Image inspection device, image inspection system, image inspection method, and image inspection program

Abstract

To facilitate the setting and confirmation of designated areas for recording media and suppressing the decline in productivity.SOLUTION: An image inspection device includes a designated area acquiring unit that acquires information about an area designated on a recording medium. When trial printing is instructed, the image inspection device synthesizes a read image of an image printed on the recording medium in the trial printing with an image of the area generated on the basis of the information about the area acquired by the designated area acquiring unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image inspection device, an image inspection system, an image inspection method, and an image inspection program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in image forming devices (such as copiers, printers, facsimiles, and all-in-one machines) that form toner images on paper, there are cases where the image intended by the user is not printed on the paper due to various factors. For this reason, image inspection devices and image inspection systems are known that scan the image printed on paper, compare the scanned image with a normal image (reference image) registered in advance, and judge whether the image printed on the paper is good or bad.

[0003] Conventionally, an image inspection system has been known that uses a read image obtained by reading a sheet printed in proof mode printing (trial printing) as a reference image, in which various areas such as an excluded area for image inspection (e.g., edges of the sheet), a print management area (e.g., areas for forming barcodes and serial numbers), and a variable area in which different contents are printed for each print page (e.g., address of the recipient, name, etc.) are specified (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The image inspection system of Patent Document 1 is provided with a function for automatically excluding excluded areas such as edges of the sheet during inspection. The image inspection system of Patent Document 1 is also provided with a configuration that allows the excluded areas to be changed by user input operations, and the areas to be excluded from the target of image inspection can be set by user settings. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-53761 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, conventionally, an image inspection system has been proposed that allows a user to specify (set) an area to be excluded from the target of image inspection. However, the specification of the area to be excluded from the target of image inspection is performed on the read image of the paper printed in proof mode printing (trial printing) (hereinafter referred to as the read image of proof mode printing). Therefore, for example, when there are many areas (hereinafter referred to as the specified area) to be specified according to the contents of the document (several dozens, etc.), or when the number of printed pages is huge and the specified area differs for each page, the specification of the area on the read image of proof mode printing becomes cumbersome. In addition, the more the number of printed sheets, the more time it takes to check the specified area. Therefore, in a configuration in which the specified area is set and checked on the read image of proof mode printing, not only is the specification of the area cumbersome, but there is also a problem that the overall productivity decreases because the actual printing cannot be started quickly after the proof mode printing is executed.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image inspection device, an image inspection system, an image inspection method, and an image inspection program that can facilitate setting and confirming designated areas in image inspection and suppress a decline in productivity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the image inspection device of the present invention includes a designated area acquisition unit that acquires area data including coordinate data of an area designated by a user in an original image and an original image from an external device that can communicate with the image inspection device, and an image inspection unit that performs image inspection processing by comparing a read image of a recording medium on which the original image is printed with a reference image for image inspection; Display and when test printing is instructed, a read image of the document image printed on the recording medium in the test printing is synthesized with a region image indicating a region generated using coordinate data included in the region data acquired by the designated region acquisition unit; A composite image of the read image and the area image is displayed on a display unit; When a print command is issued, the image inspection unit performs the command on the document image. fixed Areas is the area to be examined, Imaging Examination Center Reason conduct.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, an image inspection system according to the present invention includes the image inspection device according to the present invention and, when a test print is instructed, an image of an image printed on a recording medium in the test print is inspected. Manuscript and an image reading unit that reads an image.

[0009] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, the image inspection method of the present invention includes acquiring area data including coordinate data of an area specified by a user in an original image and an original image from an external device capable of communicating with the device, performing image inspection processing by comparing a read image of the recording medium on which the original image is printed with a reference image for image inspection, and, when a test print is instructed, synthesizing a read image of the original image printed on the recording medium in the test print with an area image indicating the area generated using the coordinate data included in the acquired area data; displaying a composite image of the read image and the area image on a display unit; When a print command is issued, the specified fixed Areas is the area to be examined, Imaging Examination Center Reason This includes:

[0010] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problem, the image inspection program of the present invention includes a process of acquiring area data including coordinate data of an area specified by a user in an original image and the original image from an external device capable of communicating with the image inspection program, a process of performing image inspection processing by comparing a read image of a recording medium on which the original image is printed with a reference image for image inspection, and a process of, when test printing is instructed, synthesizing a read image of the original image printed on the recording medium in the test printing with an area image indicating the area generated using the coordinate data included in the acquired area data. a process of displaying a composite image of the read image and the area image on a display unit; and a process of performing an image inspection process on a specified area of ​​the document image when the specified area is an area to be inspected, if a command for printing is issued. is implemented in an information processing device and executed. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention having the above configuration, it is possible to easily set and confirm a designated area in image inspection, and to suppress a decrease in productivity. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an original image. [Diagram 2] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating the positional relationship between an original image and various designated areas in a scanned image when proof mode printing is performed. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing the external configuration of an image inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of an image inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] 1 is a configuration diagram of functional blocks related to image inspection processing in an image inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the flow of data and instruction signals between functional blocks in a first inspection operation in an image inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of image inspection processing in a first inspection operation in the image inspection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a display example 1 of a display operation screen in a first inspection operation in the image inspection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a display example 1 of a display operation screen in a first inspection operation in the image inspection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a display example 2 of a display operation screen in a first inspection operation in the image inspection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a display example 2 of a display operation screen in a first inspection operation in the image inspection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a display example 3 of a display operation screen in a first inspection operation in the image inspection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a display example 3 of a display operation screen in a first inspection operation in the image inspection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the flow of data and instruction signals between functional blocks in a second inspection operation in the image inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of image inspection processing in a second inspection operation in the image inspection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] 11 is a diagram for explaining a first print example of a composite image printed on a recording medium in a second inspection operation in the image inspection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 17] 13 is a diagram for explaining a second print example of a composite image printed on a recording medium in a second inspection operation in the image inspection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 18] 13 is a diagram for explaining a third print example of a composite image printed on a recording medium in a second inspection operation in the image inspection processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, configurations of an image inspection device and an image inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and an image inspection method will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0014] In the image inspection device and image inspection system according to this embodiment, various areas such as an excluded area for image inspection, a print management area to be inspected, and a variable area are specified for an image of an original that may be printed on a recording medium in a regular printing (hereinafter referred to as an "original image") on a user terminal outside the image inspection device and / or on an application input (implemented) inside the image inspection device. Note that any application can be used as the application for specifying the areas as long as it can set information such as the coordinates of the specified areas.

