Image inspection device, image inspection method, and computer-readable recording medium storing image inspection program

Abstract

Provided are an image inspection device, an image inspection method, and a computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program, which are capable of reducing the time required for processing from generation of a reference image to image inspection, and preventing or suppressing the occurrence of a situation in which inspection cannot be performed due to the fact that the reference image is not generated. An image inspection device (300) is provided with an image forming unit (330), a storage unit (390), an image inspection unit (350), and a determination unit (310). The image forming unit (330) forms an image on a recording medium on the basis of image data. The storage unit (390) stores a reference image for inspection of an image formed on a recording medium. The image inspection unit inspects the image formed on the recording medium on the basis of the reference image. The determination unit determines whether or not a reference image of an image inspected by the image inspection unit (350) is stored in the storage unit (390) after an image formation step performed by the image formation unit (330) is started.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image inspection device, an image inspection method, and a computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, methods are known for inspecting the quality of printed materials by comparing an image obtained by scanning printed paper (printed material) with a test image printed thereon with a reference image (e.g., Patent Document 1 below). In Patent Document 1, a user inspects several printed materials with test images printed thereon and uses the scanned images of printed materials determined to be free of abnormalities as the reference image.

[0003] There is also known a method of using a document image as a reference image and comparing the document image with a read image obtained by reading the printed matter to perform a quality inspection of the printed matter (for example, see Patent Document 2 listed below).

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-146514

[0007] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-53561 Summary of the Invention

[0008] However, in the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1, in order to generate the reference image for this printing, a user's inspection operation is required. In addition, it is necessary to prepare the reference image before starting this printing and then execute this printing. In addition, in the printed matter inspection apparatus of Patent Document 2, it is necessary to generate the inspection image (the reference image of this document) before starting this printing. Figure 6 The generation of the reference image is completed before step S117 in Figure 6 Therefore, there is a problem: Figure 6 Steps S101-S115) to image inspection ( Figure 6 The processing of steps S117-S119 in the above still takes a considerable amount of time.

[0009] To date, no technology has been proposed for simultaneously and in parallel performing the generation of a reference image and the inspection of a test image. To shorten the time required from generating a reference image to image inspection, the inventors have developed a technology that simultaneously and in parallel performs the generation of a reference image and the inspection of an image, using the generated reference image to perform image inspections sequentially. However, due to the time required to generate a reference image, it is possible that the reference image may not be generated during image inspection. In this case, inspection may not be performed.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. An object of the present invention is to provide an image inspection apparatus, an image inspection method, and a computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program, which can shorten the time required for processing from generating a reference image to image inspection and prevent or suppress situations where inspection cannot be performed due to the failure to generate a reference image.

[0011] The above-mentioned object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

[0012] (1) An image inspection device comprising: an image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium based on image data; a storage unit for storing a reference image used for inspecting the image formed on the recording medium; an image inspection unit for inspecting the image formed on the recording medium based on the reference image; and a determination unit for determining whether the reference image of the image inspected by the image inspection unit is stored in the storage unit after starting an image forming process by the image forming unit.

[0013] (2) The image inspection apparatus according to (1) above, wherein the determination unit determines whether the reference image is stored in the storage unit before the image inspection unit inspects the image.

[0014] (3) The image inspection device according to (1) above, wherein the image inspection section performs the inspection for each page of the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming section, and the determination section performs the determination for each of the pages.

[0015] (4) The image inspection apparatus according to (1) or (3) above, wherein the determination unit performs the determination at a timing when the image forming unit starts forming the image on the recording medium.

[0016] (5) The image inspection apparatus according to (1) or (3) above, wherein the determination unit performs the determination while the image forming unit is forming the image on the recording medium.

[0017] (6) The image inspection apparatus according to (1) or (3) above, wherein the determination unit performs the determination at a timing when the image forming unit completes forming the image on the recording medium.

[0018] (7) The image inspection device according to (1) or (3) above, further comprising a reference image generating unit that generates a reference image for inspecting the image formed on the recording medium based on the image data.

[0019] (8) The image inspection device according to the above (7), further comprising a control unit that executes a reference image generation process and an inspection process in parallel, wherein the reference image generation process includes generating a reference image by the reference image generation unit, and the inspection process includes forming the image on a recording medium by the image forming unit and inspecting a read image generated by reading the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image inspection unit.

[0020] (9) The image inspection apparatus according to (1) or (3) above, further comprising a control unit configured to control the image inspection unit based on a determination result of the determination unit.

[0021] (10) The image inspection apparatus according to (9) above, wherein when the determination unit determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the control unit stops the inspection by the image inspection unit.

[0022] (11) The image inspection apparatus according to (9), wherein when the determination unit determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the control unit stops the image formation by the image formation unit.

[0023] (12) The image inspection apparatus according to (9), wherein when the determination unit determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the control unit performs image formation by the image forming unit again.

[0024] (13) The image inspection apparatus according to (9) above, wherein when the determination unit determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the control unit interrupts the inspection by the image inspection unit.

[0025] (14) The image inspection apparatus according to (10), wherein when the determination unit determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the control unit notifies that the inspection by the image inspection unit is stopped.

[0026] (15) An image inspection method, comprising: step a, forming an image on a recording medium based on image data; step b, storing a reference image in a storage unit, the reference image being used to inspect the image formed on the recording medium; step c, inspecting the image formed on the recording medium based on the reference image; and step d, determining whether the reference image of the image inspected in step c is stored in the storage unit after starting the image forming process in step a.

[0027] (16) The image inspection method according to (15) above, wherein in the step d of performing the determination, it is determined whether the reference image is stored in the storage unit before the image is inspected in the step c of inspecting the image.

[0028] (17) The image inspection method according to (15) above, wherein, in step c of inspecting the image, the inspection is performed on each page of the recording medium on which the image is formed by step a of forming the image, and in step d of making the determination, it is determined whether the reference image of each page is stored in the storage unit.

[0029] (18) The image inspection method according to (15) or (17) above, wherein in the step d of making the determination, the determination is made at the timing of forming the image on the recording medium at the start of the step a of forming the image.

[0030] (19) The image inspection method according to (15) or (17) above, wherein in the step d of making the determination, the determination is made during the period of forming the image on the recording medium in the step a of forming the image.

[0031] (20) The image inspection method according to (15) or (17) above, wherein in the step d of making the determination, the determination is made at the timing when the image is formed on the recording medium after the step a of forming the image is completed.

[0032] (21) The image inspection method according to (15) or (17) above, further comprising a step e in which a reference image is generated for inspecting the image formed on the recording medium based on the image data.

[0033] (22) The image inspection method according to the above (21), further comprising a step f, in which a reference image generation process and an inspection process are performed in parallel, the reference image generation process including step e of generating the reference image, the inspection process including step a of forming the image on a recording medium and step c of inspecting the image, the read image being generated by reading the recording medium on which the image is formed.

[0034] (23) The image inspection method according to (15) or (17) above, further comprising step f of controlling step c of inspecting the image based on the determination result of step d of performing the determination.

