Information processing system and method, diagnostic system and computer readable medium

Abstract

Disclosed are an information processing system and method, a diagnosis system, and a computer readable medium, the information processing system including one or more processors that acquire image data of a subject to be diagnosed, evaluate the image data on the basis of an evaluation criterion for each evaluation item related to image quality, and determine whether or not the image data is evaluated on the basis of the evaluation criterion. The evaluation method can be changed on the basis of the evaluation criteria in accordance with the evaluation results of the evaluation for each evaluation item.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, a diagnostic system and a computer-readable medium. Background Art

[0002] A comprehensive color image quality score prediction method is disclosed in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 9-218956, which uses as variables picture quality psychophysical quantities that represent psychological quantities of individual picture quality psychological factors that contribute to the comprehensive color image quality score of a recording device or a display device, wherein for each of the picture quality psychological factors, the relationship between the picture quality psychophysical quantities obtained for an existing recording device or display device and the comprehensive color image quality score is accumulated in advance in a memory as statistical data, and the comprehensive color image quality score of the recording device or display device of the evaluation object is statistically predicted using the statistical data in the memory, i.e., the relationship between the picture quality psychophysical quantities and the comprehensive color image quality score.

[0003] The following technology is disclosed in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 10-63859: the relationship between the comprehensive image quality score determined by the subject and the characteristics of the partial image at the position on the image that the subject pays attention to when determining the comprehensive image quality score, and the image quality evaluation value calculated based on the characteristic is learned; based on the learning result, the position of the partial image to be evaluated that is related to the image quality evaluation items required to determine the comprehensive image quality score is specified for the evaluated image, and the image quality evaluation value of the image quality evaluation items required to determine the comprehensive image quality score is calculated for the partial image information at the specified position; and the comprehensive image quality score of the evaluated image is calculated based on the calculated image quality evaluation value and the learning result. Summary of the invention

[0004] In image diagnosis, image quality is evaluated based on a preset standard for each item. However, since the degree of permissible image quality for each evaluation item varies from user to user, it is difficult to set a unified standard for image quality evaluation.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to realize a system capable of evaluating image quality in accordance with actual usage of users, as compared with a structure that evaluates image quality based on a unified standard.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing system comprising one or more processors, wherein the processors acquire image data of a diagnostic object, evaluate the image data based on an evaluation criterion for each evaluation item related to image quality, and are capable of changing an evaluation method based on the evaluation criterion according to an evaluation result in the evaluation of each evaluation item.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the information processing system of the first aspect, the processor can remove an evaluation item from the evaluation target when the evaluation result for an evaluation item satisfies a preset condition.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the information processing system of the second aspect, the processor can relax an evaluation criterion for an evaluation item when the evaluation result for an evaluation item satisfies a second condition different from the preset condition.

[0009] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the information processing system of any one of the first to third aspects, the processor is capable of changing the evaluation method related to an evaluation item when the evaluation results of multiple consecutive evaluations of an evaluation item meet predetermined conditions.

[0010] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the information processing system of the fourth aspect, the processor is capable of changing the evaluation method related to an evaluation item when evaluation results in multiple evaluations of an evaluation item continuously meet preset conditions.

[0011] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a diagnostic system comprising: the information processing system of any one of the first to fifth aspects; an image processing device which forms an image on a recording medium; and a reading device which reads the image formed on the recording medium by the image processing device and creates image data of a diagnostic object.

[0012] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute processing, wherein the processing comprises: a process of acquiring image data of a diagnostic object; a process of evaluating the image data based on an evaluation criterion for each evaluation item related to image quality; and a process capable of changing an evaluation method based on the evaluation criterion according to an evaluation result in the evaluation of each of the evaluation items.

[0013] According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method, comprising: a process of acquiring image data of a diagnostic object; a process of evaluating the image data based on an evaluation criterion for each evaluation item related to image quality; and a process of changing an evaluation method based on the evaluation criterion according to an evaluation result in the evaluation of each of the evaluation items.

[0014] (Effect)

[0015] According to the first and eighth aspects, compared with a configuration in which image quality is evaluated based on a unified standard, it is possible to evaluate image quality in accordance with actual usage conditions of users.

[0016] According to the second aspect, evaluation items unnecessary for the user can be removed from the evaluation of image quality.