[0015] By separately setting designated areas such as areas to be excluded from inspection and areas to be inspected in the application, it becomes unnecessary to set designated areas in the scanned image for proof mode printing, and thus it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned cumbersome setting of the designated areas. In addition, by performing area designation by the application when the original image is generated, it is possible to consolidate operations for various images to be printed in one place. Furthermore, depending on the application, it is possible to automatically designate an area from the contents of the character string or numbers entered without designating an area. Therefore, by separately setting various designated areas in the application, it becomes possible to immediately execute actual printing after executing proof mode printing (trial printing), and it is also possible to suppress a decrease in productivity.

[0016] However, in a configuration in which various designated areas are set separately by an application, the orientation (top-bottom direction) of the document image when the designated areas are set (before printing) may differ from the orientation of the document image in the read image after printing, depending on the configuration of the image inspection system. For example, when the document image is rotated from the desired orientation (when the designated areas are set) due to the scanning direction of the reading device, when the orientation of the recording medium (printing paper) is different from the orientation of the document image (SEF (Short Edge Feed) / LEF (Long Edge Feed)), when the recording medium is inverted in the post-processing device and the reading surface is changed (Face Up / Down), the orientation of the document image in the read image after printing may differ from the orientation of the document image when the designated areas are set. When such a case occurs, the various designated areas may not be positioned at the desired positions in the read image, and it may be difficult to confirm from the read image that the positions of the designated areas are not at the desired positions and to recalculate the positions of the designated areas. The above problem may also occur, for example, when the document image is enlarged and printed, or when the document image is printed by shifting its position on the paper. Before describing the configurations of the image inspection device and image inspection system according to this embodiment, the above-mentioned problems will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an original image. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the original image is composed of a person image E10, a character string image ("ABCDEF") formed in an area E11 at the top left of the person image E10 on the drawing, a number string image ("101") formed in an area E12 at the top right of the person image E10 on the drawing, and a barcode image formed in an area E13 near the chest of the person image E10. The original image shown in Fig. 1 is commonly used in various image inspection examples described later.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between an original image and various designated areas in a read image when proof mode printing is performed. Note that rectangular areas E21 to E23 shown in FIG. 2 are areas E11 to E13 specified on an application. FIG. 2(a) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between an original image and various designated areas when the orientation of the original image when the designated areas are set (before printing) is the same as the orientation of the original image in the read image after proof mode printing. FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between an original image and various designated areas when the orientation of the original image in the read image after proof mode printing is rotated 270 degrees clockwise on the drawing from the orientation of the original image when the designated areas are set.

[0019] When the orientation of the document image when the designated area is set is the same as the orientation of the document image in the read image after proof mode printing, the areas E21 to E23 designated by the application match the areas E11 to E13 in the document image on the recording medium, as shown in FIG. 2(a). However, when the orientation of the document image when the designated area is set is different from the orientation of the document image in the read image after proof mode printing, the areas E21 to E23 designated by the application do not match the areas E11 to E13 in the document image on the recording medium, as shown in FIG. 2(b). When such a mismatch of the designated areas occurs, problems such as the area to be inspected being specified as an area other than the desired area, and dirt or the like in the desired area not being detected, or the area to be excluded being erroneously specified as the area to be inspected, resulting in unnecessary image inspection being performed and reducing the efficiency of the image inspection process, occur.

[0020] Therefore, in the image inspection device and image inspection system of this embodiment, a configuration is provided in which a designated area such as an area to be excluded from inspection or an area to be inspected is set by an application separately, and in order to solve the above problems that may occur due to this configuration, a composite image of a read image in proof mode printing and an image showing the designated area set by the application is displayed on a display means such as a display panel, or a composite image of an original image and a designated area set by the application is printed on a recording medium. When such a function is provided, a user can easily recognize an error (mismatch) in the designated area by checking this composite image. In addition, as described later, in the image inspection device and image inspection system of this embodiment, a function is also provided that allows a user to easily correct the position of an incorrect designated area to a desired position on the composite image when there is an error (mismatch) in the designated area.

[0021] [Image inspection system configuration] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the external configuration of an image inspection system according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the image inspection system 1 includes a printing device unit 10, an image reading unit 20, and a post-processing unit 30. In the image inspection system 1, the printing device unit 10, the image reading unit 20, and the post-processing unit 30 are connected in this order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium. In addition, the image inspection system 1 is connected to an external PC 50 via a communication network 40.

[0022] The image inspection system 1 performs RIP (Raster Image Processing) processing based on a print job input from an external PC 50 via a communication network 40, and forms an image on a recording medium such as a print sheet based on image data after the RIP processing. The image inspection system 1 then reads the image formed on the recording medium and performs image inspection by comparing the read image with a reference image for image inspection. The image inspection system 1 of this embodiment also has a function of displaying a composite image of a read image of proof mode printing and an image showing a designated area, and enabling confirmation of whether an area to be inspected or an area to be excluded from inspection is located at a desired position (a function of confirming the correctness of the designated area with respect to the document image). The composite image can be displayed on an operation display unit 14 provided in the image inspection system 1 and / or a display screen of an external PC.

[0023] The printing device unit 10 is an example of an image forming device that forms an image on a recording medium by, for example, an electrophotographic method. The printing device unit 10 is composed of components necessary for image formation, and prints an image on a recording medium specified in a print job. Specifically, an electrostatic latent image is formed by irradiating a photosensitive drum charged by a charging device with light according to an image from an exposure device, and developed by attaching charged toner in a developing device, and the toner image is primarily transferred to a transfer belt, and then secondarily transferred from the transfer belt to a recording medium, and further processed to fix the toner image on the recording medium by a fixing device. The recording medium on which the image has been formed is discharged to an image reading unit 20.

[0024] The image reading unit 20 reads the image of the recording medium by forming an image of the reflected light from the recording medium discharged from the printing unit 10 on the light receiving surface of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor (not shown), and generates read image data. Then, the printing unit 10 performs image inspection processing by comparing the read image with a reference image for image inspection.

[0025] The post-processing unit 30 discharges the recording medium, on which the image has been read by the image reading unit 20, to a discharge tray. The number of discharge trays is arbitrary. If any post-processing is specified in the print job, the post-processing unit 30 performs the specified post-processing on the recording medium and then discharges the recording medium to the discharge tray.

[0026] The communication network 40 is a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) defined by standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), token ring, or FDDI (Fiber-Distributed Data Interface).

[0027] The external PC 50 is a computer that allows a user to generate a print job. The print job (including an original image) generated by the external PC 50 is transmitted to the image inspection system 1 via the communication network 40. The external PC 50 also has an application that allows the user to set various designated areas, such as an area to be excluded from the image and an area to be inspected (print management area and variable area), for the original image. Therefore, the user can set (specify) various data related to the coordinates of each designated area for the original image on the application in the external PC 50. In this embodiment, the data of the designated area (including coordinate data, etc.) set by the external PC 50 is transmitted to the image inspection system 1 via the communication network 40 together with the data of the print job.

