information in sequence. However, the extraction order of PDL text data does not always match the recognition order of OCR text data recognized by OCR of RIP image. The above conventional technology does not take the extraction order and the recognition order into consideration, and therefore there is a problem that a correct check cannot be performed when these orders are different from each other.

[0006] For example, when PDL data is created from an application such as Notepad or WordPad, PDL drawing commands for text objects are regularly issued from the upper left to the lower right, using the upper left as a reference point. Therefore, PDL text data to be extracted from the PDL data is extracted from the upper left to the lower right with a regular text arrangement, using the upper left as a reference point. On the other hand, when PDL data is created from an application that allows free layout (such as PowerPoint or InDesign), the sequence of PDL drawing commands for text objects to be issued does not have regularity. In this case, PDL drawing commands are issued in the order in which the user places the text objects. Therefore, PDL text data to be extracted from the PDL data is extracted with an irregular text arrangement that depends on the creator.

[0007] In addition, regarding the OCR of the RIP image, in general, when the upper left corner is used as a reference point, the text is regularly recognized from the upper left to the lower right. In this case, the PDL data created from the Notepad or WordPad application can be correctly compared with the OCR because the layout of the text objects matches. However, there is a problem that the correct comparison cannot be achieved when comparing with the PDL data with irregular text layout. OCR not only uses the upper left corner as a reference point, but also recognizes the text in consideration of vertical writing, tables, and column layouts, and only recognizes the part including the text whose position has been pre-acquired based on RIP processing or image processing information as in conventional technology. However, any OCR has the following problem: because the layout of the text objects of the PDL text data extracted from the PDL data is not considered, a correct comparison cannot be achieved. Summary of the invention

[0008] The present invention enables realization of a mechanism for checking abnormality of RIP data even in a case where the PDL text data extraction order and the OCR text data recognition order are different from each other.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention provides an information processing device, comprising: one or more memory devices storing a set of instructions; and one or more processors executing the set of instructions to: obtain first text data related to text included in first data from first data, the first data being print data; convert the first data into second data, the second data being raster image data; obtain second text data related to text included in the second data from the second data; and use text position information to compare the first text data and the second text data, and check whether the second data has an abnormality.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention provides a control method for an information processing device, the control method comprising: acquiring first text data related to text included in first data from first data, the first data being print data; converting the first data into second data, the second data being raster image data; acquiring second text data related to text included in the second data from the second data; and using text position information to compare the first text data and the second text data, and checking whether the second data has an abnormality.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to execute each step in a control method of an information processing device, the control method comprising: acquiring first text data related to text included in first data from first data, the first data being print data; converting the first data into second data, the second data being raster image data; acquiring second text data related to text included in the second data from the second data; and using text position information to compare the first text data and the second text data, and checking whether the second data has an abnormality.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program for causing a computer to execute each step in a control method of an information processing device, the control method including: acquiring first text data related to text included in the first data from first data, the first data being print data; converting the first data into second data, the second data being raster image data; acquiring second text data related to text included in the second data from the second data; and using text position information to compare the first text data and the second text data, and checking whether the second data has an abnormality.

[0013] Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of a software configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3 is a flowchart for extracting text data from PDL data and a RIP image and creating a list of the text data according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 4A and Figure 4B1-4B2 : is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence relationship between commands and PDL data drawing contents having irregularly arranged text data according to the embodiment.

[0018] Figure 5A-5C is a diagram illustrating an example of a list of text data extracted from PDL data according to the embodiment.

[0019] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B1-6B3 : is a diagram showing an example of a list of OCR text data of a normal RIP image according to the embodiment.

[0020] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B1-7B3 : is a diagram showing an example of a list of OCR text data of a RIP image having garbled characters according to the embodiment.

[0021] Fig. 8A and Figures 8B1-8B3 : is a diagram showing an example of a list of OCR text data of a RIP image with skipped characters according to the embodiment.

[0022] Fig. 9is a flowchart showing the flow of text checking after RIP processing according to the embodiment.

[0023] Fig.10 is a flowchart for searching for OCR text data having coordinate information similar to that of PDL text data and comparing the OCR text and the PDL text according to an embodiment.