[0017] According to the third aspect, it is possible to relax the evaluation criteria for evaluation items that are not important to the user.

[0018] According to the fourth aspect, unlike a configuration in which judgment is made based on a single evaluation result, the user's preference for image quality can be reflected.

[0019] According to the fifth aspect, a case where the evaluation result changes irregularly due to a malfunction or the like can be excluded.

[0020] According to the sixth aspect, in the diagnosis of the image output by the image processing device, it is possible to evaluate the image quality according to the actual usage of the user.

[0021] According to the seventh aspect, in a computer in which the program is installed, it is possible to evaluate the image quality according to the actual usage of the user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a diagnostic system to which this embodiment is applied;

[0023] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the structure of an image processing device;

[0024] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a computer that implements a diagnostic server;

[0025] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a computer realizing a terminal device;

[0026] Figure 5 is a diagram showing the steps of an evaluation performed by a diagnostic server;

[0027] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of application conditions when the diagnosis result is "NG";

[0028] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of application conditions when the diagnosis result is "Alert";

[0029] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of an evaluation in which the diagnosis result becomes "NG";

[0030] Fig. 9 It means in Figure 8In the example shown, this is a diagram showing an example of evaluation in which the evaluation item "contamination" is excluded from the evaluation target. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] <System Structure>

[0033] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a diagnostic system to which the present embodiment is applied. The diagnostic system includes an image processing device 100, a diagnostic server 200, and a terminal device 300. The image processing device 100 is a device that forms an image on a recording material such as paper using an image forming material such as a toner and outputs the image. In addition, the image processing device 100 has a function of reading the output image and sending it to the diagnostic server 200. The diagnostic server 200 is a server that evaluates the image received from the image processing device 100 and performs a diagnosis related to the image quality. The terminal device 300 is an information processing device for obtaining the diagnostic result of the diagnostic server 200 and presenting it to a manager or the like.

[0034] The image processing device 100 and the diagnostic server 200, and the diagnostic server 200 and the terminal device 300 are connected via a network, respectively. The network is not particularly limited as long as it can be used for data communication between devices. For example, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, etc. can also be used. Whether the communication line used for data communication is wired or wireless, they can be used together. It can also be configured to use a gateway device, a router, an access point, and other relay devices to connect each device via multiple networks or communication lines. The connection between the diagnostic server 200 and the terminal device 300 can use the same network as the network used in the connection between the image processing device 100 and the diagnostic server 200, or a different network. In addition, when the diagnostic server 200 is composed of a local server machine and is configured at the same location as the terminal device 300, the diagnostic server 200 and the terminal device 300 can also be directly connected.

[0035] <Configuration of Image Processing Device 100 >

[0036] Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the image processing apparatus 100 . The image processing apparatus 100 includes an image forming unit 110 , an image reading unit 120 , a display device 130 , an operation device 140 , a communication interface 150 , a storage device 160 , and a control device 170 .

[0037] The image forming unit 110 forms an image based on image data on a recording material using an image forming material. As a method of forming an image on a recording material, for example, an electrophotographic method of transferring a toner attached to a photosensitive body onto a recording material to form an image, an inkjet method of ejecting ink onto a recording material to form an image, etc. are used.

[0038] The image reading unit 120 is composed of a so-called scanner, and optically reads an image on a placed original document to generate data of the read image. As a method of reading an image, for example, a CCD method in which reflected light from a light source irradiating the original document is reduced by a lens and received by a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices), or a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) method in which reflected light from a LED (Light Emitting Diode) light source sequentially irradiating the original document is received by a CIS (Contact Image Sensor).

[0039] The display device 130 displays information images that present various information to the user of the image processing device 100, preview images of images to be processed such as read or output, operation images for the user to operate, etc. The display device 130 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display. The display device 130 and the operation device 140 may be combined to serve as a user interface unit for the user to input / output information to the image processing device 100.

[0040] The operation device 140 is a device for the user to perform operations such as inputting commands or data. The operation device 140 is composed of, for example, a touch sensor, which outputs a control signal corresponding to a position pressed or touched by a hard key, a finger, etc. It can also be configured as a touch panel composed of a touch sensor and a liquid crystal display constituting the display device 130.