[0028] In this embodiment, the printing device unit 10 has an inspection function for the read image and a function for checking the accuracy of a specified area (an area to be inspected and an area not to be inspected) of the document image. That is, in this embodiment, since the printing device unit 10 has a function as an image inspection device, an example in which the image inspection system 1 is configured with the printing device unit 10, the image reading unit 20, and the post-processing unit 30 will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a component (image inspection unit) having a function as an image inspection device may be provided outside the printing device unit 10, and the image inspection system 1 may be configured with the printing device unit 10, the image reading unit 20, the post-processing unit 30, and the image inspection unit.

[0029] [Configuration of image inspection device] 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image inspection device according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, a group of components related to the operation of a function for checking the accuracy (image inspection function) of a specified area (an area to be inspected and an area not to be inspected) of a document image is referred to as an image inspection device.

[0030] 4, the image inspection device 2 includes a printing device unit 10, an image reading unit 20, and a post-processing unit 30. The printing device unit 10 (printing control unit 122 described below) is connected to the image reading unit 20 (image reading control unit 22 described below) so as to be able to communicate serially, and the image reading unit 20 (image reading control unit 22 described below) is connected to the post-processing unit 30 (post-processing control unit 31 described below) so as to be able to communicate serially.

[0031] The printing device unit 10 also has an image processing unit 60 (designated area acquisition unit) and an image forming unit 70. The image processing unit 60 is connected to an external PC 50 via a communication network 40. The image processing unit 60 is also connected to the image forming unit 70 via a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus 16.

[0032] (1) Image processing unit 60 The image processing unit 60 acquires print job data and data (including coordinate data, etc.) of designated areas (areas to be inspected and areas not to be inspected) for the document image from the external PC 50 via the communication network 40. The image processing unit 60 also performs RIP processing on image data of the document image included in the print job data to generate image data for printing. The generated image data for printing is output to a control unit 11 (described later) of the image forming unit 70 via the PCI bus 16.

[0033] 4, the image processing unit 60 has a NIC (Network Interface Card) 61, a communication control unit 62, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) control IC (Integrated Circuit) 63, an image memory 64, and an image processing control unit 65. The NIC 61 is connected to an external communication network 40 so as to be able to communicate with the external communication network 40. The communication control unit 62 is connected to the NIC 61. The DRAM control IC 63 is connected to the communication control unit 62, the image memory 64, and the image processing control unit 65.

[0034] The NIC 61 is an interface for connecting the image processing unit 60 to the external communication network 40. The communication control unit 62 controls communication processing between the image processing unit 60 and the external PC 50 connected to the image processing unit 60 via the communication network 40. The DRAM control IC 63 stores the print job data and the data of the designated area for the document image received from the external PC 50 in the image memory 64. The DRAM control IC 63 also outputs the print job data and the data of the designated area to the control unit 11 via the PCI bus 16. The image processing control unit 65 performs RIP processing on the image data of the document image included in the print job data to generate image data for printing.

[0035] (2) Image forming unit 70 The image forming unit 70 forms (prints) an image on a recording medium based on the print job data input from the image processing unit 60. The image forming unit 70 also performs image inspection processing on the recording medium on which the image has been formed. For example, the image forming unit 70 performs inspection processing on the read image and processing for checking the accuracy of designated areas (areas to be inspected and areas not to be inspected) of the document image.

[0036] 4, the image forming unit 70 has a control unit 11, a printer 12, a scanner 13, an operation display unit 14, and a storage unit 15. The control unit 11 is connected to the printer 12, the scanner 13, the operation display unit 14, and the storage unit 15. In this embodiment, an image control CPU 117 (described later) of the control unit 11 is connected to a print control unit 122 (described later) of the printer 12, a scanner control unit 132 (described later) of the scanner 13, and the operation display unit 14 so as to be able to communicate serially.

[0037] The control unit 11 controls various processes in the image inspection device 2. The control unit 11 controls, for example, an image formation process, a recording medium conveyance process, an image inspection process, and the like.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 11 has a DRAM control IC 111, a compression IC 112, an decompression IC 113, a read processing unit 114, a write processing unit 115, an image control CPU (Central Processing Unit) 117, an image memory (DRAM) 116, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 118.

[0039] The DRAM control IC 111 obtains print job data and data (including coordinate data, etc.) of designated areas (areas to be inspected and areas not to be inspected) for the original image from the image processing unit 60 via the PCI bus 16. If an application that allows the user to set a designated area for the original image is implemented in the image inspection device 2, the user can set it on the application via the operation display unit 14. In this case, the DRAM control IC 111 obtains data of the designated area for the original image from the operation display unit 14.

[0040] The compression IC 112 compresses the data of the document image included in the print job data. The expansion IC 113 expands the compressed data of the document image stored in a compression memory 116a (to be described later) of the image memory 116. The reading processing unit 114 reads the data to be processed from the image memory 116. The writing processing unit 115 writes the data of the document image compressed by the compression IC 112 and the image data expanded by the expansion IC 113 to a compression memory 116a (to be described later) and a page memory 116b (to be described later) of the image memory 116, respectively. The writing processing unit 115 also writes data (including coordinate data, etc.) of a designated area for the acquired document image to the page memory 116b.

[0041] The image control CPU 117 controls various processes related to image formation and image inspection. For example, the image control CPU 117 controls the supply process of a recording medium by a recording medium supply unit (not shown), the image formation process of the image forming unit 70 based on a print instruction from a user given via the operation display unit 14 described later, and the image inspection process of a recording medium on which an image is formed based on an image inspection program stored in the storage unit 15.

[0042] The image memory 116 is composed of a storage medium such as a volatile memory, such as a DRAM, and temporarily stores information (such as image data) required for each process performed by the image control CPU 117. As shown in FIG. 4, the image memory 116 has a compression memory 116a and a page memory 116b. The compression memory 116a stores data of an original image compressed by the compression IC 112. The page memory 116b stores data of an original image expanded by the expansion IC 113. The page memory 116b temporarily stores not only data of the original image but also various data acquired and generated in an image inspection process described later. Specifically, data of a designated area for the original image, data of a read image output from the image reading unit 20, data of a composite image of an image that makes the range of a designated area described later visible (for example, a rectangular frame image described later: hereinafter referred to as an "image of the designated area") and the read image, and data of a composite image of an image of a designated area described later and an original image are stored in the page memory 116b.

[0043] ROM 118 is configured, for example, with a storage medium such as a non-volatile memory, and can store programs and data executed and referenced by image control CPU 117.

[0044] The printer 12 has a function of forming (printing) an image on a recording medium. The printer 12 has a printing unit 121 and a print control unit 122, as shown in FIG.

