Image reading device and image reading method

Abstract

To enable a preview narrowed down to pages with a high possibility of erroneous determination in order to correct pages of a document determined to have erroneous characteristics.SOLUTION: An image reading device includes a scanner unit that scans a document consisting of a plurality of pages and reads an image for each page, an image processing unit that determines the characteristics of each read image of each page and performs image processing according to the characteristics, a display device that previews an image of each page that have undergone image processing, an operation detection device that accepts setting of an extraction condition related to the characteristics, and a control unit that extracts, on the basis of the set extraction condition, a read image of a page whose accuracy of determination related to the characteristics does not meet a predetermined standard among the images image-processed for each page, and displays the preview image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus and an image reading method that have a function of reading and previewing an original. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known an image reading device that reads a multi-page document using a document feeder, etc., processes the images, and then outputs or prints the data. For example, some office multifunction machines are capable of reading A4 size documents printed on one side at 100 pages per minute (200 pages per minute for documents printed on both sides).

[0003] Many of these image reading devices are equipped with a preview function that allows the user to check the finished state on the operation screen before outputting the scanned document. However, if there are many pages of the document to be scanned, it takes time to check on the preview screen for each page to see if the color, size, etc. of the scanned document image are as desired by the user, which is a cumbersome task for the user. As a result, the user's attention tends to be distracted, and the risk of overlooking a page that needs correction increases, especially when there are many documents with similar images. Therefore, in an image processing device that determines the type of document image for each page (such as text, photographs, or a mixture of text and photographs) and performs image processing, a function has been proposed that previews only pages determined to be of a certain document type (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-258798 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The method of Patent Document 1 has the function of previewing only pages that have received a specific judgment result, but when previewing a page that has been incorrectly judged in order to correct it, there is an aspect to this in that it is not possible to preview the page unless one finds out which judgment result the incorrectly judged page belongs to. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and provides an image reading device and an image reading method that enable a preview that is narrowed down to pages that are likely to be erroneously determined to have incorrect characteristics, in order to correct pages of a document that have been erroneously determined to have incorrect characteristics. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides an image reading device comprising: a scanner unit that scans a document consisting of multiple pages and reads an image for each page; an image processing unit that determines characteristics for each page of the image read for each page and performs image processing in accordance with the characteristics; a display device that displays a preview of the image-processed image of each page; an operation detection device that accepts settings of extraction conditions related to the characteristics; and a control unit that extracts and displays a preview of read images of pages from the image-processed images for each page, where the accuracy of the judgment related to the characteristics does not meet a predetermined standard based on the set extraction conditions.

[0007] From a different viewpoint, the present invention provides an image reading method including the steps of: a control unit controlling a scanner unit to scan a document consisting of multiple pages and reading an image for each page; determining characteristics for each page of the image read for each page and performing image processing according to the characteristics; accepting settings of extraction conditions related to the characteristics; and extracting, based on the set extraction conditions, read images of pages from the images image-processed for each page, for which the accuracy of the judgment related to the characteristics does not meet a predetermined standard, and displaying a preview. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The image reading device of the present invention is equipped with a control unit that extracts read images of pages where the accuracy of the judgment related to the characteristics does not meet a predetermined standard from among images processed for each page based on set extraction conditions, and displays a preview.Therefore, in order to correct pages of a document that have been incorrectly judged to have characteristics, it is possible to preview only pages that are likely to be erroneously judged. The image reading method according to the present invention also provides the same effects. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a multifunction peripheral as one aspect of an image reading device according to this embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the multifunction peripheral shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing details of the image processing unit shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4A] 4 is a first flowchart showing a flow of an image reading process in the first embodiment. [Figure 4B] 11 is a second flowchart showing the flow of the image reading process in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an operation for causing a preview display in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preview display of a page extracted as a result of the operation shown in FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an operation for correcting color / monochrome determination from the preview display shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an operation for correcting a blank judgment from the preview display shown in FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 9] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an operation for correcting the up-down determination from the preview display shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 10] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an operation for correcting a page size determination from the preview display shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 11A]11 is a first flowchart showing the flow of an image reading process in the second embodiment. [Figure 11B] 13 is a second flowchart showing the flow of the image reading process in the second embodiment. [Figure 12A] FIG. 11 is a first explanatory diagram showing an example of an operation for specifying a check item and previewing a narrowed-down page in the second embodiment. [Figure 12B] FIG. 13 is a second explanatory diagram showing an example of an operation for specifying a check item and displaying a preview of a narrowed-down page in the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preview display of an extracted page in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. (Embodiment 1) Configuration of the image reading device First, the image reading device in this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a multifunction peripheral as an example of an image reading device according to this embodiment, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the multifunction peripheral shown in Fig. 1. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, the multifunction device 100 includes a control unit 11, a memory 13 as a storage device, a printing unit 14, a scanner unit 15, an operation unit 19, an image processing unit 40, and a communication circuit 24. The operation unit 19 includes a touch panel unit 19t as an operation detection device and a display device 19d. The control unit 11 includes an operation recognition unit 11o, a display control unit 11D, a job control unit 11J, and a character recognition processing unit 11C.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 19 is provided on the housing of the multifunction peripheral 100. The touch panel unit 19t detects a user's operation on the display screen of the display device 19d. The operation recognition unit 11o recognizes the operation signal detected by the touch panel unit 19t and recognizes which element of the screen displayed on the display device 19d has been operated on. The display device 19d is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display device. The display device 19d displays a screen according to the control of the display control unit 11D.