[0024] FIG. 11A to FIG. 11C is a diagram illustrating an example of searching and comparing text data when OCR text data and PDL text data match according to an embodiment.

[0025] FIG. 12A to FIG. 12C : is a diagram showing an example of searching and comparing OCR text data and PDL text data having garbled characters according to the embodiment.

[0026] Fig.13A and Fig. 13B is a diagram illustrating an example of searching and comparing OCR text data having missing characters or skipped characters according to an embodiment.

[0027] Fig.14 2 is a diagram showing an example of merging a plurality of pages into 2-in-1 and performing RIP processing according to an embodiment.

[0028] Fig.15 is a flowchart for extracting text data from PDL data and a RIP image, creating a list of the text data, and correcting the list of the PDL text data according to edit settings during RIP processing according to an embodiment.

[0029] Fig.16 : is a diagram showing an example of a list of text data extracted from PDL data according to the embodiment.

[0030] Fig.17 : is a diagram showing an example of a list of OCR text data of a normal 2 in 1 RIP image according to the embodiment.

[0031] Fig.18 : is a diagram showing an example of 2-in-1 correction of a list of PDL text data according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention. A plurality of features are described in the embodiments, but are not limited to inventions requiring all such features, and a plurality of such features may be appropriately combined. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same or similar configurations, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0033] First embodiment

[0034] Hardware Configuration

[0035] A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, a description will be given of a check control performed in a case where the order of extracting PDL text data from PDL data (print data) is different from the order of recognizing OCR text data by OCR of a RIP image (raster image data). In this embodiment, the information processing apparatus described below checks whether there is any abnormality in the RIP data of the correct answer data used in the inspection apparatus for inspecting printed products.

[0036] First, refer to Figure 1 An example of the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment is described. The information processing apparatus 100 includes a CPU 101, a RAM 102, a ROM 103, a network I / F 104, and a storage device 105 connected to each other via a system bus 106. The CPU 101 is a central control unit of the information processing apparatus 100. The RAM 102 is a storage device accessible to the CPU 101, and is used as a working memory for the CPU 101 to operate in the present embodiment. Programs are stored in the ROM 103, and the CPU 101 loads the programs onto the RAM 102 and executes the programs to operate the information processing apparatus 100 described later. Figure 2 The network I / F 104 is connected to an external device 108 (such as a server or other devices) via a network (LAN) 107, and is an interface for inputting and outputting information. The storage device 105 is an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or SSD, which is used as a work area of ​​the CPU 101 and is used to store data such as documents. Note that in this embodiment, it is assumed that a document is acquired from the external device 108 via the network I / F 104, or a document is acquired from the storage device 105.

[0037] In the present embodiment, an information processing device will be described as an example of a device to which the present invention is applied. Therefore, the information processing device according to the present embodiment checks whether the RIP data to be used as the correct answer data in the inspection of the printed product has an abnormality such as a garbled character or a skipped character, and provides the inspection result and the corrected RIP data, etc. to an image forming device or an image processing device that inspects the printed product. However, there is no intention to limit the present invention, and the present invention can be applied to an image processing device provided with at least one of a printer that forms an image on a sheet and a scanner that reads an image from a manuscript. That is, the image processing device that inspects the printed product can also check the RIP data that will be used as the correct answer data in the inspection of the printed product.

[0038] Software Configuration

[0039] Next, we will refer to Figure 2An example of the software configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is described. Figure 2 As shown, the information processing apparatus 100 includes a PDL data receiving unit 201, a PDL data analyzing unit 202, a RIP unit 203, an OCR unit 204, and a text checking unit 205 as software modules. Note that, in the case where the present invention is applied as an image processing apparatus, a printer unit for controlling printing and a scanner unit for controlling reading of a manuscript may also be included.

[0040] As described above, the CPU 101 executes the program loaded from the ROM 103 onto the RAM 102, and thus these software modules operate. The PDL data receiving unit 201 receives PDL data, i.e., print data (first data), from an external device (such as the external device 108) via a network. The PDL data analyzing unit 202 is an example of a first acquisition unit, analyzes the PDL data received by the PDL data receiving unit 201, and acquires PDL text data (first text data) from a drawing command in the PDL data.