[0041] The communication interface 150 is an interface for sending and receiving commands and data with an external device. As the communication interface 150, an interface corresponding to the communication method with the external device is used. The connection with the external device can be made via a network or by direct connection. The communication line can be a wired line or a wireless line. In addition, when the image processing device 100 has a facsimile function, the communication interface 150 includes an interface for a telephone line.

[0042] The storage device 160 stores programs or data executed by the control device 170, image data read by the image reading unit 120, log data generated by various operations, and other various data. The storage device 160 is implemented by a storage device such as a magnetic disk device or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0043] The control device 170 includes a processor as a computing unit and a memory as a storage unit, and performs various data processing and control of the image processing device 100 by reading the program stored in the storage device 160 into the memory and executing it. As a processor, in addition to a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (MicroProcessing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. are used. As a memory, for example, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) is used.

[0044] <Configuration of Diagnostic Server 200 >

[0045] Figure 3 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a computer that implements the diagnostic server 200. The diagnostic server 200 includes one or more processors 201 as a computing unit, and a main storage device (main memory) 202 and an auxiliary storage device 203 as a storage unit. The processor 201 implements various functions of the diagnostic server 200 by reading a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 203 into the main storage device 202 and executing it. As the processor 201, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. are used. As the main storage device 202, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) is used. As the auxiliary storage device 203, for example, a magnetic disk device, an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. are used. In addition, the diagnostic server 200 includes a communication interface 204 for connecting to the image processing device 100 and the terminal device 300 via a network.

[0046] The diagnostic server 200 executes a program through the processor 201 to evaluate the image acquired from the image processing device 100 to perform a diagnosis. The details of the evaluation and diagnosis of the image performed by the diagnostic server 200 will be described later. Figure 3 The structure of the computer shown is only an example, and the computer implementing the diagnostic server 200 is not limited to Figure 3For example, a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory or a ROM (Read Only Memory) may be used as a storage device. In addition, the diagnostic server 200 is not limited to the following. Figure 3 The individual computers shown may be configured by distributing functions among a plurality of computers, or may be implemented as a so-called cloud server constructed using resources on a network.

[0047] <Configuration of Terminal Device 300>

[0048] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing a configuration example of a computer that implements the terminal device 300. The terminal device 300 includes one or more processors 301 as a computing unit, and a main storage device (main memory) 302 and an auxiliary storage device 303 as a storage unit. The processor 301 implements various functions of the terminal device 300 by reading a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 303 into the main storage device 302 and executing the program. As the processor 301, for example, a CPU, an MPU, a GPU, a DSP, etc. are used. As the main storage device 302, for example, a RAM is used. As the auxiliary storage device 303, for example, a magnetic disk device or an SSD is used.

[0049] In addition, the terminal device 300 includes a display device 304 for displaying various screens and an input device 305 for performing input operations based on the user. The display device 304 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display. The input device 305 is composed of, for example, a touch sensor or a keyboard. It can also be configured as a touch panel that combines the touch sensor of the input device 305 and the liquid crystal display of the display device 304. In addition, the terminal device 300 includes a communication interface 306 for connecting to the diagnostic server 200 via a network. As the terminal device 300, for example, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a laptop computer, etc. can also be used. In addition, Figure 4 The structure of the computer shown is only an example, and the computer used as the terminal device 300 is not limited to Figure 4 For example, a structure including a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or a ROM as a storage device may be adopted.

[0050] <Evaluation and diagnosis of images by diagnostic server 200>

[0051] Next, the evaluation and diagnosis of the image by the diagnostic server 200 will be described. As a preliminary operation, the image formed on the recording material by the image forming unit 110 of the image processing device 100 is output, and the output image is read by the image reading unit 120 of the image processing device 100, and the read data (image data) of the output image is obtained. Then, the image data is sent from the image processing device 100 to the diagnostic server 200 as the object of evaluation and diagnosis by the diagnostic server 200.