[0012] The job control unit 11J determines the contents to be displayed on the display device 19d by the display control unit 11D based on the operation recognized by the operation recognition unit 11o and the state of the multifunction device 100, and updates the contents. Furthermore, the job control unit 11J recognizes the states detected by sensors (not shown) arranged in the scanner unit 15 and the printing unit 14. Then, it controls the operations of motors, actuators, devices, etc. (not shown) arranged in the scanner unit 15 and the printing unit 14. It also controls the image-related processing of the image processing unit 40 to read, print, and preview the image of the document.

[0013] The character recognition processing unit 11C performs character recognition and layout recognition processing on the image of the document stored in the memory 13. As a specific configuration, the control unit 11 is composed mainly of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit). In the following description, CPU and MPU are collectively referred to as processor. In addition to the processor, the control unit 11 is composed of hardware resources such as memory, an input / output interface circuit, and a timer circuit. The processor executes a control program stored in the memory to realize various jobs related to operation recognition, display control, reading of document images, printing of images, etc., in other words, a series of processes related to image formation.

[0014] The memory 13 includes a non-volatile memory that stores function settings related to program functions. An example of hardware constituting the non-volatile memory is a flash memory. The memory 13 may be included in the control unit 11. That is, the memory 13 may be configured integrally with the memory included in the control unit. The above-mentioned processor executes processing according to the control program stored in the memory included in the control unit 11 or the memory 13, and controls the multifunction device 100. That is, the functions of the control unit 11 are realized by the cooperation of software resources and hardware resources.

[0015] The control unit 11 and the printing unit 14, and the control unit 11 and the scanner unit 15 are each connected so as to be able to transfer data. The communication circuit 24 is a circuit for communicating data with external devices via a network. 1, the multifunction peripheral 100 includes a document transport unit 16. The multifunction peripheral 100 also includes a document table (not shown in FIG. 1) that is hidden by the document transport unit 16. The scanner unit 15 reads an image of an original document under the control of the job control unit 11J and converts it into a color image signal of RGB (red, green and blue) (RGB analog signal). That is, it executes image reading processing for copy, fax and scanner jobs. The image processing unit 40 generates image data based on an image signal output by the scanner unit 15. Alternatively, the image processing unit 40 generates image data for printing based on print data received via the communication circuit 24. The generated image data is then printed by the printing unit 14, or transmitted to an external device via the communication circuit 24.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 100 includes paper trays 17a and 17b and output trays 18a, 18b and 18c. The paper tray 17a accommodates sheets of various sizes individually, and the paper tray 17b is a manual feed tray, and the area where the paper is placed is exposed so that the user can easily replace the paper. A paper feed mechanism (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) conveys a sheet set in the selected paper tray 17a or 17b to the printing unit 14 under the control of the job control unit 11J. The printing unit 14 prints the specified image data on a sheet fed from the paper tray 17a or 17b under the control of the job control unit 11J. Examples of jobs related to printing include a print job as a printer, a copy job as a copier, and a facsimile reception job related to fax reception. A paper discharge mechanism (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) discharges the sheet printed by the printing unit 14 to one of the selected discharge trays 18a, 18b, and 18c under the control of the job control unit 11J.

[0017] <Image processing unit configuration> Next, the image processing unit 40 for performing image processing on the image of each page of the read document will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing details of the image processing unit shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the image processing unit 40 is an integrated circuit that performs image processing on image data (image signals), and is composed of an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). As shown in FIG. 3, the image processing unit 40 includes blocks of an A / D (Analog / Digital) conversion unit 42, a shading correction unit 43, an input processing unit 44, an automatic document type determination unit 45, a segmentation processing unit 46, a compression unit 47, and a segmentation signal compression unit 48. The image processing unit 40 further includes blocks of a decoding unit 49, a segmentation signal decoding unit 50, an image quality adjustment unit 51, a color correction unit 53, a black generation / undercolor removal unit 54, a spatial filter unit 55, a magnification change unit 56, an output tone correction unit 57, and a halftone generation unit 58. The contents of the processing executed in each block of the image processing unit 40 will be described using the reading operation of a copy job as an example. A copy job is a job in which a document is read and printed.

[0018] The A / D conversion unit 42 is a block that converts color image signals (RGB analog signals) sent from the scanner unit 15 into digital image data (RGB digital signals). The shading correction unit 43 is a block that performs processing on the image data sent from the A / D conversion unit 42 to remove various distortions that occur in the illumination, optical system, and imaging circuit of the scanner unit 15. The input processing unit 44 is a block that performs tone conversion processing such as gamma correction processing on each of the RGB image data sent from the shading correction unit 43.