[0041] The RIP unit 203 is an example of a conversion unit, and performs so-called RIP processing for expanding the acquired PDL data into a bitmap image with a specified resolution, thereby generating raster image data (second data). The OCR unit 204 is an example of a second acquisition unit, performs OCR processing on the image obtained by the RIP processing, and generates OCR text data (second text data). The text inspection unit 205 is an example of an inspection unit, searches for OCR text data (second data) at a corresponding position based on coordinate information of the extracted PDL text data (first data), and inspects the text obtained after the RIP processing.

[0042] Creation of text data

[0043] Next, we will refer to Figure 3 Describe the process of creating text data according to the present embodiment. Here will be described a process of extracting text data from PDL data and RIP images and creating a list of text data. For example, the processing described below is realized by CPU 101 reading a program stored in ROM 103 or storage device 105 into RAM 102 and executing the program.

[0044] PDL Text Data

[0045] First, in step S301, the PDL data receiving unit 201 receives PDL data via the network I / F 104. Then, in step S302, the PDL data analyzing unit 202 extracts PDL text data from the received PDL data, and creates a list of PDL text data for each page.

[0046] Here, we will refer to Figure 4A-4B2 and Figures 5A-5C An example of creating a list of PDL text data from PDL data of a predetermined page is described. Figure 4A An example of a PDF document is shown, which is a type of PDL. Figure 4A The PDL data 400 in FIG. 4 shows the drawing contents, and Figure 4B1-4B2 The PDL data 400 in the drawing shows the PDL drawing command corresponding to the drawing content. Figure 4B1-4B2 401, 402, 403, and 404, and draw the text object in the order of the PDL drawing commands 401, 402, 403, and 404. The symbols included in the PDL drawing commands 401 to 404 have the following meanings: "BT" indicates the start of drawing the text object, "Tf" indicates the font resource name and the font size, "Tm" indicates the start position of the text object, "g" indicates the gray value for filling the inside of the text object, "G" indicates the gray value of the outline of the text object, "TJ" indicates the content of the text to be displayed, and "ET" indicates the end of drawing the text object. The font actually used is defined in the font information referenced from the font resource name.

[0047] For example, the PDL drawing command 401 refers to the font resource: / F1, obtains the font information 405, and draws the text object "P.1" using black as the fill and outline color, with the font being Calibri, the font size being 36pt, and the start position being (x, y) = (658.61, 26.472). Similarly, the PDL drawing commands 402 to 404 are interpreted and drawn. In this embodiment, PDF is used as an example, but other PDL types such as LIPSLX and PCL6 may also be used.

[0048] The PDL data analysis unit 202 analyzes the PDL drawing commands 401 to 404 in the PDL data 400 in the order described. More specifically, the PDL data analysis unit 202 decomposes the text object into text data of each character for each command, and extracts information about the coordinates and color values ​​of the characters, fonts, and a rectangular area (hereinafter "bbox") surrounding the characters.

[0049] Figure 5A-5C Shown by Figure 4A The text data is a list of text data obtained by extracting text data of each character from the PDL data 400 shown in FIG. Figure 5A-5C Reference numeral 500 shown in indicates the entire list of PDL text data. For example, text data 501 is information extracted by interpreting the PDL drawing command 401, and indicates the following:

[0050] Character: "P",

[0051] Font: Calibri,

[0052] bbox coordinates: (659, 487, 677, 523), and

[0053] Color: 0 (black).

[0054] In addition, the text data 502 is information extracted by interpreting the PDL drawing command 404, and indicates the following:

[0055] Character: "A",

[0056] Font: Calibri,

[0057] bbox coordinates: (110, 137, 131, 173), and

[0058] Color: 0 (black) It can be seen that the sets of text data respectively extracted according to the PDL drawing commands 401 to 404 are listed in the PDL text data list 500 in the stated order.