[0045] The printing unit 121 forms an image on a recording medium. The printing unit 121 includes four image forming units that form toner images of four colors, Y, M, C, and K, respectively, a transfer unit that transfers the toner images to a recording medium, and a fixing unit that fixes the toner images on the recording medium. The image forming units of each color include a photosensitive drum and a developing unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the circumference of the photosensitive drum by irradiating the surface of the photosensitive drum with light according to the image, and forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum by attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image. The transfer unit transfers the image formed on the photosensitive drum of the image forming unit of each color to the recording medium. The fixing unit performs a fixing process on the image transferred to the recording medium. The print control unit 122 controls the operation of each of the above-mentioned components of the printing unit 121.

[0046] The scanner 13 is an example of an image reading device including an image sensor and the like, and reads an image formed on a recording medium. As shown in Fig. 4, the scanner 13 has a CCD 131 and a scanner control unit 132. The scanner 13 optically scans the recording medium on which an image has been formed under the control of the scanner control unit 132, and reads the image by forming an image of the reflected light from the recording medium on the light receiving surface of the sensor of the CCD 131.

[0047] The operation display unit 14 is composed of a display unit 141 including a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-luminescence) display, and an operation unit 142. The operation unit 142 is provided with not only various buttons (see FIG. 3) operated by the user, but also a touch sensor and the like, and is provided with a function (touch operation function) that enables a user to execute a predetermined operation by touching the display screen of the display unit 141. In this embodiment, the display unit 141 and a part (touch operation function) of the operation unit 142 are integrally formed as, for example, a touch panel. In this embodiment, an operation unit such as a mouse or tablet may be added to the operation unit 142, or the operation unit 142 may not be provided with a touch operation function, and may be configured with a keyboard, mouse, tablet, etc., and may be configured separately from the display unit 141.

[0048] Operation display unit 14 generates an operation signal indicating the operation contents input by the user to operation unit 142, and outputs the operation signal to image control CPU 117 described below. Furthermore, operation display unit 14 displays, for example, the operation contents by the user, setting information, a composite image of an image in a specified area and a read image, etc., on display unit 141 based on a display instruction signal from image control CPU 117. Note that operation unit 142 can also be configured as a mouse, a tablet, etc., and configured separately from display unit 141.

[0049] The storage unit 15 is composed of a computer-readable non-transient recording medium storing a program executed by the image control CPU 117, and is composed of a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The storage unit 15 stores programs and data such as a program (e.g., an image inspection program) for the image control CPU 117 to control each part, an OS (Operating System), and a controller. Note that some of the programs and data stored in the storage unit 15 may be stored in the ROM 118. In addition, the computer-readable non-transient recording medium storing the program executed by the image control CPU 117 is not limited to an HDD, and may be, for example, a recording medium such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM.

[0050] (3) Image reading unit The image reading unit 20 reads an image of the recording medium discharged from the image forming unit 70. The image reading unit 20 is an example of an image reading device consisting of an image sensor or the like, and has a CCD 21 and an image reading control unit 22 as shown in FIG. 4. The image reading unit 20 forms an image on the light receiving surface of the CCD 21 using reflected light from the recording medium discharged from the printer 12 of the image forming unit 70, reads the image of the recording medium, and generates a read image. This read image is output to the image forming unit 70. The image reading control unit 22 controls the reading operation in the image reading unit 20.

[0051] (4) Post-processing section 4, the post-processing unit 30 includes a post-processing control unit 31. The post-processing control unit 31 controls various operations in the post-processing unit 30. Specifically, the post-processing control unit 31 controls the discharge operation of a discharge tray for the recording medium from which the image has been read by the image reading unit 20, and, if any post-processing is specified in the print job, the operation of the specified post-processing.

[0052] [Configuration of functional blocks related to image inspection processing] Next, the configuration of the functional blocks related to image inspection processing in the image inspection device 2 (image inspection system 1) of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a configuration diagram of the functional blocks related to image inspection processing in the image inspection device 2 of this embodiment. In addition, in the functional blocks shown in Fig. 5, the functional blocks that overlap with the components shown in Fig. 4 are shown using the same names and with the same reference numerals. Note that the functions of the image inspection processing described below (function of checking the accuracy of the designated area, function of changing (correcting) the designated area) may be configured by software or by hardware.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 5, functional blocks related to image inspection processing in the image inspection device 2 include an image input means M1, a designated area receiving means M2, a designated area synthesis means M3, an image recording means M4, an image reading means M5, a designated area display / change means M6, a control means M7, and an image inspection means M8.

[0054] In addition, the control means M7 in FIG. 5 shows three blocks of page memories pm1, pm2, and pm3, but these page memories are included in the page memory 116b shown in FIG. 4, and the addresses of each page memory in the page memory 116b are different from each other. In the example shown in FIG. 5, for convenience of explanation, a block of the page memory is shown separately for each type of data to be stored. Specifically, the page memory pm1 stores data of an original image, data of a composite image of an image of a designated area (an area to be inspected and an area not to be inspected) and an original image, and the like. The page memory pm2 stores data of a read image, data of a composite image of an image of a designated area and a read image, and the like. In addition, the page memory pm3 stores data of a designated area (including coordinate data, etc.) for an original image, and data of an image of the designated area. Although not shown, the control means M7 controls the image control CPU 117 to generate data of an image of a designated area and store it in the page memory pm3.

[0055] The image input means M1 is included in the image processing unit 60, and acquires data of an original image (included in the print job data) from the external PC 50 via the communication network 40. The acquired data of the original image is output to the control means M7.

[0056] The designated area receiving means M2 is included in the image processing unit 60 (designated area acquisition unit), and acquires data (including coordinate data, etc.) of the designated area (area to be inspected and area excluded from inspection) for the document image from the external PC 50 via the communication network 40. The acquired data of the designated area is output to the control means M7 (page memory pm3). Note that if an application that allows the user to set a designated area for the document image is implemented in the image inspection device 2, the user can set the designated area on the application via the operation display unit 14 of the image inspection device 2, and therefore the designated area receiving means M2 is included in the image forming unit 70 (image control CPU 117).

[0057] The designated area synthesis means M3 is included in the image forming unit 70 (image control CPU 117), and when proof mode printing (trial printing) is instructed in the second inspection operation described below, it acquires an image of a designated area (e.g., a rectangular frame image described below) for the original image stored in the page memory pm3 and the original image stored in the page memory pm1, and generates a synthesis image of both. Then, in the second inspection operation described below, the generated synthesis image is output to the control means M7 (page memory pm1).

[0058] The image recording means M4 is included in the printer 12, and when it receives a print instruction from the control means M7, it prints the document image stored in the page memory pm1 (in the first inspection operation described below) or a composite image of the image of the designated area and the document image (in the second inspection operation described below) onto a recording medium. When printing is completed, the image recording means M4 notifies the control means M7 of the completion of printing.