[0052] Figure 5 : This is a diagram showing the steps of evaluation based on the diagnostic server 200. First, the image is evaluated based on the diagnostic server 200 for evaluation items related to image quality that are divided into multiple categories. Then, based on the evaluation results of each evaluation item, each category is evaluated, and based on the evaluation results of each category, the image quality of the entire image is evaluated. The evaluation of each evaluation item is performed using a score (hereinafter referred to as an "evaluation score") that is specified according to an evaluation standard that is set in advance for each evaluation item. Figure 5 In the example shown, "density", "stain in the plane", "periodic stain", "burst streak", "periodic streak", "contamination", "white spot", etc. are set as evaluation items, and "density", "stain in the plane", "defect", "noise", etc. are set as types. The evaluation item "density" is included in the type "density". The evaluation item "stain in the plane" and the evaluation item "periodic stain" are included in the type "stain in the plane". The evaluation items "burst streak" and "periodic streak" are included in the type "defect". The evaluation items "contamination" and "white spot" are included in the type "noise".

[0053] As described above, first, the diagnostic server 200 specifies the evaluation score of each evaluation item for the image of the diagnostic object based on the evaluation criteria of each evaluation item. There is no particular limitation on the evaluation items or the evaluation criteria. The specific setting of the evaluation items and the evaluation criteria can be set by the provider of the diagnostic system or by the user of the diagnostic system. In addition, the user can also change the initial settings made by the provider of the diagnostic system. In addition, the classification of types can also be set to a structure set by the provider or user of the diagnostic system. The diagnostic server 200 calculates the evaluation score of each type based on the evaluation score of each evaluation item specified based on the evaluation criteria, and then calculates the evaluation score of the overall image quality of the image of the diagnostic object based on the evaluation score of each type.

[0054] Here, as an example, a method of calculating the evaluation score of a type by weighting the evaluation scores of the evaluation items of the same type is described. For example, assuming that the full score of the evaluation score is 100 points, Figure 5For the evaluation item "in-plane stain" included in the type "in-plane stain" shown, the evaluation score is A1 points, and for the evaluation item "periodic stain", the evaluation score is A2 points. Additionally, there is a relationship of A1 < A2 among the respective evaluation scores A1 and A2. Moreover, the values obtained by subtracting the evaluation scores of the respective evaluation items from the full score of 100 points, i.e., (100 - A1) and (100 - A2), are multiplied by preset weight values in descending order of the numerical values. For example, the weight value for the largest numerical value is set as x1, and the weight value for the second largest numerical value is set as x2. Here, since A1 < A2, (100 - A1) > (100 - A2). Therefore, regarding the results obtained by multiplying the weight values, the calculated value for the evaluation item "in-plane stain" is (100 - A1) × x1, and the calculated value for the evaluation item "periodic stain" is (100 - A2) × x2. And, the value obtained by subtracting these calculated values from the full score of 100 points is used as the score for the type. That is, in the above case, the score for the type "in-plane stain" is calculated by 100 - (100 - A1) × x1 - (100 - A2) × x2.

[0055] The same operation is performed for other types to calculate the evaluation scores reflecting the weighting corresponding to the evaluation scores of the respective evaluation items. Then, based on the evaluation scores of the respective types and the weighting corresponding to the evaluation scores, the overall evaluation score of the image is calculated. In addition, the above calculation method is merely an example of a method for specifying the evaluation scores of types based on the evaluation scores of the evaluation items, and the method for specifying the evaluation scores of types is not limited to the above method. Also, in the above calculation method, regarding specific weight values, the number of evaluation items used for calculating the evaluation scores of types, etc., they can also be set individually by the provider of the diagnostic system, etc.

[0056] Next, the diagnosis of the image based on the evaluation scores will be described. Here, as an example, based on the evaluation scores of each evaluation item, the state of the image is judged in three grades: "OK", "Alert", and "NG". "OK" represents a diagnostic result where no problems occur in any evaluation item. "Alert" represents a diagnostic result where mild problems occur in one or more evaluation items. "NG" represents a diagnostic result where severe problems occur in one or more evaluation items.

[0057] The relationship between the evaluation scores of the evaluation items and the diagnostic results of the image is set as follows, for example.

[0058] "OK": Evaluation score ≥ 80 points

[0059] "Alert": 80 points > Evaluation score ≥ 20 points

[0060] "NG": 20 points > Evaluation score

[0061] In this case, when the evaluation score of any evaluation item is less than 20 points, the image diagnosis result becomes "NG". In addition, when the evaluation scores of all evaluation items are 20 points or more but the evaluation score of any evaluation item is less than 80 points, the image diagnosis result becomes "Alert". And, when the evaluation scores of all evaluation items are 80 points or more, the image diagnosis result becomes "OK". When the diagnosis result becomes "Alert" or "NG", the user can specify the evaluation item that is the cause of the diagnosis result and take measures such as changing the print setting of the image processing device 100 to improve the image quality.