[0035] (24) The image inspection method according to (23) above, wherein in the control step f, if the determination step d determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the inspection step c of inspecting the image is stopped.

[0036] (25) The image inspection method according to (23) above, wherein, in the control step f, if the determination step d determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the formation of the image in the image forming step a is stopped.

[0037] (26) The image inspection method according to (23) above, wherein, in the control step f, if the determination step d determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the image formation step a of forming the image is performed again.

[0038] (27) The image inspection method according to (23) above, wherein in the control step f, if the determination step d determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the inspection step c of inspecting the image is interrupted.

[0039] (28) The image inspection method according to (24) above, wherein in the control step f, when the determination step d determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the inspection step c of inspecting the image is reported to be terminated.

[0040] (29) A computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program, the image inspection program being used to cause a computer to execute processing including the following processes: process a, forming an image on a recording medium based on image data; process b, storing a reference image in a storage unit, the reference image being used to inspect the image formed on the recording medium; process c, inspecting the image formed on the recording medium based on the reference image; and process d, determining whether the reference image of the image inspected in process c is stored in the storage unit after starting the image forming process in process a.

[0041] (30) The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 29, wherein in the step d of performing the determination, it is determined whether the reference image is stored in the storage unit before the image is inspected in the step c of inspecting the image.

[0042] (31) A computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to (29) above, wherein, in process c of inspecting the image, the inspection is performed on each page of the recording medium on which the image is formed by process a of forming the image, and in process d of making the determination, it is determined whether the reference image of each page is stored in the storage unit.

[0043] (32) The computer-readable recording medium storing the image inspection program according to (29) or (31) above, wherein, in the process d of making the determination, the determination is made at the timing of forming the image on the recording medium at the beginning of the process a of forming the image.

[0044] (33) The computer-readable recording medium storing the image inspection program according to (29) or (31) above, wherein, in the process d of making the determination, the determination is made during the period of forming the image on the recording medium in the process a of forming the image.

[0045] (34) A computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to (29) or (31) above, wherein, in the process d of making the judgment, the judgment is made at the timing of forming the image on the recording medium upon completion of the process a of forming the image.

[0046] (35) The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to (29) or (31) above further comprises a process e in which a reference image is generated for inspecting the image formed on the recording medium based on the image data.

[0047] (36) A computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to (35) above, further comprising a process f in which a reference image generation process and an inspection process are executed in parallel, the reference image generation process including generating a reference image by the process e for generating a reference image, the inspection process including forming the image by the process a for forming the image on a recording medium and inspecting the image by the process c for reading the image, the read image being generated by reading the recording medium on which the image is formed.

[0048] (37) The computer-readable recording medium storing the image inspection program according to (29) or (31) above further comprises a process f in which the process c of inspecting the image is controlled based on the determination result of the process d of performing the determination.

[0049] (38) The computer-readable recording medium storing the image inspection program according to (37) above, wherein, in the control process f, if the determination process d determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the inspection process c of inspecting the image is terminated.

[0050] (39) A computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to (37) above, wherein, in the process f of performing the control, formation of the image in the process a of forming the image is terminated when the process d of performing the determination determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit.

[0051] (40) A computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to (37) above, wherein, in the process f of performing the control, when the process d of performing the determination determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the image formation process a of forming the image is performed again.

[0052] (41) The computer-readable recording medium storing the image inspection program according to (37) above, wherein, in the process f of performing the control, the inspection of the process c of inspecting the image is interrupted when the process d of performing the determination determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit.

[0053] (42) The computer-readable recording medium storing the image inspection program according to (38) above, wherein, in the process f of performing the control, when the process d of performing the determination determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the process c of inspecting the image is reported to be terminated.

[0054] According to the present invention, whether a reference image is stored in the storage unit is determined before inspecting the inspection image. This shortens the time required for processing from generating the reference image to image inspection, and prevents or suppresses situations where an inspection cannot be performed due to the lack of a reference image. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] Figure 1 This is a schematic block diagram of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] Figure 2 This is an example Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of the structure of the image forming system shown.

[0057] Figure 3 Is used to illustrate Figure 2 A block diagram showing an overview of the control operations of the control unit and the print controller unit shown.

[0058] Figure 4 This example is based on Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a processing procedure of an image inspection method of an image forming system shown in FIG.

[0059] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the respective processes of acquiring a document image, generating a reference image, forming a check image, and checking the check image in time series.

[0060] Figure 6 This is a diagram for explaining a modified example of the timing for determining whether a reference image has been stored.

[0061] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an image inspection method in the case of determining whether a reference image corresponding to an inspection image is stored after forming the inspection image and before reading the inspection image.

[0062] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an image inspection method in the case of determining whether a reference image corresponding to an inspection image is stored before forming the inspection image.

[0063] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an image inspection method when controlling the execution of an inspection process in the second embodiment.

[0064] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an image inspection method when controlling execution of an image forming process in the second embodiment.

[0065] Figure 11This is a schematic diagram showing the respective processes of acquiring a document image, generating a reference image, forming a check image, and checking the check image in a time series when recovery printing is performed.

[0066] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an image inspection method by the image forming system in the third embodiment.

[0067] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an image inspection method by the image forming system in the fourth embodiment.

[0068] (Explanation of symbols)

[0069] 100: Printing system; 200: Client terminal; 300: Image forming system; 310: Control unit; 311: Image control CPU; 312: DRAM control IC; 313: Memory; 314: Image memory (DRAM); 315: Compression / decompression IC; 316: Read processing unit; 317: Write processing unit; 318: Storage unit; 320: Print controller unit; 321: Controller control unit; 322: Reference image generation control unit; 323: DRAM control IC; 324: Image memory (DRAM) RAM); 325: Communication control unit; 326: Communication I / F; 330: Image forming unit; 331: Printer control unit; 332: Exposure unit; 333: Image reading device; 340: Image reading unit; 341: Scanner; 342: Scanner control unit; 350: Image inspection unit; 351: Image inspection control unit; 360: Operation display unit; 361: LCD / touch sensor; 362: Operation control unit; 370: Paper supply unit; 380: Reference image generation unit; 390: Storage device; 400: Communication line. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, identical elements are denoted by identical reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. Furthermore, for ease of description, the dimensional ratios of the accompanying drawings may be exaggerated and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0071] (First embodiment)

[0072] <Printing System Structure>

[0073] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is an example Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of the structure of the image forming system shown.

[0074] like Figure 1As shown, the printing system 100 includes a client terminal 200 and an image forming system 300. The client terminal 200 and the image forming system 300 are connected to each other via a communication line 400 so as to be communicable therewith.

[0075] The client terminal 200 may be, for example, a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, etc. A printer driver for converting document data into a print job is installed in the client terminal 200. The printer driver generates a print controller unit 320 (see FIG. 1 ) of the image forming system 300. Figure 2 ) and transmits the print job to the image forming system 300 via the communication line 400. Furthermore, the client terminal 200 includes a display capable of displaying printed matter inspection results (good / bad products), images of bad printed matter, and the like.