[0019] The automatic document type determination unit 45 determines the type of the document read by the scanner unit 15 based on the RGB image data (RGB density signal) that has been subjected to gamma correction and other processes by the input processing unit 44. The document types to be determined include text documents, printed photo documents, text-printed photo documents in which text and printed photos are mixed, and the like. The text documents, printed photo documents, text-printed photo documents, and the like are determined by the document type determination unit 45a of the automatic document type determination unit 45. As shown in FIG. 3, the automatic document type determination unit 45 includes, in addition to the document type determination unit 45a, a color / monochrome determination unit 45b that performs an automatic color determination process (ACS: Auto Color Selection) that is a process for determining whether the document is a color document or a black-and-white document, and a blank document determination unit 45c that performs a process for determining whether the document is a blank document (whether the document is a plain document or not). The RGB image data output from the automatic document type determination unit 45 is input to the region separation processing unit 46 and the compression unit 47. Furthermore, a color / monochrome determination signal indicating the determination result by the color / monochrome determination unit 45b, a document type determination signal indicating the determination result by the automatic document determination unit 45a, and a blank document determination signal indicating the determination result by the blank document determination unit 45c are input to the area separation processing unit 46 and the compression unit 47.

[0020] The region separation processing unit 46 performs processing to determine, for each pixel of the input image, what image region the pixel is classified into, based on the RGB image data sent from the automatic document type determination unit 45, and to generate a region separation signal indicating the determination result. Here, the image regions determined by the region separation processing unit 46 include black character regions, color character regions, halftone dot regions, etc.

[0021] The compression unit 47 is a block that performs processing to encode the image data (RGB signal) sent from the document type automatic determination unit 45. The encoding is performed based on, for example, the JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) method.

[0022] The segmentation signal compression unit 48 is a block that performs compression processing on the segmentation signal generated for each pixel. The compression processing in the segmentation signal compression unit 48 is performed based on, for example, the MMR (Modified Modified Read) method or the MR (Modified Read) method, which are lossless compression methods.

[0023] The control unit 11 associates the encoded code (encoded image data) output from the compression unit 47 with the segmentation signal code (compressed segmentation signal) output from the segmentation signal compression unit 48. Furthermore, the document type data generated based on the color / monochrome determination signal and the blank document determination signal is associated with each other and temporarily stored in the memory 13, and managed as filing data. Here, the document type data in this embodiment is generated based on the color / monochrome determination signal and the blank document determination signal, but the document type data may be generated based on at least one of the color / monochrome determination signal, the blank document determination signal, and the document type determination signal. Then, when a copy output operation is instructed, the control unit 11 reads out the encoded code and the segmentation signal code corresponding to the encoded code from the memory 13, and transfers them to the decoding unit 49 and the segmentation signal decoding unit 50, respectively. Note that when the document type data indicates a blank document, the above reading is not performed. That is, this document is not printed or output.

[0024] The control unit 11 writes the storage address or data name of the encoded code and the storage address of the area separation signal code in the management table in association with each other. That is, the control unit 11 uses the management table to control the reading or writing of the encoded code and the area separation signal code.

[0025] The decoding unit 49 performs a decoding process on the coded code, thereby expanding the coded code into RGB image data. The segmentation signal decoding unit 50 performs a decoding process on the segmentation signal code. The decoded segmentation signal is passed to the black generation / under color removal unit 54, the spatial filter unit 55, and the halftone generation unit 58. The black generation / under color removal unit 54, the spatial filter unit 55, and the halftone generation unit 58 switch the image processing contents according to the type of image area.

[0026] The image quality adjustment unit 51 performs background removal correction by detecting the background of the RGB image data sent from the decoding unit 49. Furthermore, the image quality adjustment unit 51 adjusts the RGB balance (color adjustment, overall color adjustment such as reddish / blueish), brightness, and vividness based on the setting information input by the user from the touch panel unit 19t of the operation unit 19.

[0027] Furthermore, when the black and white mode is selected, or when the document is determined to be a monochrome document in the automatic determination mode, the image quality adjustment unit 51 performs a process of converting RGB image data into K (black) single-color image data.

[0028] That is, in the case of full color mode, or when the document is determined to be a color document in the automatic determination mode, the output from the image quality adjustment unit 51 is RGB image data as shown in Fig. 3. On the other hand, when the black and white mode is selected, or when the document is determined to be a monochrome document in the automatic determination mode, the output from the image quality adjustment unit 51 is K image data instead of RGB.

[0029] The color correction unit 53 is a block that performs color correction processing to convert RGB image data into CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow) image data in the full color mode or for an original determined to be a full color original in the automatic discrimination mode, and also performs processing to improve color reproducibility of the image data. Note that the above color correction processing is realized by creating a LUT (lookup table) that associates input values ​​(RGB) with output values ​​(CMY) and looking up the output values ​​from the created LUT.

[0030] In addition, in the case of black and white mode, or when the document is determined to be monochrome in the automatic detection mode, the color correction unit 53 does not perform any processing on the K image data, but passes the image data directly to the black generation / undercolor removal unit 54 (passes it through).

[0031] In the case of full color mode, or when it is determined that the original is a color original in the automatic discrimination mode, the black generation / under color removal unit 54 performs black generation to generate black (K) image data from the CMY image data output from the color correction unit 53. It also performs processing to generate new CMY image data by subtracting black (K) image data from the original CMY image data. As a result, in the case of full color mode, or when it is determined that the original is a color original in the automatic discrimination mode, the CMY image data is converted into CMYK four-color image data by the black generation / under color removal unit 54 as shown in FIG.

[0032] In addition, in the case of black and white mode, or when the document is determined to be a monochrome document in the automatic detection mode, the black generation / undercolor removal unit 54 does not perform any processing on the K image data output from the color correction unit 53, and passes the image data directly to the downstream spatial filter unit 55 (passes it through).