[0059] OCR text data

[0060] Here, back Figure 3 In step S303, the RIP unit 203 expands the acquired PDL data into a bitmap image with a specified resolution and creates a RIP image. In step S304, the OCR unit 204 performs OCR processing on each RIP image, creates a list of OCR text data, and ends the processing of this flowchart. FIG. 6A to FIG. 8B3 Describes an example of an OCR text data list.

[0061] Figure 6B1-6B3 An example of an OCR text data list created from a RIP image in a case where the PDL data 400 can be appropriately RIP-processed is shown. Fig. 6A shows a RIP image in the case where RIP processing can be performed appropriately, and Figure 6B1-6B3 Reference numeral 600 in FIG. 1 indicates the entire list of OCR text data. Figure 6B1-6B3 The following example is shown: when performing OCR processing, in the case where the upper left corner is used as a reference point, a collection of text data is listed in the order in which the text data is recognized from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. For example, Fig. 6A Character 601 in the Figure 6B1-6B3601 in the figure. Therefore, it can be seen that the text data is recognized from the upper left to the lower right, and "A" in the OCR text data 601 is recognized after "YYYY / MM / DD". Similar to the PDL text data, the information of the OCR text data 601 includes information related to characters, fonts, bbox coordinates, and color values, such as:

[0062] Character: "A",

[0063] Font: Calibri,

[0064] bbox coordinates: (110, 130, 131, 173), and

[0065] Color: 0 (black).

[0066] in addition, Fig. 6A Reference numeral 602 in the same manner as that in the Figure 6B1-6B3 602 in the figure. It can be seen that in this way, the order of the OCR text data list 600 is different from the order of the PDL text data list 500. Regarding the method of recognition in the OCR processing, the following example is given: in the case where the upper left is used as a reference point, the text data is recognized from the upper left to the lower right, but the method is not limited to this. A method of recognizing text in consideration of vertical writing, tables, and column layouts, etc., or a method of pre-acquiring the position of the text based on RIP processing or image processing information and recognizing only the position of the text may be used.

[0067] Data in the case of garbled characters

[0068] Figure 7B1-7B3 is an example of an OCR text data list created from a RIP image having garbled characters when the PDL data 400 is RIP-processed. Fig. 7A shows a RIP image including garbled characters, and Figure 7B1-7B3 Reference numeral 700 in FIG. 1 indicates the entire list of OCR text data. Fig. 7A middle, Fig. 6A In , "A" as character 601 has been replaced by "?" as character 701. On the other hand, in Figure 7B1-7B3 , it can be seen that garbled characters 701 are also included in the OCR text data list 700 created from the RIP image.

[0069] Data in case of skip characters

[0070] Figures 8B1-8B3 is an example of an OCR text data list created from a RIP image with skipped characters when the PDL data 400 is RIP-processed. Fig. 8A shows a RIP image including jumping characters, and Figures 8B1-8B3 Reference numeral 800 in denoted the entire list of OCR text data. Fig. 8A It shows that Fig. 6A In the example, the character "A" of 601 has jumped to the position of the character "A" of 801. Figures 8B1-8B3 , it can be seen that, in the OCR text data list 800 created from the RIP image, character 801 is located after the character "Z" and still includes character jumps.

[0071] When garbled characters or skipping characters appear during RIP processing in this way, these anomalies will be reflected as they are in the OCR text data list created from the RIP image. Therefore, even if these data sets are used as correct answer data to check prints, there is a problem that the correct answer data may include anomalies and cannot be properly checked. In view of this, in the present embodiment, even in the case of anomalies such as garbled characters or skipping characters appearing in the RIP processing as described above, control is provided to accurately check the prints. The PDL text data list 500 and the OCR text data lists 600, 700 and 800 each include position information (coordinate information) of each character. The information processing device according to the present embodiment uses these position information to properly check the prints. The inspection process will be described in detail below.

[0072] Inspection process after RIP processing

[0073] Next, we will refer to Fig. 9 The processing procedure of checking the text after RIP processing in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is described. For example, the processing described below is realized by the CPU 101 reading the program stored in the ROM 103 or the storage device 105 into the RAM 102 and executing the program. The processing from step S901 to step S908 is the processing that the CPU 101 causes the text checking unit 205 to execute.