[0076] A print job includes, for example, print data in PDL (Page Description Language) format and job information. The print data, for example, includes print data for pages 1 through n. The job information includes, for example, print settings such as the number of pages, number of copies, paper (recording medium) type, size, weight, single-sided / double-sided printing, and verification settings (enable / disable). By enabling the verification settings, the user can instruct the image forming system 300 to perform an image inspection.

[0077] Communication line 400 may include a LAN (Local Area Network) that connects computers and network devices to each other using a specified standard, or a WAN (Wide Area Network) that connects LANs to each other using a dedicated line. Examples of the specified standard include Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), and Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity).

[0078] Furthermore, the number of the above components connected to the communication line 400 is not limited to Figure 1 The illustrated situation.

[0079] <Configuration of Image Forming System 300 >

[0080] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2As shown, image forming system 300 includes a control unit 310, a print controller unit 320, an image forming unit 330, an image reading unit 340, an image inspection unit 350, an operation display unit 360, a paper feed unit 370, a reference image generation unit 380, and a storage device (storage unit) 390. Image forming system 300 functions as an image inspection apparatus.

[0081] <Configuration of Control Unit 310>

[0082] The control unit 310 includes an image control CPU (Central Processing Unit) 311 , a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) control IC 312 , a memory 313 , an image memory (DRAM) 314 , a compression / decompression IC 315 , a read processing unit 316 , a write processing unit 317 , a storage unit 318 , and the like.

[0083] The image control CPU 311 develops various programs stored in the storage unit 318 in the memory 313 , and centrally controls the entire operation of the image forming system 300 in cooperation with the developed programs.

[0084] The reading processing unit 316 performs various processing operations, including analog processing, A / D conversion, and shading, on the analog image signals output from the scanner 341 of the image reading unit 340 to generate digital image (read image) data. Furthermore, the generated digital image data is output to the compression / decompression IC 315 via the DRAM control IC 312. The compression / decompression IC 315 compresses the digital image data and decompresses the compressed digital image data under the control of the DRAM control IC 312. Furthermore, the DRAM control IC 312 controls the input and output of the compressed / decompressed digital image data to and from the image memory (DRAM) 314.

[0085] The image memory 314 is formed of a DRAM and includes compression memory and page memory areas therein, and temporarily stores compressed image data, decompressed image data, and the like.

[0086] The writing processing section 317 outputs the decompressed digital image data to the exposure section 332 of the image forming section 330 .

[0087] In addition, in the present embodiment, the control unit 310 functions as a reference image determination unit. Hereinafter, the reference image determination unit will also be referred to as a "determination unit." After the image forming process by the image forming unit 330 starts and before the inspection of the inspection image is performed, the reference image determination unit determines whether the reference image of the inspection image inspected by the image inspection unit 350 is stored in the storage device 390. The image forming process refers to the process from the start of image formation to the completion of image formation for each page of the inspection image. For example, as a determination timing for determining whether the reference image is stored in the storage device 390, the reference image determination unit may determine whether the reference image is stored in the storage device 390 for each page of the inspection image just before the inspection of the inspection image by the image inspection unit 350 is performed.

[0088] The reference image determination unit, for example, has the function of determining, for each page, whether a reference image corresponding to an inspection image is stored in storage device 390. In addition to determining when an inspection image is about to be inspected, the reference image determination unit may also determine, at a determination timing described later, whether a reference image corresponding to an inspection image is stored, using image inspection unit 350, and output the determination result. For example, when storing a reference image in storage device 390, the reference image determination unit associates information related to the page of the corresponding inspection image (e.g., the page number) with the reference image and stores it in storage device 390. The reference image determination unit refers to the page-related information in storage device 390 to determine whether a reference image corresponding to the inspection image is stored.

[0089] <Configuration of Print Controller Section 320>

[0090] The print controller 320 analyzes the print job received from the client terminal 200 via the communication line 400 and performs processing such as color conversion, screening, and rasterization to generate a document image in bitmap format. The generated document image is sent to the control unit 310. The print controller 320 functions as a document image acquisition unit.

[0091] The print controller unit 320 is configured to include a controller control unit 321, a reference image generation control unit 322, a DRAM control IC 323, an image memory (DRAM) 324, a communication control unit 325, and a communication I / F 326. The controller control unit 321 centrally controls the operation of each component of the print controller unit 320. Furthermore, the controller control unit 321 receives print jobs from the client terminal 200 and the like via the communication I / F 326. The communication control unit 325 controls the communication I / F 326.

[0092] The received print job includes print data (primarily in PDL format) serving as the source of the original image, and job information describing print settings such as the type of paper to be used. Based on the print settings, the print controller unit 320 performs rasterization (RIP) processing, converting the print data into bitmap data on a page-by-page basis. The rasterized RIP image is temporarily stored in the image memory 324. Under the control of the DRAM control IC 323 of the print controller unit 320 and the DRAM control IC 312 of the control unit 310, the RIP image in the image memory 324 is temporarily stored in a compressed memory area within the image memory 314 via the compression / decompression IC 315. During normal printing, the RIP image stored in the compressed memory area is decompressed by the compression / decompression IC 315 and sent to the image forming unit 330 as the original image (image data) via the write processing unit 317 for printing.

[0093] At a predetermined generation timing, reference image generation control unit 322 outputs a reference image generation instruction to reference image generation unit 380 (described later) to generate a reference image based on the document image. The predetermined generation timing may be, for example, when the verification setting is enabled and the document image acquisition unit acquires the document image. Reference image generation unit 380 generates the reference image based on the reference image generation instruction.

[0094] Ideally, the read image generated by reading the inspection image formed on the paper can be considered to be consistent with the original image in terms of contents. However, when the inspection image formed on the paper is read by a scanner, errors may occur in the read image relative to the original image due to various reasons such as deviations in the paper's transport path, offsets in the reading position performed by the scanner, color reproducibility, and differences in paper types. In addition, errors may also occur relative to the original image depending on the resolution of the reading performed by the scanner. Therefore, if the read image is simply compared with the original image, there is a high possibility of errors, and it is unrealistic to check the inspection image by simply comparing the read image with the original image. Therefore, in order to enable comparison with the read image, the present embodiment is configured to perform various processing on the original image with respect to position, resolution, color, etc., to generate a reference image, and compare the reference image with the read image. Thus, the comparison with the read image is appropriately performed, so that printed matter can be inspected with high precision. Details of the reference image generation process will be described later. Figure 2 In FIG. 5 , the case where the reference image generation control unit 322 is provided in the print controller unit 320 is illustrated as an example. However, the reference image generation control unit 322 may be provided in the control unit 310 .