[0059] The image reading means M5 is included in the image reading unit 20, and when it receives an instruction to read an image from the control means M7, it reads the image formed on the recording medium by the image recording means M4. When the image reading means M5 completes reading the image, it notifies the control means M7 of the completion of reading, and outputs the read image (read image) to the control means M7 (page memory pm2).

[0060] The designated area display / change means M6 (area image selection unit, area information change unit) is included in the operation display unit 14, and when an instruction is given to display a composite image of the read image at the time of proof mode printing and the image of the designated area in the first inspection operation described later, the designated area image for the document image stored in the page memory pm3 and the read image at the time of proof mode printing stored in the page memory pm2 are acquired, and the composite image of both is displayed on the display unit 141. If the user checks the composite image of the image of the designated area displayed on the display unit 141 and the read image at the time of proof mode printing, and there is a correction to the designated area, the user can correct the designated area using the display unit 141 and / or the operation unit 142 of the operation display unit 14. The data of the designated area for the corrected document image (including coordinate data, etc.) is output to the control means M7 (page memory pm3). Also, the composite image of the image of the corrected designated area and the read image at the time of proof mode printing is output to the control means M7 (page memory pm2).

[0061] In this embodiment, it is also possible to display a composite image of the image of the designated area of ​​the document image and the read image on the display screen of the external PC 50. In this case, the user can check the composite image displayed on the external PC 50, and if there is any modification to the designated area, the user can modify the designated area using the external PC 50. Therefore, in this case, the designated area display / modification means M6 is included in the external PC 50.

[0062] The control means M7 is included in the control unit 11, and compresses the document image acquired by the image input means M1 with the compression IC 112 and stores it in the compression memory 116a. The control means M7 expands the compressed document image stored in the compression memory 116a with the expansion IC 113 and stores it in the page memory pm1. The control means M7 stores data of the designated area for the document image acquired by the image input means M1 (including coordinate data, etc.) in the page memory pm3. When proof mode printing is instructed in the second inspection operation described later, the control means M7 stores data of a composite image of the image of the designated area and the document image generated by the designated area composition means M3 in the page memory pm1. When proof mode printing is instructed in the second inspection operation described later, the control means M7 outputs the composite image of the image of the designated area and the document image to the image recording means M4 and issues a print instruction. When regular printing is instructed, the control means M7 outputs the document image stored in the page memory pm1 to the image recording means M4 and issues a print instruction.

[0063] Furthermore, when proof mode printing is instructed in the first inspection operation described later, the control means M7 controls the image control CPU 117 to instruct the image reading means M5 to read the image formed on the recording medium by the image recording means M4, and stores the read image input from the image reading means M5 in the page memory pm2. When proof mode printing is instructed in the first inspection operation described later, the control means M7 outputs the read image stored in the page memory pm2 and the image of the designated area corresponding to the document image of the read image stored in the page memory pm3 to the designated area display / change means M6, and outputs an instruction to display a composite image of both. Furthermore, the control means M7 stores data of the composite image of the image of the designated area and the read image in the page memory pm2.

[0064] Furthermore, when the designated area is modified in the designated area display / change means M6 on which the composite image of the image of the designated area and the read image is displayed, the control means M7 updates the data of the designated area (including coordinate data, etc.) stored in the page memory pm3 with the data of the modified designated area. At this time, the control means M7 updates the data of the image of the designated area stored in the page memory pm3 with the data of the image of the modified designated area, and updates the data of the composite image of the image of the designated area and the read image stored in the page memory pm2 with the data of the composite image of the image of the designated area and the read image after the modification.

[0065] Furthermore, after the actual printing is performed, the control means M7 issues an instruction to the image inspection means M8 to perform image inspection on the recording medium printed in the actual printing, and outputs the read image of the actual printing stored in the page memory pm2.

[0066] The image inspection means M8 is included in the control unit 11 (image control CPU 117), and when it receives an image inspection instruction from the control means M7, it compares the read image of the actual printing stored in the page memory pm2 with the reference image and performs image inspection processing of the recording medium printed in the actual printing. In this image inspection processing, the read image is compared with the reference image to check whether there are any defects in the read image. In addition, if designated areas are provided for the document image, this image inspection processing performs inspection processing or inspection exclusion processing according to the type of each designated area.

[0067] [First inspection operation (first specified area confirmation function)] Next, a first inspection operation (check operation) of a designated area of ​​an original image performed when proof mode printing (trial printing) is executed in the image inspection device 2 (image inspection system 1) of this embodiment, and an image inspection operation performed in actual printing will be described. In the first inspection operation (check operation) of a designated area, first, a composite image of an image of a designated area (an area to be inspected and an area not to be inspected) set for an original image on an application input (implemented) in the external PC 50 or the image inspection device 2 and a read image at the time of proof mode printing is displayed by the designated area display / change means M6. Then, the user checks the arrangement position of the designated area on the display screen of the designated area display / change means M6, judges whether the position of the designated area is correct (correctness check), and corrects the arrangement position of the designated area as necessary.

[0068] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the flow of data and instruction signals between function blocks in the first inspection operation (checking operation) of a specified area on a document image and the image inspection operation performed in the actual printing. Note that each function block shown in Fig. 6 is the same as each function block explained in Fig. 5, and therefore the same reference numerals are used.

[0069] In the first inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, as shown in Fig. 6, the control means M7 first receives an original image from the image input means M1 (image processing unit 60) (operation A1). Next, the control means M7 (compression IC 112) compresses the received original image and stores it in the compression memory 116a (operation B1). Next, the control means M7 (decompression IC 113) decompresses the compressed original image stored in the compression memory 116a and stores it in the page memory pm1 (operations C1, D1).

[0070] In the first inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, the control means M7 receives data (including coordinate data, etc.) of the designated area for the document image acquired from the image input means M1 (image processing section 60) and stores the received data of the designated area in the page memory pm3 (operation E1). Note that the operation from receiving the data of the designated area to storing it in the page memory pm3, shown as operation E1, may be performed in parallel with the operation from receiving the data of the document image to storing it in the page memory pm1, shown as operations A1 to D1, or operation E1 may be performed after or before operations A1 to D1.

[0071] In the first inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, after the decompressed document image is stored in the page memory pm1, the control means M7 issues a print instruction to the image recording means M4 (printer 12) to print the document image (operation F1). At this time, the control means M7 outputs the decompressed document image to the image recording means M4. Next, when the instructed printing is completed, the image recording means M4 (printer 12) notifies the control means M7 of the completion of printing (operation F1).