[0074] In step S901, the text checking unit 205 obtains the following information: Figure 3 Specifically, the text checking unit 205 reads the PDL text data of each page and the OCR text data of each page. Figure 3 The flowchart shown acquires these lists by using data that has been previously created and stored in a memory, etc. Note that list data created by an external device may be acquired by receiving data via a network.

[0075] Then, in step S902, the text check unit 205 determines whether there is text data to be read from the PDL text data list. In the case where there is text data to be read ("Yes" in step S902), the process proceeds to step S903, and in the case where there is no text data to be read ("No" in step S902), the process proceeds to step S906. In step S903, the text check unit 205 performs text check based on the information of the read PDL text data. This will be described later. Fig.10 The details of the text check are described. Then, in step S904, the text check unit 205 determines whether there is the next text data to be read from the PDL text data list. In the case of the next text data ("Yes" in step S904), the processing proceeds to step S905, and in the case of the next text data not existing ("No" in step S904), the processing proceeds to step S906.

[0076] In step S905, the text inspection unit 205 reads the next text data, returns the process to step S903, and performs a text inspection. This is repeated until the reading of the text data is completed. In step S906, the text inspection unit 205 determines whether there is a next page. In the case of the existence of the next page ("Yes" in step S906), the text inspection unit 205 reads the next page in step S907 and returns the process to step S901. That is, the process from step S901 to step S905 is repeated until there is no next page. In the case of all pages being read and there is no next page ("No" in step S906), the process enters step S908. In step S908, the CPU 101 acts as a result output unit, issues a notification related to the inspection result, and ends the process of this flowchart. Here, the inspection result can be displayed on the display unit of the information processing device 100, stored in a storage unit, or sent to an external device.

[0077] Details of text check (step S903)

[0078] Next, we will refer to Fig.10 describe Fig. 9 Detailed processing of the text check in step S903 shown in FIG. 100 is performed by, for example, CPU 101 reading a program stored in ROM 103 or storage device 105 into RAM 102 and executing the program to implement the processing described below. The processing from step S1001 to step S1005 is the processing that CPU 101 causes text check unit 205 to perform.

[0079] In step S1001, the text checking unit 205 searches for OCR text data having similar coordinate information in the list of OCR text data using the coordinate information (position information) of the PDL text data of the text of interest. In step S1002, the text checking unit 205 determines whether corresponding OCR text data exists. In the case where corresponding OCR text data exists ("Yes" in step S1002), the process proceeds to step S1003, and in the case where corresponding text data does not exist ("No" in step S1002), the process proceeds to step S1005.

[0080] In step S1003, the text inspection unit 205 compares the character information of the PDL text data and the character information of the corresponding OCR text data to determine whether they match. In the case that they match ("Yes" in step S1003), the processing proceeds to step S1004, and in the case that they do not match ("No" in step S1003), the processing proceeds to step S1005. In step S1004, the text inspection unit 205 stores the comparison result indicating that there is no abnormality, and ends the processing of this flowchart. On the other hand, in step S1005, the text inspection unit 205 stores the result indicating that there is an abnormality, the abnormal content, the character, and the coordinate information, etc., and ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0081] Comparison with normal RIP image

[0082] Will refer to FIG. 11A to FIG. 11C Describes the use of PDL text data with Fig. 6A The following table shows the comparison between the normal RIP image and the OCR text data list. Fig.11A 6 is an image diagram showing that the coordinate information of “P” in the PDL text data 501 is used to search for OCR text data having similar coordinate information in the OCR text data list 600 and to find the corresponding OCR text data 602 .

[0083] Fig. 11B The actual search process is shown. In the above step S1001, the text checking unit 205 searches by sequentially comparing the bbox coordinates (659, 487, 677, 523) of "P" in the PDL text data 501 with the bbox coordinates of each set of text data in the OCR text data list 600. In addition, in step S1002, the text checking unit 205 determines that the bbox coordinates of "P" in the PDL text data 501 are similar to the bbox coordinates (661, 476, 678, 524) of "P" in the OCR text data 602, and there is corresponding text data ("Yes" in step S1002).