[0095] <Configuration of Image Forming Unit 330 >

[0096] The image forming unit 330 forms (prints) an image on paper using an electrophotographic process, including charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing steps, in accordance with instructions from the control unit 310. In this embodiment, the image forming unit 330 forms the inspection image inspected by the image inspection unit 350 on paper according to image formation conditions set based on the print settings. The image forming unit 330 includes a printer control unit 331 and an exposure unit 332. The printer control unit 331 is connected to the image control CPU 311 via serial communication and is controlled by the image control CPU 311. The printer control unit 331 drives the laser diode (LD) of the exposure unit 332 in response to signals from the write processing unit 317, forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the original document image on a photoreceptor (not shown). The toner image formed on the photoreceptor is developed in a development step and transferred to paper supplied from the paper feed unit 370. The unfixed toner image on the paper is then fixed by heat and pressure. The paper on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed to the image reading section 340 .

[0097] The image forming unit 330 also includes a printed sheet discharge device that distinguishes and discharges (clears) paper sheets (waste paper) on which inspection images detected as abnormal by the image inspection unit 350 are formed from paper sheets on which normal inspection images are formed.

[0098] <Configuration of Image Reading Unit 340 >

[0099] The image reading unit 340 includes a scanner 341 and a scanner control unit 342. The scanner 341 uses, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor to read paper (printed material) conveyed along the conveyance path. The scanner control unit 342 controls the scanner to read the inspection image formed on the paper conveyed from the image forming unit 330 in accordance with a reading instruction from the control unit 310. The scanner control unit 342 outputs the read image of the inspection image formed on the paper to the control unit 310.

[0100] <Configuration of Image Inspection Unit 350>

[0101] The image inspection unit 350 performs an image inspection based on the reference image. More specifically, the image inspection unit 350 acquires a reference image and a read image, and compares the reference image and the read image for each page to inspect the inspection image formed on the paper.

[0102] The image inspection unit 350 includes an image inspection control unit 351. The image inspection control unit 351 includes the image control CPU 311, or a CPU (not shown), RAM, ROM, and auxiliary storage device. The CPU executes an image inspection program to implement the image inspection function. For example, the image inspection control unit 351 calculates the difference (error) between the pixel values of the reference image and the read image for each page, and determines whether the inspection image is qualified based on the magnitude of the difference. The difference calculation can be performed for each page, each object, or each region. For example, when calculating the difference for each page, if the total value of the pixel differences within a page is less than a specified value, a "qualified" inspection result is output; if the total value of the differences is greater than the specified value, a "failed" inspection result is output. Alternatively, when calculating the difference for each object or each region, a "qualified" or "failed" inspection result can be output based on the total value of the pixel differences within the selected object or region.

[0103] When the inspection result of the inspection image is “acceptable”, the control unit 310 determines that the printed matter is an acceptable product. When the inspection result of the inspection image is “unacceptable”, the control unit 310 determines that the printed matter is an unacceptable product.

[0104] <Configuration of Operation Display Unit 360>

[0105] The operation display unit 360 includes a touch screen 361, an operation control unit 362, a numeric keypad (hard keys), a start button, a stop button, and the like. The touch screen includes, for example, a touch sensor and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) located behind the touch sensor. The operation control unit 362 receives input from the touch sensor and hard keys and transmits the input data to the control unit 310. Furthermore, the operation control unit 362 receives output data from the control unit 310 and displays it on the LCD. The operation display unit 360 is used to input various user settings (such as enabling / disabling inspection settings) and instructions (such as an instruction to start printing). Furthermore, the operation display unit 360 outputs (displays) information such as the status of the image forming system 300, inspection results (good / bad) of printed materials, and images of failed printed materials.

[0106] <Structure of Paper Feed Unit 370>

[0107] The paper feed unit 370 includes at least one large-capacity paper tray and feeds paper sheets one by one to the image forming unit 330 .

[0108] <Configuration of Reference Image Generator 380 >

[0109] The reference image generation unit 380 generates a reference image based on the document image acquired by the document image acquisition unit and outputs it to the control unit 310. The reference image generation unit 380 can be implemented by a CPU (not shown) separate from the image control CPU 311 and executing an image inspection program. This allows the generation of the reference image and the formation and inspection of the inspection image to be performed in parallel. Alternatively, if the image control CPU 311 is a multi-core CPU, the reference image generation unit 380 can be assigned to a core separate from the formation and inspection of the inspection image, allowing the generation of the reference image and the formation and inspection of the inspection image to be performed in parallel by the different cores.

[0110] Furthermore, conventionally, the same CPU has been used to generate the reference image and to generate and inspect the check image. Consequently, the CPU generated the check image for each page after completing the reference image generation, making it impossible to perform these operations in parallel. In this embodiment, different CPUs are used to generate the reference image and to perform these operations in parallel.

[0111] Furthermore, if the document image is complex, the computational load for generating the reference image may significantly increase. However, by having a CPU separate from the image control CPU 311 in charge of generating the reference image, the computational load on the image control CPU 311 can be reduced.

[0112] <Structure of Storage Device 390>

[0113] Storage device 390 stores the reference image generated by reference image generation unit 380. Storage device 390 may be, for example, a storage device such as RAM, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). When reprinting (re-printing) a document image, control unit 310 uses the reference image stored in storage device 390, eliminating the need to generate the reference image again. This reduces the time required to generate the reference image.

[0114] <Overview of Control Operations of the Control Unit 310 and the Print Controller Unit 320>

[0115] Figure 3 Is used to illustrate Figure 2 The control unit 310 and the print controller unit 320 are schematic block diagrams of control operations shown in FIG.

[0116] First, the control unit 310 receives a document image and job information from the document image acquisition unit (print controller unit 320 ) ((1) Image Input). The document image is a RIP image obtained by rasterizing print data.

[0117] When the reference image generation unit 380 receives a reference image generation instruction from the reference image generation control unit 322 ((2)-1 reference image generation instruction), it generates a reference image based on the document image acquired by the document image acquisition unit and outputs the generated reference image to the control unit 310. The control unit 310 stores the reference image in the page memory 1.

[0118] As described above, the reference image generation unit 380 performs various processing on the document image, including position, resolution, and color, to generate a reference image. For example, the reference image generation unit 380 can extract positional information of content from the document image and add or embed this positional information into the reference image, allowing the contents of the reference image and the scanned image to be compared. Specifically, the reference image generated by the reference image generation unit 380 includes alignment information, which is used to align the reference image with the scanned image during image inspection based on the reference image. This alignment information also includes image outline and edge information. Furthermore, the reference image generated by the reference image generation unit 380 includes area information related to inspection areas and inspection exclusion areas used during image inspection based on the reference image. Furthermore, the reference image generation unit 380 can adjust the resolution of the document image to match the resolution of the scanner used by the image reader 340 and generate the reference image by converting the color space of the document image to match the color space (e.g., RGB) used by the scanner used by the image reader 340.

[0119] Furthermore, upon receiving a document image from the document image acquisition unit, control unit 310 outputs an image formation instruction to image forming unit 330, thereby outputting the document image stored in page memory 1 to image forming unit 330 ((2)-2 Image Output). In this embodiment, image forming unit 330 forms a check image on paper based on the document image. The generation of the reference image by reference image generation unit 380 and the formation of the check image by image forming unit 330 are performed in parallel.