[0033] When full color mode is selected, or for a document determined to be a full color document in the automatic discrimination mode, the output of the black generation / under color removal unit 54 and the input / output of each block subsequent to the black generation / under color removal unit 54 are CMYK image data as shown in Fig. 3. However, for a document determined to be a monochrome document in the black and white mode or automatic discrimination mode, the output of the black generation / under color removal unit 54 and the input / output of each block subsequent to the black generation / under color removal unit 54 are K image data, unlike Fig. 3.

[0034] The spatial filter unit 55 performs spatial filtering (enhancement processing, smoothing processing, etc.) using a digital filter based on the segmentation signal (segment classification signal) on the CMYK or K image data output from the black generation / undercolor removal unit 54. That is, in the spatial filter unit 55, different image processing is executed for each image region based on the segmentation signal. The magnification change unit 56 is a block that performs enlargement or reduction processing of an image based on a magnification change operation (information indicating the magnification of a print image) input by a user via the operation unit 19.

[0035] The output tone correction unit 57 is a block that performs output gamma correction processing for outputting the image data output from the magnification change unit 56 onto a recording medium such as paper. The halftone generation unit 58 uses an error diffusion method or a dither method to execute a tone reproduction process (halftone generation process) required for printing an image in the printing unit 14. The CMYK or K image data output from the halftone generating section 58 is then passed to the printing unit 14, which prints an image of the image data on a sheet. The above is a description of the image processing in the copy mode in which the scanned document is printed.

[0036] On the other hand, when a preview of an image to be printed in a copy job is displayed, the image processing unit 40 performs image processing for outputting an image read by the scanner unit 15 to the display device 19 d of the operation unit 19 . The contents of the processing in each block are generally similar to those of a copier job, but color correction unit 53 performs processing to convert input RGB image data into R'G'B' image data that matches the color space of display device 19d. Each subsequent block processes R'G'B' image data in accordance with the characteristics (resolution, gradation characteristics, etc.) of the display device 19d, instead of the CMYK image data shown in Fig. 3. Note that the halftone generation unit 58 outputs the image data without performing any processing (passes through). In the preview display in this embodiment, gradation reproduction processing using error diffusion or dithering is not performed.

[0037] When performing character recognition processing, image data output from image processing unit 40 is stored in memory 13, and character recognition processing section 11C performs processing for recognizing the layout and characters for each page of the stored image data. The up-down direction of the page is determined based on the up-down direction of the recognized characters. The inclination of the image may also be determined based on the arrangement of the recognized characters.

[0038] <Preview display of extracted pages and correction of misjudgments> 4A and 4B are flowcharts showing the flow of image reading processing executed by the control unit 11 as the job control unit 11J in this embodiment. First, the overall flow of image reading processing in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4A and 4B.

[0039] The control unit 11 as the operation recognition unit 11o accepts settings for a job involving reading of a document on the basic copy screen 70 shown in Fig. 5. Then, it is checked whether the [check misjudgment] key 71 has been touched (see step S11 in Fig. 4A). When the job is set and the [Check for misjudgment] key 71 is touched by the user's finger F (Yes in step S11), the control unit 11 as the job control unit 11J causes the scanner unit 15 to read the document one page at a time. Then, the control unit 11 causes the image processing unit 40 to perform image processing according to the job set for the image of each page (step S21). When all pages have been read (Yes in step S23), the read image of the page that is most likely to be misjudged in the image processing among the pages of the read document is previewed on the display device 19d (step S25). The preview screen displayed and the processing after the preview display will be described later.

[0040] If the judgment in step S11 above indicates that the [Check Misjudgment] key 71 has not been touched, the control unit 11 as the operation recognition unit 11o then judges whether the [Check All Images] key 72 on the copy basic screen 70 has been touched (step S31). If the [Check All Images] key 72 has been touched (Yes in step S31), the control unit 11 as the job control unit 11J causes the scanner unit 15 to read the document one page at a time, and causes the image processing unit 40 to perform image processing according to the job set for the image of each page (step S33). After all pages have been read (Yes in step S35), the page of each read document is previewed on the display device 19d (step S37). The subsequent processing will be described later.

[0041] In the example of the operation screen shown in Fig. 5, two options related to preview are presented: a [Check misjudgment] key 71 and a [Check all images] key 72. That is, the user is provided with the option of previewing only pages where there is a possibility of misjudgment or all pages. As a different aspect, it is possible to present a [Preview] key instead of the two operation keys, the [Check misjudgment] key 71 and the [Check all images] key 72 shown in Fig. 5. In that case, the control unit 11 may display the page where there is a possibility of misjudgment at the top of the list display of previews shown in Fig. 6, and subsequently display preview images of all pages or the remaining pages in page order. 5, the page with the possibility of misjudgment may be displayed at the top of the list when the [Check misjudgment] key 71 is touched, followed by preview images of all pages or the remaining pages in page order. When the [Check all images] key 72 is touched, preview images of all pages are displayed in page order.

[0042] If it is determined in step S31 that the [Check all images] key 72 has not been touched, the control unit 11 as the operation recognition unit 11o then determines whether or not the [Start] key 76 on the copy basic screen 70 has been touched (step S41). If the [Start] key 76 has been touched, the control unit 11 as the job control unit 11J causes the scanner unit 15 to read the document one page at a time, and causes the image processing unit 40 to perform image processing according to the job set for the image of each page (step S43).