[0062] When the above-mentioned diagnosis result satisfies the preset application condition, the diagnosis server 200 prompts the user to determine whether to change the evaluation method of the image quality. The application condition can also be set based on the evaluation results (diagnosis results) of multiple consecutive evaluations. A specific example of the application condition will be described later.

[0063] The content of the change in the evaluation method is set to be different between the case where the diagnosis result is "Alert" and the case where the diagnosis result is "NG". For example, the following operation can be performed: when the output of the image with the diagnosis result of "NG" meets the application condition, the evaluation item that will be the cause of the diagnosis result is excluded from the evaluation object, and when the output of the image with the diagnosis result of "Alert" meets the application condition, the evaluation criteria of the evaluation item that will be the cause of the diagnosis result are relaxed.

[0064] When the diagnosis result satisfies the application condition, the diagnosis server 200 sends a message to the terminal device 300 to inquire the user whether to implement a change in the evaluation method when the diagnosis result is "Alert" or "NG". The user refers to the message obtained from the diagnosis server 200 using the terminal device 300, determines whether to implement a change in the evaluation method, and responds to the diagnosis server 200.

[0065] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of application conditions when the diagnosis result is "NG". Figure 6In the example shown, image evaluation and diagnosis are performed every ten days, and for a certain evaluation item ("score C" in the figure), the output of images with an evaluation score lower than 20 points (therefore, the diagnosis result is "NG") occurs continuously. In this example, "NG" continues for sixty days (the period shown by the dotted line in the figure) from the first "NG" occurrence, and the diagnosis result does not improve. In other words, since "score C" is lower than 20 points seven times in a row, it becomes "NG". In this case, the diagnostic server 200 sends a message to the terminal device 300 to remind the judgment of the change of the evaluation method. The message is set to, for example, "The evaluation item "score C" has not improved for sixty days. Should this item be excluded from the calculation object of the evaluation score?" The user refers to the message displayed on the terminal device 300, determines whether to exclude the evaluation item "score C" from the calculation object of the evaluation score, and responds to the diagnostic server 200 from the terminal device 300.

[0066] For example, when a user does not consider a certain evaluation item (in this case, "score C") for an image output by himself, even if the element of image quality corresponding to the evaluation item is deteriorated, it is not considered a problem, and sometimes the image processing device 100 does not change the settings for improving the image quality. As a result, Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , in the evaluation of the image, the evaluation score of the corresponding evaluation item continues to be low. Therefore, the diagnostic server 200 prompts the judgment whether to exclude the corresponding evaluation item from the evaluation object.

[0067] Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of application conditions when the diagnosis result is "Alert". Figure 7 In the example shown, image evaluation and diagnosis are performed every ten days, and images with evaluation scores lower than 80 points (because the diagnosis result is "Alert") are continuously output for a certain evaluation item ("Y-surface stain" in the figure). In this example, "Alert" continues for sixty days from the first "Alert" (the period shown by the dotted line in the figure), and the diagnosis result does not improve. In other words, since "Y-surface stain" is lower than 80 points seven times in a row, it becomes "Alert". In this case, the diagnosis server 200 sends a message to the terminal device 300 to remind the judgment of the change of the evaluation method. The message is set to, for example, "The evaluation item "Y-surface stain" has not improved for sixty days. Please confirm the image quality related to this item. If there is no problem with the image quality, can the evaluation criteria be changed in such a way that the image quality level of this output becomes OK?" The user refers to the message displayed on the terminal device 300, determines whether to relax the evaluation criteria for the evaluation item "Y-surface stain", and responds to the diagnosis server 200 from the terminal device 300.

[0068] The evaluation and diagnosis of images performed by the diagnostic server 200 are described above, but the setting of the evaluation items or types in the evaluation of the above-mentioned images, the calculation method of the evaluation score of the type based on the evaluation score of the evaluation item or the setting of the weight value, the calculation method of the evaluation score of the image based on the type of evaluation score or the setting of the weight value, the type of diagnosis result, the threshold value of the evaluation score of the image associated with each diagnosis result, etc. are only examples. Various existing methods can be applied to the present embodiment, as long as the image of the diagnosis object is evaluated, the evaluation items related to the image quality are specified, and the image is diagnosed based on the evaluation of each evaluation item.