[0120] When the generation of the reference image is complete, reference image generation unit 380 notifies reference image generation control unit 322 of the completion of the reference image generation ((3)-1: Reference image generation completed). Furthermore, when the image formation on the paper is complete, image formation unit 330 notifies control unit 310 of the completion of the output ((3)-2: Output completed). Storage device 390 stores the generated reference image ((4)-1: Saving the reference image). The reference image determination unit determines, for each page, whether the reference image corresponding to the inspection image is stored in storage device 390.

[0121] Furthermore, upon receiving the notification of completion of output, the control unit 310 immediately outputs an image reading instruction to the image reading unit 340 ((4)-2 Image reading instruction). The image reading unit 340 reads the paper on which the inspection image is formed and outputs the read image of the paper to the control unit 310. The control unit 310 stores the read image in the page memory 2. When the reading of the paper is completed, the image reading unit 340 notifies the completion of image reading ((5)-2 Image reading completion).

[0122] Upon receiving notification that image reading has been completed, control unit 310 outputs an image inspection instruction to image inspection unit 350 ((6)-2 Image Inspection Instruction). Image inspection unit 350 obtains a reference image and a read image from page memory 1 and page memory 2, respectively, and compares the reference image with the read image to inspect the inspection image. Image inspection unit 350 then outputs an inspection result of the inspection image to control unit 310 ((7)-2 Image Inspection Result).

[0123] In response to an instruction from the user, the control unit 310 controls the display of the operation display unit 360 or the display of the client terminal 200 based on the inspection result of the inspection image so as to display the inspection result of the printed matter (conforming product / defective product).

[0124] <Image Inspection Method Using Image Forming System 300>

[0125] Figure 4 This example is based on Figure 1 The image control CPU 311 executes the image inspection program to achieve Figure 4 In addition, Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the respective processes of acquiring a document image, generating a reference image, forming a check image, and checking the check image in time series.

[0126] like Figure 4As shown, first, the control unit 310 acquires the document image (step S101). The control unit 310 receives the document image (RIP image) from the document image acquisition unit page by page, from the first page to the final nth page. Figure 5 exemplified in the case where original images of pages 1 to 8 are sequentially received.

[0127] Next, the control unit 310 stores the document image (step S102 ). When the print job starts, the control unit 310 stores the document image acquired from the document image acquisition unit in the page memory 1 page by page.

[0128] Next, the control unit 310 controls the generation of a reference image used for inspection of the inspection image. The reference image generation unit 380 generates the reference image in accordance with the control unit 310's instructions (step S103). For example, when the first document image is acquired and stored in the page memory 1, the control unit 310 controls the reference image generation unit 380 to generate a reference image based on the first document image. The reference image generation unit 380 generates the reference image based on the first document image. The reference image is generated similarly for the second document image.

[0129] Next, the storage device 390 stores the reference image generated by the reference image generating unit 380 (step S104). For example, the storage device 390 stores the original image of the first page and the second page. Figure 4 As shown, in parallel with the processing of steps S103 and S104, control unit 310 controls image forming unit 330 to form a check image on paper based on the document image and job information received from the document image acquisition unit. For example, control unit 310 performs print preparation and controls image forming unit 330 to form a check image on paper for the first document image page. Following the instruction from control unit 310, image forming unit 330 forms a check image on paper for the first document image page (step S105). After forming the check image for the first document image page, a similar check image is formed on paper for the second document image page.

[0130] Next, the image reading unit 340 reads the inspection image formed on the paper (step S106 ).

[0131] Next, the reference image determination unit determines whether the reference image for each page of the acquired document image is already stored in storage device 390 (step S107). Specifically, after reading the image formed on the paper based on the inspection image, the reference image determination unit determines for each page whether the reference image corresponding to the inspection image is already stored in storage device 390. For example, the reference image determination unit determines whether the page corresponding to the inspection image formed by image forming unit 330 is already stored in storage device 390. If the reference image is already stored (step S107: Yes), image inspection unit 350 compares the reference image with the read image to inspect the inspection image (step S108).

[0132] On the other hand, if the reference image is not stored (step S107: No), the image inspection unit 350 waits until the reference image is stored. For example, if the document image (page 1) that served as the source of the inspection image inspected in step S108 and the reference image of the same document image (page 1) are not stored, the image inspection unit 350 waits until the reference image of the document image (page 1) is stored.

[0133] Then, the control unit 310 repeats the processing of steps S101 to S108 until the inspection of the inspection images is completed for all pages (from the first page to the final n-th page) (step S109 ).

[0134] like Figure 5 As shown, the generation of the reference image by the reference image generating unit 380 and the formation and inspection of the inspection image by the image forming unit 330 are performed in parallel. As a result, the image forming system 300 can further shorten the processing time from the generation of the reference image to the inspection of the image compared to the conventional technology.

[0135] [Generation of a Reference Image and Formation of an Inspection Image on Paper in Parallel]

[0136] For example, in Figure 5 In the example shown, the generation and printing preparation of the reference images for page 1 (1P) and page 2 (2P) are performed in parallel, while the generation of the reference image for page 3 (3P) and the formation of the check image for page 1 (1P) are performed in parallel. Furthermore, the generation of the reference image for page 4 (4P) and the formation of the check image for page 1 (1P) are then performed in parallel. While the diagram shows the generation of the reference image for page 3 (3P) and the formation of the check image for page 1 (1P) starting simultaneously, this is not a limitation. The formation of the check image for page 1 (1P) can be started at an appropriate time after the completion of printing preparation, and the generation of the reference image for page 3 (3P) can be started at an appropriate time after the generation of the reference image for page 2 (2P). The same timing applies to the start of reference image generation and check image generation for subsequent pages.

[0137] [Generation of a reference image, formation of a test image on paper, and inspection of the test image performed in parallel]

[0138] Furthermore, thereafter, generation of the fifth page (5P) reference image, formation of the second page (2P) inspection image, and inspection of the first page inspection image are performed in parallel.

[0139] Thus, in this embodiment, a reference image is generated based on the receipt of the original image (with receipt of the original image as the starting point). Simultaneously, after printing preparations are complete, a check image is formed on paper and the check image is inspected. Furthermore, because the generation of the reference image and the formation and inspection of the check image are performed in parallel, the time required from generating the reference image to image inspection can be shortened. Consequently, the productivity of printed materials can be improved. Furthermore, before inspecting the check image, a determination is made as to whether the reference image is stored in the storage unit. This shortens the time required from generating the reference image to image inspection and prevents or minimizes situations where inspection cannot be performed due to the failure to generate the reference image.

[0140] <Printing Task>

[0141] As described above, when image forming system 300 receives a print job and, if the job information verification setting is enabled, generates a reference image and a check image in parallel. Control unit 310 and print controller unit 320 control the system so that reference image generation unit 380 generates a reference image and image forming unit 330 forms a check image in parallel for a single (identical) print job.