[0043] When all pages have been read (Yes in step S45), the control unit 11 as the job control unit 11J prints or outputs the images of each read document according to the type of job that has been set. That is, in the case of a copy job, the control unit 11 causes the printing unit 14 to print. In the case of a scan job, the data of the read images is sent to an external device via the communication circuit 24 to a set destination or storage destination. Depending on the job settings, the data may be stored in the memory 13. Then, the process ends.

[0044] Next, the process after the preview will be described. After the read image is previewed on the display device 19d in the aforementioned step S25 or S37, the control unit 11, functioning as the job control unit 11J, monitors whether or not an instruction to correct the preview image of any page has been given (step S51 in FIG. 4B). If it is determined that there is no instruction to correct any of the preview images (No in step S51), the control unit 11 as the job control unit 11J prints or outputs the images of each of the scanned documents according to the type of job that has been set (step S61), and then ends the process.

[0045] On the other hand, if an instruction to correct any of the displayed preview images is received (Yes in step S51), the control unit 11 as the job control unit 11J corrects the image processing of the corresponding page according to the instruction to correct (step S53), and displays a preview of the corrected image for the corrected page (step S55). After the image of the corrected page is previewed on the display device 19d, the control unit 11 functioning as the job control unit 11J monitors whether or not an instruction to correct the preview image of any page has been given (step S57).

[0046] If it is determined that there is no instruction to correct any of the preview images (No in step S57), the control unit 11 as the job control unit 11J prints or outputs the images of each of the scanned documents according to the type of job that has been set (step S61), and then ends the process. If an instruction to correct any of the displayed preview images is received (Yes in step S57), the control unit 11, functioning as the job control unit 11J, returns the process to the aforementioned step S53, corrects the image processing of the corresponding page, and displays a preview of the corrected image (step S55). The above is the overall flow of processing relating to image reading and preview.

[0047] Next, a specific example of the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a copy basic screen 70 that accepts settings related to a copy job and job start. When the control unit 11 accepts the operation of the [Check Misjudgment] key 71 shown in FIG. 5, it reads all pages of the document and applies the set image processing. While the document is being read, the [Check Misjudgment] key 71 is displayed inverted to indicate that pages with a high possibility of misjudgment are to be previewed. After all pages have been read, images of pages for which the accuracy of judgment related to image processing does not meet a predetermined standard are displayed on the display device 19d. In other words, preview images are displayed for pages with a high possibility of misjudgment. For example, in the case of color / monochrome determination to determine whether an image of each page is color or monochrome, the difference in the number of R, G, and B pixels is calculated as a feature for all pixels read on the page. The difference in the number of R, G, and B pixels obtained as the feature is then compared with a predetermined threshold to determine whether the target page is color or monochrome. Job control unit 11J extracts pages for which the distance between the obtained feature and the threshold (the difference if the feature is scalar) does not meet a predetermined standard (the feature is close to the threshold) and displays a preview. An example of a feature related to blank determination is the ratio of blank pixels among all pixels from which the undercolor has been removed. An example of a feature related to up / down determination is the ratio of characters that face the same direction among all characters that have been recognized. An example of a feature related to size determination is a detected value of the length of the document in the feed direction. A feature may also be obtained by adding a detected value of the document width to this. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preview screen 77 that the job control unit 11J causes the display device 19d to display.

[0048] FIG. 6 shows an example in which preview images 79a, 79b, 79c, and 79d of four pages are displayed. Preview image 79a is extracted because the accuracy of color / monochrome determination is low. Preview image 79b is extracted because the accuracy of blank determination is low. Preview image 79c is extracted because the accuracy of top / bottom determination is low. Preview image 79d is extracted because the accuracy of document size determination is low. Here, the determinations of preview images 79a, 79b, 79c, and 79d are all based on settings related to the copy job of the scanned document.

[0049] That is, the color / monochrome determination is a determination performed by the color / monochrome determination section 45b of the image processing unit 40 when "Auto" is set with the [Color Mode] key 73. The document size determination is a determination performed by the job control section 11J based on the detection of a document size sensor (not shown) of the scanner unit 15 when "Auto" is set with the [Document] key 74. Both the blank determination and the top / bottom determination are determinations performed by the job control section 11J when the respective settings are accepted on a function setting screen (not shown) displayed by the display control section 11D in response to touching the [Other Functions] key 75.

[0050] Control unit 11 displays preview comments 81 corresponding to each of preview images 79a, 79b, 79c, and 79d below each of them, and displays [Edit] keys 83a, 83b, 83c, and 83d corresponding thereto below each of them. When any of the [Modify] keys 83a, 83b, 83c, and 83d is touched by the user's finger F, the control unit 11 accepts a modification of the determination process related to the corresponding preview image.