[0069] <Calculation example>

[0070] Next, a specific calculation example of the evaluation score is presented, and the influence of the change of the evaluation method on the evaluation score and the diagnosis result is explained. Here, as an example, the influence of the change of the evaluation method on the evaluation score and the diagnosis result when the diagnosis result is "NG" is shown.

[0071] Figure 8 : is a diagram showing an example of an evaluation in which the diagnosis result becomes "NG". Figure 8 In the example shown, as the evaluation score of each evaluation item, "density": 88 points, "in-plane stain": 80 points, "periodic stain": 87 points, "burst streak": 85 points, "periodic streak": 82 points, "contamination": 19 points, "white spot": 89 points are shown. In addition, as the evaluation score of each type calculated based on the evaluation score of each evaluation item, "density": 88 points, "in-plane stain": 85 points, "defect": 83 points, "noise": 30 points are shown. Moreover, as the evaluation score of the overall image quality calculated based on the evaluation score of each type, 34 points are shown. In addition, the diagnosis result of the image becomes "NG". In addition, here, the setting of the weight value used for the calculation of the evaluation score is not specified, and only the numerical value of the calculation result is shown.

[0072] exist Figure 8 In the example shown, since the evaluation score of the evaluation item "contamination" is low, the evaluation score of the type "noise" and the evaluation score of the entire image become low values. In addition, the image diagnosis result becomes "NG". Here, the user of the image processing device 100 may not pay attention to the presence or absence of contamination when using the image output by the image processing device 100, and may allow Figure 8 In this case, even if the diagnosis result is "NG", it is conceivable that the image processing device 100 is used continuously without changing the settings for improving the image quality related to the evaluation item "contamination". Therefore, the evaluation item "contamination" is excluded from the evaluation object.

[0073] Fig. 9 It means in Figure 8 The example shown is a diagram showing an example of evaluation when the evaluation item "contamination" is excluded from the evaluation object. Fig. 9 In the example shown, the evaluation score of the evaluation item "contamination" is deleted (in the figure, the numerical value is marked with a strikethrough to express this). Therefore, the evaluation score of the type "noise" only reflects the evaluation score of the evaluation item "white spots", which is 89 points. Moreover, with the change in the evaluation score of the type "noise", the evaluation score of the overall image quality becomes 84 points, and the image diagnosis result becomes "OK". Therefore, compared with Figure 7 In the illustrated example, the evaluation and diagnosis results of the image output by the image processing device 100 by the diagnostic server 200 are consistent with the contents expected by the user of the image processing device 100 .

[0074] The above is a description of the embodiments of the present invention, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiments, an application condition for reminding the user whether to change the judgment of the evaluation method of image quality is set based on the evaluation results (diagnosis results) in multiple consecutive evaluations. Moreover, as a specific application condition, a situation where the same diagnosis result continues for sixty days (or seven consecutive times) from the generation of the first diagnosis result ("NG" or "Alert"). The duration (continuation number of times) is just an example, and it can also be other periods or times. In addition, the application condition can also be set based on the proportion of a specific evaluation result or diagnosis result or the trend of the evaluation result in a certain period or a certain number of diagnosis results. After the diagnosis result of "NG" or "Alert" comes out, the diagnosis result becomes "OK" through the setting change of the image processing device 100. When "NG" or "Alert" is generated again, it may be caused by a different reason from the diagnosis result before the setting change. Therefore, in this case, the diagnostic server 200 can also be set to a structure that does not send a message to remind the user whether to change the judgment of the evaluation method of image quality.

[0075] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the image data of the diagnostic object is obtained by reading the image formed on the recording material by the image forming unit 110 of the image processing device 100 using the image reading unit 120 of the same image processing device 100. On the other hand, the image output from the image processing device 100 may be read by another image reading device, and the obtained image data may be provided to the diagnostic server 200 as the diagnostic object. In addition, various changes or structural substitutions that do not depart from the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention are included in the present invention.