[0142] Alternatively, the image forming system 300 can also implement the generation of a reference image and the formation and inspection of a check image through separate print tasks. The control unit 310 and the print controller unit 320 control the execution of the reference image generation process (reference image generation task) and the inspection process (inspection task) in parallel. The reference image generation process includes the generation of a reference image by the reference image generation unit 380. The inspection process includes the formation of a check image on paper by the image forming unit 330 and the image inspection unit 350 performing image inspection of the read image generated by reading the paper on which the check image is formed. For example, the reference image generation process can be executed by a CPU different from the image control CPU 311, while the inspection process can be executed by the image control CPU 311. Alternatively, if the control unit 310 has a multi-core CPU, the reference image generation process and the inspection process can be assigned to different cores, with these cores executing the reference image generation process and the inspection process in parallel.

[0143] <Timing for Determining Whether a Reference Image Has Been Stored>

[0144] In the above example, the reference image determination unit determines whether a reference image corresponding to a test image is stored in storage device 390 after reading an image formed on paper based on the test image. The following describes a case where the determination unit determines whether a reference image corresponding to a test image is stored at another determination timing before the test image is inspected.

[0145] Figure 6 : is a diagram for explaining a modified example of the timing for determining whether a reference image has been stored. Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an image inspection method in which it is determined whether a reference image corresponding to an inspection image has been stored after the inspection image is formed and before the inspection image is read. Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the image inspection method when determining whether a reference image corresponding to the inspection image has been stored before forming the inspection image. Figure 7 、 Figure 8 The processing shown.

[0146] like Figure 6 As shown, the reference image determination unit may be configured to determine whether a reference image corresponding to the inspection image has been stored at any determination timing during the reading process from the start of reading the inspection image to the completion of reading, as another determination timing before inspecting the inspection image. More specifically, the unit may be configured to determine whether a reference image corresponding to the inspection image has been stored at the start of reading the image formed on the paper, during reading, or after reading has been completed. For example, the reference image determination unit may determine whether reference image 1 corresponding to inspection image 1 has been stored at the start of reading the image formed on the paper based on inspection image 1, during reading, or after reading has been completed.

[0147] refer to Figure 7 , for example, the case where it is determined whether a reference image has been stored at the time of starting to read is described. In this figure, each process of steps S201-S204, steps S208, and S209 is the same as the above Figure 4 The processes of steps S101 to S104, S108, and S209 are the same, so detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0148] After forming the inspection image in step S205, the reference image determination unit determines whether the reference image has been stored (step S206). If the reference image has been stored (step S206: Yes), the control unit 310 controls the image reader 340 to read the image formed on the paper (step S207). On the other hand, if the reference image has not been stored (step S206: No), the control unit 310 waits until the reference image is stored.

[0149] Furthermore, the reference image determination unit may be configured to determine whether a reference image has been stored at any determination timing during the image formation process, from the start of image formation to the completion of image formation, as another determination timing before checking the inspection image. More specifically, the unit may be configured to determine whether a reference image corresponding to each inspection image page has been stored at the start of image formation, during image formation, or at the completion of image formation.

[0150] refer to Figure 8 , for example, when starting image formation, it is determined whether a reference image has been stored. In this figure, each process of steps S301-S304, S308, and S309 is the same as that described above. Figure 4 The processes of steps S101 to S104, S108, and S109 are the same, so detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0151] After the document image is saved in step S302, the reference image determination unit determines whether a reference image has been stored (step S305). If the reference image has been stored (step S305: Yes), control unit 310 controls image forming unit 330 to form a check image on paper (step S306) and image reading unit 340 to read the check image formed on the paper (step S307). Control unit 310 then controls image inspection unit 350 to inspect the check image (step S308). On the other hand, if the reference image has not been stored (step S305: No), control unit 310 waits until the reference image is stored.

[0152] Furthermore, a plurality of the above-described determination timings may be combined. By combining a plurality of determination timings, image formation or image inspection can be suspended until the reference image is stored, thereby preventing a situation in which the reference image is not formed when the inspection image is inspected.

[0153] According to the information processing device, the image inspection method, and the image inspection program of the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be achieved.

[0154] Before inspecting the inspection image, it is determined whether the reference image is stored in the storage unit. This shortens the time required for processing from generating the reference image to image inspection, and prevents or suppresses the situation where the inspection cannot be performed due to the failure to generate the reference image.

[0155] (Second embodiment)

[0156] In the second embodiment, a case will be described in which the execution of the inspection process or the image forming process is controlled based on the result of determination as to whether or not a reference image corresponding to the inspection image has been stored. Figure 9This is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an image inspection method when controlling the execution of an inspection process in the second embodiment. Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the image inspection method when controlling the execution of the image forming process in the second embodiment. Figure 9 as well as Figure 10 In order to avoid duplication of description, the description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0157] <Control of the implementation of the inspection process>

[0158] exist Figure 9 In the embodiment, the processing of steps S401-S406 is respectively the same as that in the first embodiment. Figure 4 The processing of steps S101 to S106 is the same, so detailed description is omitted.

[0159] In step S407 , the reference image determination unit determines whether a reference image corresponding to the inspection image has been stored. If the reference image has been stored (step S407 : Yes), the image inspection unit 350 inspects the inspection image (step S408 ).

[0160] The control unit 310 repeats the processing of steps S401 to S408 until the inspection of the inspection images for all pages (from the first page to the final n-th page) is completed (step S409 ).

[0161] On the other hand, if the reference image is not stored (step S407: No), the control unit 310 skips the inspection of the inspection image and suspends the inspection (step S410). Specifically, the control unit 310 suspends the print job (inspection job). This suspends the formation of inspection images on the next and subsequent pages of paper and the inspection of these inspection images.

[0162] Next, the control unit 310 notifies the inspection suspension (step S411 ) and ends the process (END). For example, the control unit 310 notifies the inspection suspension by displaying a warning on the display of the operation display unit 360 , flashing or lighting a signal light, or sending an email.

[0163] <Control of Implementation of Image Formation Process>

[0164] exist Figure 10 In the embodiment, the processing of steps S501-S508 corresponds to the first embodiment. Figure 4 The processing of steps S101-S104, S107, S105, S106, and S108 in the above table is as follows. Figure 4 The corresponding steps are the same, so detailed description is omitted.

[0165] In step S505, the reference image determination unit determines whether a reference image corresponding to the inspection image is stored. If the reference image is stored (step S505: Yes), control unit 310 controls image forming unit 330 to form the inspection image on paper (step S506) and controls image reading unit 340 to read the image formed on paper (step S507). Control unit 310 then controls image inspection unit 350 to inspect the inspection image (step S508).

[0166] The control unit 310 repeats the processing of steps S501 to S508 until the inspection of the inspection images for all pages (from the first page to the final n-th page) is completed (step S509 ).

[0167] On the other hand, if the reference image is not stored (step S505: No), the control unit 310 skips the inspection of the inspection image and suspends the inspection (step S510). Specifically, the control unit 310 suspends the print job (inspection job). This suspends the formation of inspection images on the next and subsequent pages of paper and the inspection of these inspection images.