[0084] In some cases, the bbox coordinates of the PDL text data extracted from the PDL data do not always match the bbox coordinates of the OCR text data identified by OCR of the RIP image. Therefore, it is better to set a tolerance and make a determination with a certain ambiguity rather than a complete match. For example, although the bbox coordinates of the PDL text data 501 and the bbox coordinates of the OCR text data 602 do not completely match, when the coordinate positions overlap each other and the errors in width and height (i.e., position errors) are less than a predetermined threshold, the coordinates are determined to be similar to each other. The method of making a determination with a certain ambiguity is not limited to this.

[0085] Fig. 11C The comparison between two character information of two text data sets is shown. In step S1003, the text inspection unit 205 compares the character information of the PDL text data 501 and the character information of the OCR text data 602, and since the character information of the PDL text data 501 and the character information of the OCR text data 602 are both "P", it is determined that they match ("Yes" in step S1003). In the present embodiment, only the character information is used to determine whether the PDL text data matches the OCR text data. However, a method for determining whether they match by combining other parameters (such as color values, etc.) can also be used. In addition, in the case where multiple corresponding texts are within the tolerance in step S1002, when any character information in the multiple texts matches in step S1003, it can be determined that there is no abnormality. In step S1004, the text inspection unit 205 stores the inspection result and the comparison result indicating that there is no abnormality. The comparison between the PDL text data list 500 and the OCR text data list 600 shows that there is no abnormality in all sets of text data, so a notification regarding a result indicating that there is no abnormality is issued in step S908.

[0086] Comparison with RIP image including garbled characters

[0087] Will refer to FIG. 12A to FIG. 12C Describes the use of PDL text data with Fig. 7A The example shown is a case where a list of OCR text data of a RIP image including garbled characters is compared. Fig. 12A 5 is an image diagram showing that the coordinate information of “A” in the PDL text data 502 is used to search for OCR text data having similar coordinate information in the OCR text data list 700 and to find the corresponding OCR text data 701 .

[0088] Fig. 12BThe actual search process is shown. In the above step S1001, the text checking unit 205 searches by sequentially comparing the bbox coordinates (110, 137, 131, 173) of "A" in the PDL text data 502 with the bbox coordinates of the text data in the OCR text data list 700. In step S1002, the text checking unit 205 determines that the bbox coordinates of "A" in the PDL text data 502 are similar to the bbox coordinates (111, 130, 131, 173) of "?" in the OCR text data 701, and there is corresponding text data ("Yes" in step S1002).

[0089] Fig. 12C A comparison between two character information of two text data sets is shown. In step S1003, the text inspection unit 205 compares the character information of the PDL text data 502 and the character information of the OCR text data 701, and since "A" ≠ "?" holds, it is determined that they do not match ("No" in step S1003). In step S1005, the text inspection unit 205 stores the inspection result and the comparison result indicating the presence of anomalies such as garbled characters. Since an anomaly is found in the comparison between the PDL text data list 500 and the OCR text data list 700, a notification related to the result indicating the presence of an anomaly is issued in step S908.

[0090] Comparison with RIP image including jumping characters

[0091] Will refer to Fig.13A and Fig. 13B Describes the use of PDL text data with Fig. 8A The shown case is a case where a list of OCR text data of a RIP image including skipped characters is compared. Fig.13A 1 is an image diagram showing that the OCR text data list 800 is searched for OCR text data having similar coordinate information using the coordinate information of "A" in the PDL text data 502, and there is no corresponding OCR text data.

[0092] Fig. 13BThe actual search process is shown. In the above step S1001, the text inspection unit 205 searches by sequentially comparing the bbox coordinates (110, 137, 131, 173) of "A" in the PDL text data 502 with the bbox coordinates of the text data in the OCR text data list 700. In step S1002, the text inspection unit 205 does not find OCR text data with similar coordinates, and determines that there is no corresponding text data ("No" in step S1002). In step S1005, the text inspection unit 205 stores the inspection result and the comparison result indicating the presence of anomalies such as missing characters or skipped characters. Since an anomaly is found in the comparison between the PDL text data list 500 and the OCR text data list 800, a notification related to the result indicating the presence of an anomaly is issued in step S908. Note that if the detected anomaly can be corrected, control can be performed to correct the detected anomaly. In this case, it is desired to output the correction content together with the result.