[0076] <Note> (((1)))

[0078] An information processing system, characterized in that it has one or more processors, which acquire image data of a diagnostic object, evaluate the image data based on an evaluation criterion for each evaluation item related to image quality, and can change the evaluation method based on the evaluation criterion according to the evaluation result of each evaluation item. (((2)))

[0080] The information processing system according to (((1))) is characterized in that the processor can remove an evaluation item from the evaluation target when the evaluation result for an evaluation item satisfies a preset condition. (((3)))

[0082] The information processing system according to (((2))) is characterized in that the processor can relax the evaluation criteria of an evaluation item when the evaluation result of an evaluation item satisfies a second condition different from the preset condition. (((4)))

[0084] An information processing system according to any one of (((1))) to (((3))), characterized in that the processor is able to change the evaluation method related to the evaluation item when the evaluation results of multiple consecutive evaluations of an evaluation item meet predetermined conditions. (((5)))

[0086] The information processing system described in (((4))) is characterized in that the processor is capable of changing the evaluation method related to an evaluation item when evaluation results in multiple evaluations of an evaluation item continuously meet preset conditions. (((6)))

[0088] A diagnostic system, characterized in that it comprises: an information processing system described in any one of (((1))) to (((5))); an image processing device, which forms an image on a recording medium; and a reading device, which reads the image formed on the recording medium by the image processing device and creates image data of a diagnostic object. (((7)))

[0090] A program, characterized in that it enables a computer to implement the following steps: a step of acquiring image data of a diagnostic object; a step of evaluating the image data based on an evaluation criterion for each evaluation item related to image quality; and a step of being able to change an evaluation method based on the evaluation criterion according to an evaluation result in the evaluation of each of the evaluation items.

[0091] According to the information processing system of (((1))), compared with a structure that evaluates image quality based on a unified standard, it is possible to evaluate image quality in accordance with the actual usage of the user.

[0092] According to the information processing system of (((2))), it is possible to remove evaluation items unnecessary for the user from the evaluation of image quality.

[0093] According to the information processing system of (((3))), it is possible to relax the evaluation criteria of the evaluation items that the user does not attach importance to.

[0094] According to the information processing system of (((4))), unlike a configuration in which judgment is made based on a single evaluation result, the user's preference for image quality can be reflected.

[0095] According to the information processing system of (((5))), it is possible to exclude a case where the evaluation result changes irregularly due to a malfunction or the like.

[0096] According to the diagnosis system of (((6))), in the diagnosis of the image output by the image processing device, it is possible to evaluate the image quality corresponding to the actual usage of the user.

[0097] According to the program of (((7))), in a computer having the program installed therein, it is possible to evaluate image quality in accordance with actual usage by a user.

Claims

1. An information processing system, characterized in that: Having one or more processors, The processor Acquire image data of the diagnostic object, evaluating the image data based on an evaluation criterion for each evaluation item related to image quality, The evaluation method based on the evaluation criteria can be changed according to the evaluation result in the evaluation of each of the evaluation items.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The processor When the evaluation result for one evaluation item satisfies a preset condition, the evaluation item can be removed from the evaluation target.

3. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein: The processor When the evaluation result satisfies a second condition different from the preset condition for one evaluation item, the evaluation criteria of the evaluation item can be relaxed.

4. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The processor When the evaluation results of a plurality of consecutive evaluations on one evaluation item satisfy a preset condition, the evaluation method related to the evaluation item can be changed.

5. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein: The processor When evaluation results in a plurality of evaluations for one evaluation item continuously satisfy a preset condition, the evaluation method related to the evaluation item can be changed.

6. A diagnostic system, characterized in that: have: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5; an image processing device that forms an image on a recording medium; and A reading device that reads the image formed on the recording medium by the image processing device and creates image data of a diagnosis object.

7. A computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process, characterized in that: The process has: A step of acquiring image data of a diagnostic object; A step of evaluating the image data based on an evaluation criterion for each evaluation item related to image quality; as well as The step of changing the evaluation method based on the evaluation criteria can be performed according to the evaluation result in the evaluation of each of the evaluation items.

8. An information processing method, characterized in that: have: A step of acquiring image data of a diagnostic object; A step of evaluating the image data based on an evaluation criterion for each evaluation item related to image quality; as well as The step of changing the evaluation method based on the evaluation criteria can be performed according to the evaluation result in the evaluation of each of the evaluation items.

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