[0168] Next, the control unit 310 notifies the inspection suspension (step S511 ) and ends the process (END). For example, the control unit 310 notifies the inspection suspension by displaying a warning on the display of the operation display unit 360 , flashing or lighting a signal light, or sending an email.

[0169] In this way, the control unit 310 controls the execution of the inspection process or the image forming process based on the determination result of whether the reference image corresponding to the inspection image has been stored.

[0170] According to the information processing device, the image inspection method, and the image inspection program of the second embodiment described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

[0171] Based on the determination result of whether the reference image has been stored, the execution of the inspection process or the image forming process is controlled. Therefore, if the generation time of the reference image exceeds the time expected by the user, the increase in the waiting time of the inspection process can be suppressed.

[0172] (Third embodiment)

[0173] In the third embodiment, a case will be described where a sheet on which an image is formed based on a check image while the reference image is not stored in the storage device 390 is cleared, and an image is formed again based on the same check image after the reference image is stored in the storage device 390 (recovery printing). Figure 11This is a schematic diagram showing the respective processes of acquiring a document image, generating a reference image, forming a check image, and checking the check image in a time series when performing recovery printing. In order to avoid duplication, the description of the same configuration as the first embodiment is omitted.

[0174] The control unit 310 and the image forming unit 330 function as a recovery printing unit. For example, generally, the more complex the original image is, the longer it takes for the reference image generating unit 380 to generate the reference image. Figure 11 In the example, the second page original image is complex, so it takes time to generate the second page reference image. If the generation of the reference image is not completed before the corresponding inspection image is inspected, the recovery printing unit performs the recovery printing. For example, Figure 11 In the example shown, after the second page inspection image is formed, the second page reference image has not yet been generated. Therefore, the recovery printing unit waits until the reference image is generated before performing recovery printing of the second page document image (forming the second page inspection image). The control unit 310 removes the paper on which the second page inspection image has already been printed. This prevents paper with uninspected inspection images from being mixed with paper with normal inspection images.

[0175] Furthermore, the image inspection unit 350 can perform image inspection during recovery printing using the reference image stored in the storage device 390. This eliminates the need for the reference image generation unit 380 to generate a reference image again, thus saving time required to generate a reference image.

[0176] <Image Inspection Method of Image Forming System in Third Embodiment>

[0177] Figure 12 1 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the image inspection method based on the image forming system in the third embodiment. The processing shown in the figure is realized by the image control CPU 311 executing the image inspection program. In addition, the processing of steps S601-S605 is respectively the same as that in the first embodiment. Figure 4 The processing of steps S101 to S105 is the same, so detailed description is omitted.

[0178] In step S606 , the reference image determination unit determines whether the reference image is stored. If the reference image is stored (step S606 : Yes), the image inspection unit 350 reads the inspection image (step S607 ) and inspects the inspection image (step S608 ).

[0179] The control unit 310 repeats the processing of steps S601 to S608 until the inspection of the inspection images for all pages (from the first page to the final n-th page) is completed (step S609 ).

[0180] On the other hand, when the reference image is not stored (step S606 : No), the image forming unit 330 executes step S605 and prints the inspection image again.

[0181] Furthermore, when executing recovery printing, the document image stored in the page memory 1 in step S602 of the figure can be stored in the storage device 390. By using the document image stored in the storage device 390, not only is the generation and storage of the reference image (steps S603 and S604) unnecessary, but the processes of steps S601 and S602 are also unnecessary. Therefore, the control unit 310 and the print controller unit 320 control the print job so that only the generation and inspection of the inspection image are executed. This shortens the time from the start of the print job to the completion of the printed product inspection. Consequently, the productivity of printed products is improved.

[0182] (Fourth embodiment)

[0183] In the fourth embodiment, a case will be described in which the interruption and resumption of the inspection process are controlled based on the result of determination as to whether or not a reference image corresponding to the inspection image has been stored. Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the image inspection method based on the image forming system in the fourth embodiment. The processing shown in this figure is implemented by the image control CPU 311 executing the image inspection program. In addition, to avoid duplication, the description of the same structure as the first embodiment is omitted.

[0184] exist Figure 13 In the embodiment, the processing of steps S701-S706 is respectively the same as that in the first embodiment. Figure 4 The processing of steps S101 to S106 is the same, so detailed description is omitted.

[0185] In step S707 , the reference image determination unit determines whether the reference image has been stored. If the reference image has been stored (step S707 : Yes), the image inspection unit 350 inspects the inspection image (step S710 ).

[0186] On the other hand, when the reference image is not stored (step S707 : No), the image forming unit 330 interrupts the formation of the inspection image (step S708 ).

[0187] Next, the control unit 310 determines whether to resume image formation (step S709). For example, the control unit 310 waits until receiving an instruction from the user to resume image formation, and resumes formation of the inspection image if the instruction to resume image formation is received.

[0188] Next, the image inspection unit 350 inspects the inspection image (step S710 ). The control unit 310 then repeats steps S701 - S710 until the inspection of the inspection image is complete for all pages (page 1 to the final nth page) (step S711 ).

[0189] Alternatively, the control unit 310 may be configured to stop the device after the image forming unit 330 forms an image and immediately before the image reading unit 340 reads the image formed on the paper, and wait until the reference image is generated before performing an inspection.

[0190] According to the information processing device, the image inspection method, and the image inspection program of the fourth embodiment described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

[0191] Based on the determination result of whether the reference image has been stored, interruption and resumption of formation of the inspection image are controlled. Therefore, if the generation time of the reference image exceeds the time expected by the user, excessive advancement of formation of the inspection image can be suppressed.

[0192] As described above, the image inspection apparatus, image inspection method, and image inspection program have been described in the embodiments, but it is obvious that the present invention can be appropriately supplemented, modified, or omitted by those skilled in the art within the scope of its technical concept.

[0193] For example, in the first to fourth embodiments described above, a reference image is generated by the reference image generating unit 380 and stored in the storage device 390. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, a reference image corresponding to an inspection image may be generated or acquired in advance and stored in the storage device 390 before the inspection image is inspected.

[0194] In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the original image is generated based on the print job is described, but the present invention is not limited to this case. The image forming unit 330 may also be configured to have an image reading device 333 (see Figure 1 ), generates a document image based on an image generated by reading a document by the image reading device 333. For example, the image reading device 333 reads a document conveyed to a predetermined reading position by an automatic document feeder using a scanner, and generates image data.

[0195] Furthermore, the image inspection program can be provided via a computer-readable recording medium such as a USB memory stick, floppy disk, or CD-ROM, or it can be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is typically transferred to a memory device, storage device, or the like and stored there. Furthermore, the inspection program can be provided as a standalone application software, or it can be embedded in the software of each device as a function of a server.

[0196] Furthermore, in the embodiments, part or all of the processing executed by the inspection program may be replaced with hardware such as a circuit.

Claims

1. An image inspection device comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium based on the image data; a storage unit storing a reference image for checking the image formed on the recording medium; an image inspection unit that inspects the image formed on the recording medium based on the reference image; as well as The determination unit determines whether the reference image of the image inspected by the image inspection unit is stored in the storage unit after the image forming process by the image forming unit starts.