[0093] As described above, the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment obtains PDL text data related to the text included in the PDL data from the PDL data as print data, and converts the PDL data into RIP data as raster image data. In addition, the information processing apparatus obtains OCR text data related to the text included in the RIP data from the RIP data, compares the PDL text data and the OCR text data using text position information, and checks whether the RIP data has an abnormality. In addition, the information processing apparatus performs text inspection by searching for the OCR text data at the corresponding position using the coordinate information (position information) of the PDL text data. Therefore, even in the case where the extraction order of the PDL text data extracted from the PDL data is different from the recognition order of the OCR text data recognized by the OCR of the RIP image, the garbled characters appearing after the RIP processing can be checked. In addition, not only the garbled characters can be checked, but also character problems such as missing characters or skipped characters can be checked. As described above, according to the present embodiment, even in the case where the PDL text data extraction order and the OCR text data recognition order are different from each other, the abnormality of the RIP data can be checked.

[0094] Second embodiment

[0095] Hereinafter, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described using the drawings. In this embodiment, text comparison performed in the case of editing PDL data during RIP processing will be described as an example. Note that the configuration of the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment is similar to that of Figure 1 The configuration of the information processing apparatus of the above-described first embodiment is similar. The differences between the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be mainly described below.

[0096] Editing during RIP processing

[0097] First, refer to Fig.14 This section describes an example of editing PDL data during RIP processing. Fig.14 As shown, there may be a case where PDL data 1401 divided into two pages is RIP-processed with a setting for merging into 2 in 1, and a one-page RIP image 1402 merged into 2 in 1 is created.

[0098] Creation of text data

[0099] Next, we will refer to Fig.15 The process for creating text data according to the present embodiment is described. Here, the process for extracting text data from PDL data and RIP images, creating a list of text data, and correcting the PDL text data list according to the edit setting during RIP processing is described. For example, the process described below is realized by CPU 101 reading a program stored in ROM 103 or storage device 105 into RAM 102 and executing the program.

[0100] First, in step S1501, the PDL data receiving unit 201 receives PDL data via the network I / F 104. Then, in step S1502, the PDL data analyzing unit 202 extracts PDL text data from the received PDL data, and creates a list of PDL text data for each page.

[0101] Here, we will refer to Fig.16 Describes a list of PDL text data for each page. With regard to the list of extracted PDL text data, reference numeral 1601 indicates a list of PDL text data for the first page. Reference numeral 1602 indicates a list of PDL text data for the second page. As can be seen at the stage when the PDL text data is extracted from the PDL data, the data is divided into two sets of PDL text data in this way.

[0102] In step S1503, the RIP unit 203 expands the acquired PDL data into a bitmap image according to the specified resolution and editing settings, and creates a RIP image. In step S1504, the RIP unit 203 acquires RIP processing parameters according to the editing settings. In the editing settings, the paper size, paper orientation, page merging, etc. can be set. The RIP unit 203 performs conversions such as page merging, rotation, enlargement / contraction, etc. on the acquired PDL data according to the editing settings to create a RIP image. Here, a RIP image merged into 2 in 1 is created. Therefore, the RIP processing parameter indicates the content of the editing settings, and is a value indicating 2 in 1, for example, when the editing process is page merging.

[0103] Then, in step S1505, the OCR unit 204 executes OCR processing on each RIP image, and creates a list of OCR text data. Fig.17 An example of a list of OCR text data is shown. Fig.17 An example of an OCR text data list created from a RIP image 1402 is shown in the case where 2-in-1 processing is applied to PDL data 1401 and RIP processing can be appropriately performed thereon.

[0104] Due to the 2-in-1 processing, only one OCR text data list is created. Since the PDL text data list created from the original PDL data is divided into two, and the OCR text data list has been edited and processed into one, it is not possible to compare the coordinate information and check the text.