[0072] Next, in the first inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, when the control means M7 receives a notification of completion of printing from the image recording means M4, it issues an instruction to the image reading means M5 to read the image formed on the recording medium (operation G1). Then, when the image reading means M5 completes reading the image, it notifies the control means M7 of the completion of reading (operation G1) and outputs the read image to the control means M7. The control means M7 saves the read image input from the image reading means M5 in the page memory pm2.

[0073] Next, in the first inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, the control means M7 issues an instruction to the designated area display / change means M6 (operation display unit 14) to display a composite image of the image of the designated area and the read image (operation H1). At this time, the control means M7 generates data of the image of the received designated area and stores it in the page memory pm3.

[0074] Furthermore, when the designated area display / change means M6 (operation display unit 14) receives an instruction to display a composite image, it acquires the scanned image stored in the page memory pm2 and the image of the designated area corresponding to the document image of the scanned image stored in the page memory pm3, and displays the composite image. Next, if the user checks the composite image and the designated area is corrected by the designated area display / change means M6, the data of the designated area before correction stored in the page memory pm3 is overwritten with the data of the designated area after correction. At this time, the designated area display / change means M6 displays a composite image of the image of the designated area after correction and the scanned image. At this time, the control means M7 stores the data of the image of the designated area after correction in the page memory pm3, and stores the data of the composite image of the image of the designated area after correction and the scanned image in the page memory pm2.

[0075] After the actual printing is performed, the control unit M7 issues an instruction to the image inspection unit M8 to perform an image inspection (operation I1). The image inspection unit M8 compares the read image of the recording medium printed in the actual printing with the reference image to inspect whether the read image has any defects. If designated areas are provided for the document image, the image inspection process performs an inspection process or an inspection exclusion process according to the type of each designated area.

[0076] [Image inspection process including first inspection operation] Next, a procedure of the image inspection process (image formation process) including the first inspection operation performed in the image inspection device 2 (image inspection system 1) of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the image inspection process (image formation process) including the first inspection operation performed in this embodiment.

[0077] In the image inspection device 2, when the image processing unit 60 receives print job data from the external PC 50 via the communication network 40, the image inspection process is started.

[0078] First, the control unit 11 acquires data (coordinate data, etc.) of designated areas (areas to be inspected and areas not to be inspected) set for the document image (step S101). In this process, the control unit 11 acquires data of the designated areas set for the document image on an application input to the external PC 50 or the image inspection device 2. The acquired data of the designated areas is stored in the page memory 116b of the image memory 116.

[0079] Next, the control unit 11 acquires data of the document image (step S102). In this process, the control unit 11 compresses the data of the document image included in the data of the print job received from the image processing unit 60 and stores it in the compression memory 116a, and expands the compressed document image stored in the compression memory 116a and stores it in the page memory 116b.

[0080] Next, the control unit 11 performs an image formation process (step S103). In this process, the control unit 11 outputs data of the original image to the printer 12, and issues an instruction to the printer 12 to print the original image. When the printer 12 receives the print instruction from the control unit 11, it prints the original image on a recording medium supplied by a recording medium supply unit (not shown) of the printing unit 121. The recording medium on which the image is printed is output to the image reading unit 20. In addition, when the printer 12 has completed printing, it notifies the control unit 11 to that effect.

[0081] Next, the control unit 11 performs an image reading process (step S104). In this process, first, when the control unit 11 receives a notification of printing completion from the printer 12, it issues an instruction to the image reading unit 20 to read the image printed on the recording medium. When the image reading unit 20 receives the instruction to read the image from the control unit 11, it reads the image printed on the recording medium discharged to the image reading unit 20. Then, the control unit 11 acquires the image read by the image reading unit 20 (read image) and stores it in the page memory 116b of the image memory 116.

[0082] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the printing executed in the process of step S103 is regular printing (step S105).

[0083] In the process of step S105, if it is determined that the printing in step S103 is not regular printing (if the determination in step S105 is NO), the control unit 11 performs the process of step S109 described below.

[0084] On the other hand, if the control unit 11 determines in the process of step S105 that the printing in step S103 is a regular print (YES determination in step S105), the control unit 11 performs an image inspection (step S106). In this process, the control unit 11 performs a comparison process between the read image obtained in the process of step S104 and a reference image prepared in advance, and inspects whether or not there is a defect in the read image. In addition, if a designated area is provided in the document image, the image inspection process of step S104 performs an inspection process or an inspection exclusion process according to the type of each designated area.

[0085] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether or not there is an image defect as a result of the image inspection in step S106 (step S107).

[0086] In the process of step S107, if the control unit 11 determines that there is no image defect (if the determination in step S107 is NO), the control unit 11 performs the process of step S109 described below.

[0087] On the other hand, if the control unit 11 determines in the process of step S107 that there is an image defect (YES in step S107), the control unit 11 issues an instruction to the image processing unit 60 to perform recovery printing (step S108).

[0088] After the process of step S108, if the process of step S105 is a NO verdict, or if the process of step S107 is a NO verdict, the control unit 11 determines whether or not printing of all pages has been completed (step S109).

[0089] In the process of step S109, if the control unit 11 determines that printing of all pages of the document image has not been completed (if the determination in step S109 is NO), the control unit 11 returns the process to the process of step S101 and repeats the processes of steps S101 to S109.

[0090] On the other hand, if in the processing of step S109, the control unit 11 determines that printing of all pages of the original image has been completed (if the judgment at step S109 is YES), the control unit 11 determines whether the printing performed in the processing of step S103 is proof mode printing (test printing) or not (step S110).

[0091] In the process of step S110, if the control unit 11 determines that the printing in step S103 is not proof mode printing (if the determination in step S110 is NO), the control unit 11 ends the image inspection process.

[0092] On the other hand, in the process of step S110, if the control unit 11 determines that the printing in step S103 is proof mode printing (YES determination in step S110), the control unit 11 composites the image of the designated area and the read image to generate a composite image (step S111). In this process, the control unit 11 issues an instruction to display the composite image to the operation display unit 14, generates an image of the designated area (for example, a rectangular frame image described later) based on the data of the designated area acquired in the process of step S101, and composites the generated image of the designated area with the read image acquired in the process of step S104 to generate a composite image. In addition, the control unit 11 stores the generated image of the designated area and data of the composite image in the page memory 116b of the image memory 116. Note that the image of the designated area may be generated when the data of the designated area is acquired in the process of S101.

[0093] Next, the control unit 11 controls the operation display unit 14 to display the composite image generated in the process of step S111 (step S112). In this process, when the operation display unit 14 receives an instruction to display the composite image from the control unit 11, it displays the input composite image on the display unit 141. Note that, although an example in which the generated composite image is input to the operation display unit 14 and displayed, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to configure the operation display unit 14 to input the image of the designated area and the read image obtained in the process of step S104 separately (without being combined), and to display the composite image by superimposing both images on the operation display unit 14.