2. The image inspection device according to claim 1, wherein Before the image inspection unit inspects the image, the determination unit determines whether the reference image is stored in the storage unit.

3. The image inspection device according to claim 1, wherein The image inspection section performs the inspection on each page of the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming section. The determination unit determines whether the reference image for each page is stored in the storage unit.

4. The image inspection device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein: The determination unit performs the determination at a timing when the image forming unit starts forming the image on the recording medium.

5. The image inspection device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein: The determination unit performs the determination while the image forming unit is forming the image on the recording medium.

6. The image inspection device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein: The determination unit performs the determination at a timing when the image forming unit completes forming the image on the recording medium.

7. The image inspection device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein: The system further includes a reference image generating unit configured to generate a reference image for inspecting the image formed on the recording medium based on the image data.

8. The image inspection apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: It also has a control unit that executes a reference image generation process and an inspection process in parallel. The reference image generation process includes generating a reference image by the reference image generation unit, and the inspection process includes forming the image on a recording medium by the image forming unit and inspecting the read image generated by reading the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image inspection unit.

9. The image inspection device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein: The device further includes a control unit that controls the image inspection unit based on the determination result of the determination unit.

10. The image inspection apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: When the determination unit determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the control unit stops the inspection by the image inspection unit.

11. The image inspection apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: When the determination unit determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the control unit stops the image forming unit from forming the image.

12. The image inspection apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: When the determination unit determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the control unit causes the image forming unit to perform image formation again.

13. The image inspection apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: When the determination unit determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the control unit interrupts the inspection by the image inspection unit.

14. The image inspection apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: When the determination unit determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the control unit notifies that the inspection by the image inspection unit is stopped.

15. An image inspection method, comprising: Step a, forming an image on a recording medium based on the image data; Step b, storing a reference image in a storage unit, wherein the reference image is used to check the image formed on the recording medium; Step c, inspecting the image formed on the recording medium based on the reference image; as well as In step d, after starting the image forming process in step a, it is determined whether the reference image of the image inspected in step c is stored in the storage unit.

16. The image inspection method according to claim 15, wherein: In the step d of performing the determination, it is determined whether the reference image is stored in the storage unit before the image is inspected in the step c of inspecting the image.

17. The image inspection method according to claim 15, wherein: In the step c of inspecting the image, the inspection is performed for each page of the recording medium on which the image is formed in the step a of forming the image. In the step d of performing the determination, it is determined whether the reference image for each page is stored in the storage unit.

18. The image inspection method according to claim 15 or 17, wherein: In the step d of making the determination, the determination is made at the timing of forming the image on the recording medium in the start of the step a of forming the image.

19. The image inspection method according to claim 15 or 17, wherein: In the step d of making the determination, the determination is made while the image is being formed on the recording medium in the step a of forming the image.

20. The image inspection method according to claim 15 or 17, wherein: In the step d of making the determination, the determination is made at the timing when the step a of forming the image is completed and the image is formed on the recording medium.

21. The image inspection method according to claim 15 or 17, wherein: The method further includes a step e of generating a reference image for checking the image formed on the recording medium based on the image data.

22. The image inspection method according to claim 21, wherein: There is also a step f, in which a reference image generation process and an inspection process are performed in parallel, the reference image generation process includes generating a reference image in step e of generating the reference image, the inspection process includes forming the image in step a of forming the image on a recording medium and inspecting the image in step c of inspecting the image, the read image is generated by reading the recording medium on which the image is formed.

23. The image inspection method according to claim 15 or 17, wherein: There is also a step f in which the step c of checking the image is controlled based on the determination result of the step d of making the determination.

24. The image inspection method according to claim 23, wherein: In the control step f, if it is determined in the determination step d that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the inspection in the image inspection step c is stopped.

25. The image inspection method according to claim 23, wherein: In the control step (f), if it is determined in the determination step (d) that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, formation of the image in the image formation step (a) is stopped.

26. The image inspection method according to claim 23, wherein: In the step f of performing the control, if it is determined in the step d of performing the determination that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the image formation in the step a of forming the image is performed again.

27. The image inspection method according to claim 23, wherein: In the control step (f), if it is determined in the determination step (d) that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the inspection in the image inspection step (c) is interrupted.

28. The image inspection method according to claim 24, wherein: In the control step f, if it is determined in the determination step d that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, a notification is given that the inspection in the inspection step c is stopped.

29. A computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program for causing a computer to execute a process including the following steps: Process a: forming an image on a recording medium based on the image data; Step b: storing a reference image in a storage unit, the reference image being used to check the image formed on the recording medium; Step c: inspecting the image formed on the recording medium based on the reference image; as well as In step d, after the image forming step in step a is started, it is determined whether the reference image of the image inspected in step c is stored in the storage unit.

30. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 29, wherein: In the determination step d, it is determined whether the reference image is stored in the storage unit before the image is inspected in the image inspection step c.

31. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 29, wherein: In the process c of inspecting the image, the inspection is performed for each page of the recording medium on which the image is formed in the process a of forming the image. In the step d of performing the determination, it is determined whether the reference image of each page is stored in the storage unit.

32. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 29 or 31, wherein: In the step d of performing the determination, the determination is performed at the timing when the image is formed on the recording medium at the start of the step a of forming the image.

33. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 29 or 31, wherein: In the step d of performing the determination, the determination is performed while the image is being formed on the recording medium in the step a of forming the image.

34. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 29 or 31, wherein: In the process d of performing the determination, the determination is performed at a timing when the image is formed on the recording medium by completion of the process a of forming the image.

35. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 29 or 31, wherein: The method further includes a step e of generating a reference image for checking the image formed on the recording medium based on the image data.

36. The computer-readable recording medium storing the image inspection program according to claim 35, wherein: There is also a process f, in which a reference image generation process and an inspection process are executed in parallel, the reference image generation process includes generating a reference image by the process e of generating the reference image, the inspection process includes forming the image by the process a of forming the image on a recording medium and inspecting the image by the process c of reading the image, and the read image is generated by reading the recording medium on which the image is formed.

37. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 29 or 31, wherein: There is also a process f in which the process c of checking the image is controlled based on the determination result of the process d of performing the determination.

38. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 37, wherein: In the control process f, if the determination process d determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the inspection process c of inspecting the image is stopped.

39. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 37, wherein: In the control process f, if it is determined in the determination process d that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, formation of the image in the image forming process a is stopped.

40. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 37, wherein: In the control process f, if it is determined in the determination process d that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the image formation in the image formation process a is performed again.

41. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 37, wherein: In the control process f, if the determination process d determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the inspection process c of inspecting the image is interrupted.

42. The computer-readable recording medium storing an image inspection program according to claim 38, wherein: In the control process f, if the determination process d determines that the reference image is not stored in the storage unit, the process c of inspecting the image is notified of the suspension of the inspection.

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