[0105] In view of this, in step S1506, the text checking unit 205 converts the PDL text data list using the RIP processing parameters acquired in step S1504, and creates a corrected PDL text data list. Fig.18 A PDL text data list 1801 created by correcting the PDL text data lists 1601 and 1602 is shown. The correction method may be a method of performing correction while checking one character in the text data and comparing a set of text data. In addition, the correction method may be a method of reversely converting the OCR text data list using RIP processing parameters and performing correction.

[0106] As described above, in the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the PDL data is edited according to the print settings, then converted into RIP data, and the acquired PDL text data is further corrected according to the parameters involved in the editing. In addition, the information processing apparatus acquires OCR text data from the RIP data according to the parameters involved in the editing. In the present embodiment, in the case where the PDL data is edited during the RIP process, in this way, the PDL text data is corrected while taking the RIP processing parameters into consideration. Therefore, even in the case where the PDL data is edited during the RIP process, the PDL text data and the OCR text data can be compared and checked, and character problems such as garbled characters, missing characters, and skipped characters can be checked. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even in the case where the PDL data is edited according to the print settings during the RIP process, an effect similar to that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0107] Other embodiments

[0108] The embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by providing software (program) for performing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and a computer or a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program.

[0109] While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An information processing device, comprising: one or more memory devices storing a set of instructions; as well as One or more processors that execute the set of instructions to: acquiring first text data related to text included in the first data from first data, the first data being print data; converting the first data into second data, the second data being raster image data; acquiring, from the second data, second text data related to the text included in the second data; and The first text data and the second text data are compared using the text position information, and it is checked whether the second data has an anomaly.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more processors execute instructions in the one or more memory devices to: storing the inspection result in a storage unit; as well as The inspection result is displayed on a display unit.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more processors execute instructions in the one or more memory devices to: The inspection result is sent to an external device.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more processors execute instructions in the one or more memory devices to: For each text included in the first text data, searching the second text data for text data having position information similar to position information of the text of interest; and When text data having position information similar to the position information of the text of interest is found from the second text data, it is determined whether the text of the first text data matches the corresponding text of the second text data.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein: The one or more processors execute instructions in the one or more memory devices to: When text of the first text data does not match corresponding text of the second text data, or when text data having position information similar to that of the text of interest is not found in the second text data, it is determined that the second data has an abnormality.

6. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein: The text data having position information similar to the position information of the text of interest is text data included in the second text data and having position information whose error with the position information of the text of interest is less than a predetermined threshold.

7. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein: The position information is coordinate information.

8. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein: The one or more processors execute instructions in the one or more memory devices to: Editing the first data according to print settings, and converting the edited first data into the second data; Further correcting the acquired first text data according to the parameters involved in the editing; and The second text data is acquired from the second data according to the parameters involved in the editing.

9. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein: The editing includes page merging, and image processing such as rotating, enlarging, and shrinking the image according to the paper size and paper orientation.

10. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: a printer for forming an image on a sheet; as well as A scanner, used to read images from originals, Wherein, the information processing device is an image processing device.

11. A control method for an information processing device, the control method comprising: acquiring first text data related to text included in the first data from first data, the first data being print data; converting the first data into second data, the second data being raster image data; acquiring, from the second data, second text data related to the text included in the second data; and The first text data and the second text data are compared using the text position information, and it is checked whether the second data has an anomaly.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to execute the steps of a control method for an information processing device, the control method comprising: acquiring first text data related to text included in the first data from first data, the first data being print data; converting the first data into second data, the second data being raster image data; acquiring, from the second data, second text data related to the text included in the second data; and The first text data and the second text data are compared using the text position information, and it is checked whether the second data has an anomaly.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer program for causing a computer to execute the steps of a control method for an information processing device, the control method comprising: acquiring first text data related to text included in the first data from first data, the first data being print data; converting the first data into second data, the second data being raster image data; acquiring, from the second data, second text data related to the text included in the second data; and The first text data and the second text data are compared using the text position information, and it is checked whether the second data has an anomaly.

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