[0094] Next, control unit 11 determines whether or not the designated area has been changed in the composite image displayed on operation display unit 14 (step S113). In this process, control unit 11 determines whether or not an operation signal corresponding to a change in the designated area has been received from operation display unit 14 (whether or not the user has performed an operation to modify the designated area using operation display unit 14). If the user has performed an operation to modify the designated area, step S113 becomes a YES determination, and otherwise step S113 becomes a NO determination.

[0095] In the process of step S113, when the control unit 11 determines that the designated region has not been changed (when the determination in step S113 is NO), the control unit 11 ends the image inspection process.

[0096] On the other hand, if the control unit 11 determines in the process of step S113 that the designated area has been changed (YES determination in step S113), the control unit 11 performs a process of rewriting the data of the designated area (step S114). In this process, the control unit 11 rewrites the data (coordinate data, etc.) of the designated area before the change stored in the page memory 116b of the image memory 116 with the data (coordinate data, etc.) of the designated area after the change. In addition, at this time, a composite image of the image of the designated area after the change and the read image is generated, and the image of the designated area after the change and the data of the composite image are stored in the page memory 116b. Then, the control unit 11 performs the process of rewriting the data of the designated area and then ends the image inspection process.

[0097] [Display example 1 of the composite image in the first inspection operation (example 1 of correction of the specified area)] 8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining a display example 1 (modification example 1 of the designated area) of a composite image displayed on the display operation screen of the operation display unit 14 when a first inspection operation is performed in the image inspection process 2 (image inspection system 1) according to this embodiment. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the display state of the display operation screen before correcting (changing) data of the designated area (area to be inspected and area excluded from inspection) for the original image, and Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the display state of the display operation screen after correcting (changing) data of the designated area for the original image.

[0098] In this example, a display operation screen 300 displays, in the area from the center to the left end, a composite image 301 of a scanned image E30 of a recording medium on which an original image is printed and images E31, E32, and E33 of designated areas set for the original image on an external application. Note that the original image used in this example is the same as the original image shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, in Figs. 8 and 9, the areas of the person image, character string image "ABCDEF", number string image "101", and barcode image in scanned image E30 are also denoted with the same reference symbols as in Fig. 1.

[0099] In this example, the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area displayed in the composite image 301 are formed of rectangular frame images. In this case, the size of the rectangular frame image showing the designated area changes according to the size of the designated area. In this example, an example in which the image of the designated area is formed by a rectangular frame image is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an image of any display form can be used as the image of the designated area as long as the range of the designated area is visible. For example, an elliptical frame image or a frame image with each corner of a rectangle made into an arc shape may be used as the image of the designated area, or an image of a rectangular frame image with the inside of the frame made semi-transparent may be used as the image of the designated area. In addition, the form of the image of the designated area can be appropriately set according to the print contents in the designated area, for example, an image of a circle shape or a polygonal shape other than a square shape may be used as the image of the designated area.

[0100] Also, in this example, on the display operation screen 300, various information related to the coordinates of each designated area displayed in the composite image 301 is displayed to the right of the display area of ​​the composite image 301. Specifically, a display area of ​​"area coordinates 302" is provided, which is made up of a display area for information (set values ​​in mm) of "width setting", "height setting", "horizontal position setting" and "vertical position setting" of the designated area. Note that in this example and display examples 2 and 3 described later, the origin (reference position) that is the reference for various information related to the coordinates of each designated area is basically the vertex of the upper left corner of the composite image 301. Also, the set values ​​of "horizontal position setting" and "vertical position setting" correspond to the horizontal (left-right direction on the drawing) and vertical (up-down direction on the drawing) coordinates of the vertex of the upper left corner of the frame image of the designated area, respectively.

[0101] In this example, the set values ​​related to the coordinates displayed in each information area in the area coordinates 302 can be changed by the user performing a predetermined operation on the operation means such as the display operation screen 300 or various buttons (see FIG. 3) provided on the operation unit 142. Any operation that can change each set value in the area coordinates 302 can be applied as the predetermined operation of the user, and for example, a touch operation on the display operation screen 300 or a pressing operation on various buttons of the operation unit 142 can be adopted. In addition, when multiple designated areas are set as in this example, various information related to the coordinates of the currently selected designated area is displayed in the area coordinates 302. In addition, the designated area can be selected by the user touching (tapping) any of the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area on the display operation screen 300, for example.

[0102] Also, in this example, on the display operation screen 300, below the area coordinates 302, images of a "Delete" button 303 and a "Register" button 304 are displayed which can be operated by a touch operation by the user and which are operated when deleting (resetting) and registering information of the specified area, respectively. Also, in this example, on the display operation screen 300, below the display area of ​​the images of the "Delete" button 303 and the "Register" button 304, a "Close" button 305 which can be operated by a touch operation by the user and which is operated when closing the display operation screen 300 is displayed.

[0103] Furthermore, in this example, if the coordinate positions of one or more specified areas in the read image are not the desired positions (expected values) (as in the case of FIG. 8), information indicating the occurrence of a matching error is displayed (notified) at the top end of the display operation screen 300. In this example, the words "Matching error" and "The specified decoded result is different from the expected value" are displayed.

[0104] In display example 1 of the composite image in the first inspection operation (correction example 1 of the designated area), a case will be described in which the orientation of the read image of the recording medium on which the original image is printed during inspection (top-bottom direction: left-right direction in the example of FIG. 8) is rotated 270 degrees clockwise from the orientation of the original image when the designated area is set on the external application (orientation of the original image displayed on the setting screen: up-down direction in the example of FIG. 8). Therefore, in display example 1, as shown in FIG. 8, in the composite image 301 displayed on the display operation screen 300, images E31, E32, E33 of the designated area are displayed at positions rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the desired positions (areas E11, E12, E13).

[0105] When a user looks at this composite image 301 displayed on the display operation screen 300, the user can easily confirm that the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area are not in the desired position (areas E11, E12, and E13) relative to the read image, but are set in an incorrect position. In such a case, in this embodiment, the user can change information about the coordinates of the designated area on the display operation screen 300 so that the position of the designated area is set to the desired position.

[0106] Specifically, the user can change (modify) the position of the designated area as follows. Note that, here, for the sake of simplicity, a method of changing (modifying) the position of the image E31 of the designated area will be described. First, the user selects the image E31 of the designated area from the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area by performing a touch operation on the display unit 141 (area image selection unit) or pressing various buttons on the operation unit 142 (area image selection unit) on the display operation screen 300. As a result, in the setting value areas of the "width setting", "height setting", "horizontal position setting", and "vertical position setting" of the area coordinates 302, "80", "10", "10", and "20" (mm) are displayed as data (setting values) related to the coordinates corresponding to the image E31 of the designated area, respectively, as shown in FIG. 8. Note that, at this point, the data (setting values) when the designated area is set on the external application are displayed in the area of ​​the area coordinates 302.