[0051] For example, when the [Modify] key 83a is touched, the job control unit 11J accepts a correction to the color / monochrome determination of the page related to the corresponding preview image 79a. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, in response to the operation of the [Modify] key 83a, a correction message 87a, a "Yes" key 85a, and a "No" key 86a are displayed. If the [No] key 86a is touched, the display returns to the original screen of Fig. 6, but if the [Yes] key 85a is touched, the judgment is corrected in response. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the original judgment result of color is corrected to monochrome. Then, the preview image 79a is updated to the corrected image, and the fact that the correction has been made is displayed in the preview comment 81a. Then, the [OK] key 88a and the [Return] key 89a are displayed. When the [Undo] key 89a is touched, the page is returned to the image before the correction. That is, it is returned to the display shown in Fig. 6 (the same as the display shown on the left side of Fig. 7). On the other hand, when the [OK] key 88a is touched, the image after the correction is adopted. The screen display is the one shown in Fig. 6, with the preview image 79a and preview message 81a replaced with the contents after the correction.

[0052] Also, when the [Modify] key 83b is touched, the job control unit 11J accepts a correction to the blank determination of the page related to the corresponding preview image 79b. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, in response to the operation of the [Modify] key 83b, a correction message 87b, a "Yes" key 85a, and a "No" key 86a are displayed. If the [No] key 86b is touched, the display returns to the original screen of Fig. 6, but if the [Yes] key 85b is touched, the judgment is corrected in response. In the example shown in Fig. 8, the original judgment result of a blank page is corrected to a non-blank page. Then, a message indicating that the correction has been made is displayed in the preview comment 81b. Then, an [OK] key 88b and a [Return] key 89b are displayed. When the [Undo] key 89b is touched, the page is returned to the image before the correction. That is, it is returned to the display shown in Fig. 6 (the same as the display shown on the left side of Fig. 8). On the other hand, when the [OK] key 88b is touched, the image after the correction is adopted. The screen display is the one shown in Fig. 6, with the preview comment 81b replaced with the content after the correction.

[0053] Furthermore, when the [Modify] key 83c is touched, the job control unit 11J accepts a correction to the top / bottom determination of the page related to the corresponding preview image 79c. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9, in response to the operation of the [Modify] key 83c, a correction message 87c, a "Yes" key 85c, and a "No" key 86c are displayed. If the [No] key 86c is touched, the display returns to the original screen of Fig. 6, but if the [Yes] key 85c is touched, the judgment is corrected in response. In the example shown in Fig. 9, the original judgment result is corrected upside down. Then, the preview image 79c is updated to the corrected image, and the preview comment 81c indicates that the correction has been made. Then, the [OK] key 88c and the [Return] key 89c are displayed. When the [Undo] key 89c is touched, the page is returned to the image before the correction. That is, it is returned to the display shown in Fig. 6 (the same as the display shown on the left side of Fig. 9). On the other hand, when the [OK] key 88c is touched, the image after the correction is adopted. The screen display is the one shown in Fig. 6, with the preview image 79c and preview comment 81c replaced with the contents after the correction.

[0054] Furthermore, when the [Edit] key 83d is touched, the job control unit 11J accepts a correction to the size determination of the page related to the corresponding preview image 79d. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 10, in response to the operation of the [Edit] key 83d, a correction message 87d and a drop-down list 90d are displayed. When a size different from the judged size is selected in the drop-down list 90d, the judgement is corrected in response. In the example shown in Fig. 9, the size is corrected to a size different from the original judged size. Then, the preview image 79d is updated to the corrected image, and the fact that the correction has been made is displayed in the preview comment 81d. Then, an [OK] key 88d and an [Undo] key 89d are displayed. When the [Undo] key 89d is touched, the page is returned to the image before the correction. That is, it is returned to the display shown in Fig. 6 (the same as the display shown on the left side of Fig. 10). On the other hand, when the [OK] key 88d is touched, the image after the correction is adopted. The screen display is the screen shown in Fig. 6, with the preview image 79d and preview comment 81d replaced with the contents after the correction.

[0055] 6 shows preview images related to four types of judgments, but similar processing may be performed for other judgments. For example, judgments related to tilt correction, which detects and corrects the tilt of a document image from the arrangement of characters by performing character recognition, and judgments related to background removal may be included. These are merely examples, and are not intended to limit judgments related to other image processing not described here. When the [Approve all] key 84 shown in FIG. 6 is touched, the job control section 11J prints or outputs the previewed content, that is, the images of all pages reflecting the corrections for the corrected pages.

[0056] (Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, pages that are likely to be erroneous are previewed for all judgments related to the job settings, but it is also possible to accept user selection of items related to the judgment and narrow down the preview display to pages that are likely to be erroneous for the selected items. 11A and 11B are flow charts showing the flow of image reading processing in this embodiment. Processes corresponding to those in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are given the same reference numerals.

[0057] Among the processes shown in FIG. 11A, the processes not shown in FIG. 4A are steps S13 and S15. That is, when the [Confirm Misjudgment] key 71 is touched (Yes in step S11), the control unit as the job control unit 11J accepts the user's selection of the item related to the judgment (step S13). When the selection is made (Yes in step S15), as in FIG. 4A, the control unit 11 as the job control unit 11J causes the scanner unit 15 to read the document one page at a time, and causes the image processing unit 40 to perform image processing according to the job set for the image of each page (step S21). The other processes are the same as in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, but as a result of the item selection in step S13, the preview display in step S25 is narrowed down to pages that are highly likely to be misjudged for the selected item.

[0058] 12A and 12B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of an operation corresponding to steps S13 and S15 in FIG. 11A. As shown in FIG. 12A, in this embodiment, when the [Check for misjudgment] key 71 on the copy basic screen 70 is touched by the user's finger F and the control unit 11 recognizes it as the operation recognition unit 11o, a selection menu of judgment items is displayed at a position overlapping the operated key. In the example shown in FIG. 12A, the selection menu of judgment items includes a [Color / Monochrome Judgment] key 91, a [Blank Judgment] key 92, a [Top / Bottom Judgment] key 93, a [Size Judgment] key 94, and an [OK] key 95.

[0059] When any of the judgment item selection menu items is touched, the control unit 11 highlights the selected key to indicate the selected state. The example of FIG. 12A shows that color / monochrome judgment has been selected. Furthermore, 12B shows that top / bottom judgment has also been selected. When the [OK] key 95 is touched, the control unit 11 erases the judgment item selection menu and starts reading the document. While all pages of the document are being read, the [Confirm judgment error] key 71 is highlighted to indicate that pages with a high possibility of erroneous judgment will be previewed. The above is the flow of the process for previewing pages that are highly likely to result in erroneous judgment for a selected judgment item in this embodiment.

[0060] (Embodiment 3) In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, only the image of the entire page is previewed. However, the portion with a high possibility of erroneous determination may be further enlarged and displayed. Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preview screen 77 in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 13, for a page with a high possibility of erroneous judgment, enlarged images 95a and 95b of a portion likely to be related to the erroneous judgment are displayed next to preview images 79a and 79b of the entire page, respectively. The portions likely to be related to the erroneous judgment are portions determined to be color pixels in a page determined to be color in the color / monochrome judgment, and portions of pixels that are not blank in a page determined to be blank in the blank judgment.

[0061] (Embodiment 4) In the first to third embodiments, a [START] key 76 is presented to the user before starting to read the document, as an option for printing or sending without previewing the scanned document image, and a [CHECK MISJUDGMENT ERROR] key 71 and a [CHECK ALL IMAGES] key 72 are presented to the user as options for previewing before printing or sending, and the user is asked to make a selection. Instead, in this embodiment, after the reading of the document is completed, the control unit 11 displays an option of whether or not to preview the document image read. According to this embodiment, when the option of preview is presented, the page number of the document image read is already known. Therefore, if the page number of the document image is less than a predetermined page number, an option of whether or not to display a preview of all pages is presented, and if the page number is equal to or more than the predetermined page number, only the page with a risk of misjudgment may be previewed. Alternatively, the option of preview as described in the first to third embodiments may be presented only when the page number of the document image is equal to or more than the predetermined page number. The predetermined page number may be set to the number of pages that can be displayed in a list as shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 13, for example, or may be set and changed by the user.

[0062] As mentioned above, (i) An image reading device according to the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a scanner unit which scans a document consisting of multiple pages and reads an image for each page; an image processing unit which judges the characteristics of each page for the image of each read page and performs image processing in accordance with the characteristics; a display device which displays a preview of the image-processed image of each page; an operation detection device which accepts settings of extraction conditions related to the characteristics; and a control unit which extracts, based on the set extraction conditions, read images of pages from the image-processed images for which the accuracy of the judgment related to the characteristics does not meet a predetermined standard, and displays a preview of the extracted images.

[0063] In the present invention, the scanner unit is for reading images of a document having a plurality of pages, and is, for example, an image scanner portion of a multifunction machine having a document feeder and an image sensor. The image characteristics are properties that serve as the basis for determining whether or not a predetermined image processing is to be applied to the image of each page, or for determining parameters to be applied to the image processing. Furthermore, the image processing unit performs a predetermined process on the image obtained by reading each page of the document. A specific example of this process is a process of determining whether the image of each page is a monochrome image or a color image based on a color / monochrome determination. Alternatively, a process of deleting a page determined to be blank based on a determination of whether it is blank and outputting the page. Another example is a process of determining the orientation of the document based on the character direction and character arrangement, with or without the inclination angle, and rotating the image.

[0064] The preview is a process in which each page of a document is read and image-processed and displayed on a display device included in the image reading apparatus or on an external device with which the image reading apparatus can communicate. The control unit controls the operation of the image reading device. A specific example of the control unit is a circuit centered around a processor, and the functions are realized by the cooperation of hardware and software.

[0065] Further, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. (ii) The accuracy of the judgment may be calculated as the distance between a feature extracted from the image for use in judging the characteristic and a threshold value used for the judgment, and the control unit may display a preview of the scanned image of a page where the calculated distance does not meet a predetermined reference value. In this way, it is possible to narrow down pages whose accuracy of judgment does not meet a predetermined standard by using the distance between the feature amount extracted from the image of each page for judgment and the judgment threshold value.

[0066] (iii) The determination of the characteristics for each page may be at least any one of a determination of whether the page is color or monochrome, a determination of whether the page is blank, a determination of the up-down direction, and a determination of the size. According to this aspect, it is possible to extract and preview pages that are likely to be erroneously determined for at least one of the following determinations: color / monochrome determination based on the characteristics of the image of each page, blank determination, up / down determination related to the up / down direction, and page size determination.

[0067] (iv) The control unit may accept an extraction condition setting that corresponds to the type of judgment, and may accept, via the operation detection device, a setting as to which judgment is to be displayed as a preview. In this way, the user can specify which types of judgments are likely to result in erroneous judgments and which pages are to be narrowed down and displayed as previews.

[0068] (v) The control unit may accept, via the operation detection device, a user designation of any of the previewed pages and a correction of the judgment related to the designated page, preview the corrected image, accept the correction of the judgment or approval, and output or print the approved image as a scanned image. In this way, after repeating the process of correcting the judgment on the preview-displayed page and confirming the result by the preview display, the approved image can be output.

[0069] (vi) One aspect of the present invention includes an image reading method including the steps of: a control unit controlling a scanner unit to scan a document consisting of multiple pages and reading an image for each page; determining characteristics for each page of the image read for each page and performing image processing according to the characteristics; accepting settings of extraction conditions related to the characteristics; and extracting, based on the set extraction conditions, read images of pages from the images image-processed for each page, for which the accuracy of the determination related to the characteristics does not meet a predetermined standard, and displaying a preview of the extracted images.

[0070] The aspects of the present invention include any combination of the above-mentioned aspects. In addition to the above-mentioned embodiment, various modifications of the present invention are possible. These modifications should not be interpreted as not falling within the scope of the present invention. The present invention should include all modifications within the scope of the claims and the equivalent meanings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 11: control unit, 11C: character recognition processing unit, 11D: display control unit, 11J: job control unit, 11o: operation recognition unit, 13: memory, 14: printing unit, 15: scanner unit, 16: document transport unit, 17a, 17b, 17c: paper tray, 18a, 18b, 18c: discharge tray, 19: operation unit, 19d: display device, 19t: touch panel unit, 24: communication circuit 40: image processing unit, 42: A / D conversion section, 43: shading correction section, 44: input processing section, 45: automatic document type determination section, 45a: document type determination section, 45b: color / monochrome determination section, 45c: blank document determination section, 46: region separation processing section, 47: compression section, 48: region separation signal compression section, 49: decoding section, 50: region separation signal decoding section, 51: image quality adjustment section, 53: color correction section, 54: black generation / undercolor removal section, 55: spatial filter section, 56: magnification change section, 57: output gradation correction section, 58: halftone generation section 70: Basic copy screen, 71: [Check misjudgment] key, 72: [Check all images] key, 73: [Color mode] key, 74: [Original] key, 75: [Other functions] key, 76: [Start] key, 77: Preview screen, 79a, 79b, 79c, 79d: Preview image, 81, 81a, 81b, 81c, 81d: Preview comment, 83a, 83b, 83c, 83d: [Edit] key, 84: [Approve all] key, 85a, 85b, 85c: [Yes] key, 86a, 86b, 86c: [No] key, 87a, 87b, 87c, 87d: Edit message, 88a, 88b, 88c, 88d, 95: [OK] key, 89a, 89b, 89c, 89d: [Back] key, 90d: Drop-down list, 91: [Color / Monochrome] key, 92: [Blank] key, 93: [Top / Bottom] key, 94: [Size] key, 95a, 95b: Enlarged image 100: Multifunction device F: Finger

Claims

1. a scanner unit that scans an original consisting of multiple pages and reads images for each page; an image processing unit for determining characteristics of the image of each read page and performing image processing according to the characteristics; a display device for displaying a preview of each page of image processed; an operation detection device that receives an instruction for setting and previewing the image processing; and a control unit that extracts scanned images of pages where the accuracy of the judgment related to the image processing does not meet a predetermined standard from among the images processed for each page based on the preview instruction, displays the extracted page at the top, and subsequently displays preview images of all pages or the remaining pages in page order.

2. a scanner unit that scans an original consisting of multiple pages and reads images for each page; an image processing unit for determining characteristics of the image of each read page and performing image processing according to the characteristics; a display device for displaying a preview of each page of image processed; an operation detection device that receives settings for the image processing, an instruction to check for a judgment error, and an instruction to check all images; An image reading device comprising: a control unit which extracts, based on an instruction to check for judgment errors, from among images processed for each page, scanned images of pages for which the accuracy of judgment related to the image processing does not meet a predetermined standard, displays the page with the risk of judgment error at the top, followed by preview images of all pages or the remaining pages in page order, and, if the instruction to check all images is received, displays preview images of all pages in page order.

3. the accuracy of the determination is calculated as a distance between a feature amount extracted from the image for use in determining the characteristic and a threshold value used for the determination; 3. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays a preview of the read image of a page where the calculated distance does not satisfy a predetermined reference value.

4. 3. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the characteristics for each page is at least one of a determination of whether the page is color or monochrome, a determination of whether the page is blank, a determination of the up-down direction, and a determination of the size.

5. The image reading device of claim 4, wherein the control unit accepts, via the operation detection device, a user's designation of any of the previewed pages and a correction of the judgment related to the designated page, displays a preview of the corrected image, accepts the correction or approval of the judgment, and outputs or prints the approved image as a read image.

6. The control unit: accepting settings for image processing; A step of controlling a scanner unit to scan an original consisting of a plurality of pages and read an image for each page; A step of determining characteristics of the image of each page read and performing image processing according to the characteristics; accepting a preview instruction; The image reading method includes a step of extracting read images of pages, among the images processed page by page based on the preview instruction, in which the accuracy of the judgment related to the image processing does not meet a predetermined standard, displaying the pages in which the accuracy does not meet the standard at the top, and subsequently displaying preview images of all pages or the remaining pages in page order.

Images