[0107] Next, the user sets a rectangular region E31' so as to surround the region 11 of the character string image ("ABCDEF") that is to be the desired position of the image E31 of the specified region. Any method can be used to set the rectangular region E31'. For example, the rectangular region E31' may be set using an operation means such as various buttons provided on the operation unit 142 (region information change unit), or the user may directly touch the display operation screen 300 displayed on the display unit 141 (region information change unit). As a result, an image of the region E31' surrounding the character string image "ABCDEF" is displayed on the display operation screen 300 as shown in FIG. 8. At this time, the image of the region E31' is displayed in a display form (a frame image of a dashed line) different from that of the image E31. In this example, the size of the region E31' is the same as that of the image E31, but the size of the region E31' may be different from that of the image E31 as long as it is a size that can surround the character string image "ABCDEF".

[0108] Next, when the user presses (tap) the "Register" button 304, data on the coordinates of the image E31 of the specified area is rewritten to data on the coordinates of the area E31', and the data on the specified area is corrected. At this time, in the areas of the setting values ​​of "Width setting", "Height setting", "Horizontal position setting" and "Vertical position setting" of the area coordinates 302, "10", "80", "10" and "105" (mm) are displayed as data (setting values) on the coordinates corresponding to the area E31', respectively, as shown in FIG. 9. At this time, the image of the area E31' after correction changes from a dashed line frame image to a solid line frame image, and the image E31 before correction changes from a solid line frame image to a dashed line frame image. At this time, the image E31 before correction may be erased.

[0109] The method of changing (correcting) data related to the coordinates of the image E31 of the designated area is not limited to the above example. For example, a method may be used in which the user uses operation means such as various buttons provided on the operation unit 142 to change the set values ​​of the "width setting", "height setting", "horizontal position setting" and "vertical position setting" of the area coordinates 302 shown in FIG. 8 from "80", "10", "10" and "20" (mm) to "10", "80", "10" and "105" (mm) (the coordinates of the desired position (area E31')). Also, for example, a method may be used in which the user performs an operation such as a drag operation while touching the image E31 of the designated area on the display operation screen 300, moves the image E31 of the designated area to the desired position (area E31') and rotates it appropriately to change (correct) data related to the coordinates of the image E31 of the designated area.

[0110] The positions of the designated area images E32 and E33 can also be changed to desired positions in the same manner as the change (correction) method for the designated area image E31 described above. In this example, if the user makes a mistake in correcting the designated area, pressing the "Delete" button 303 resets the data related to the coordinates of the designated area, and the data before correction is displayed in the area coordinates 302. At this time, the dashed-dotted frame image of area E31' displayed on the display operation screen 300 in FIG. 8 also disappears.

[0111] In display example 1 of a composite image (modification example 1 of a designated area), data relating to the coordinates of each designated area is changed (modified) as described above. Note that data relating to the coordinates of each designated area after modification is stored in page memory 116b (page memory pm3), and at this time, data relating to the coordinates of each corresponding designated area before modification is replaced with data relating to the coordinates of each corresponding designated area after modification. Also, data of the modified composite image is stored in page memory 116b (page memory pm2). At this time, data of the composite image before modification is replaced with data of the modified composite image.

[0112] [Display example 2 of the composite image in the first inspection operation (example 2 of correction of the specified area)] 10 and 11 are diagrams for explaining a display example 2 (example 2 of correction of the designated area) of a composite image displayed on the display operation screen of the operation display unit 14 when a first inspection operation is performed in the image inspection process 2 (image inspection system 1) according to this embodiment. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the display state of the display operation screen before correcting (changing) data of the designated area (area to be inspected and area excluded from inspection) for the original image, and Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the display state of the display operation screen after correcting (changing) data of the designated area for the original image.

[0113] In addition, in the scanned image and the image of the designated area of ​​display example 2 shown in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, and the configuration of the display operation screen, the same configurations as those of display example 1 shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As is clear from a comparison between display example 2 shown in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 and display example 1 shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, in display example 2, only the configuration of area coordinates 401 (setting items of data related to the coordinates of the designated area) is different from the configuration of area coordinates 302 of display example 1, and other configurations of the scanned image, the image of the designated area, and the display operation screen are similar to those of display example 1. Therefore, in order to simplify the explanation, explanations of the configuration other than the configuration of area coordinates 401, and the scanned image and the image of the designated area will be omitted here.

[0114] In this example, the display area of ​​the area coordinates 401 includes a display area for the information (set values ​​in mm) of the "width setting", "height setting", "width position setting" and "length position setting" of each specified area, as well as a display area for the information of the "top position" ("top", "bottom", "left", "right") of the original image (original image in the scanned image or original image at the time of setting the specified area). The "top position" here indicates the position of the downstream edge of the recording medium in the printing direction of the recording medium, and in this example, the edge of the recording medium on the head side of the person image E10 in the original image is the top position. The information of the "top position" displayed on the display operation screen 300 can also be changed in the same manner as the information of the "width setting", "height setting", "width position setting" and "length position setting" of each specified area described in the display example 1.

[0115] Next, the data correction operation of the specified area in this example will be described. In this example, a case will be described in which the orientation of the read image of the recording medium on which the original image is printed during inspection (top-bottom direction: left-right direction in the example of FIG. 10) is rotated 270 degrees clockwise from the orientation of the original image when the specified area is set on the external application (orientation of the original image displayed on the setting screen: up-down direction in the example of FIG. 10). Therefore, in the display example 2, as shown in FIG. 10, in the composite image 301 displayed on the display operation screen 300, the images E31, E32, and E33 of the specified area are displayed at a position rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the desired position (areas E11, E12, and E13). Therefore, even in this example, when the user sees this composite image 301 displayed on the display operation screen 300, it can be easily confirmed that the images E31, E32, and E33 of the specified area are not at the desired position (areas E11, E12, and E13) with respect to the read image, but are set at an incorrect position.

[0116] In the correction operation of this example, first, the user selects the designated area image E31 from the designated area images E31, E32, and E33 by performing a touch operation on the display unit 141 (area image selection unit) on the display operation screen 300 or by pressing various buttons on the operation unit 142 (area image selection unit). As a result, in the setting value areas of the "Width setting", "Height setting", "Horizontal position setting", and "Vertical position setting" of the area coordinates 401, "80", "10", "10", and "20" (mm) are displayed as data (setting values) related to the coordinates corresponding to the designated area image E31, as shown in FIG. 10. Also, at this point, since the data related to the designated area set on the application is displayed in the area coordinates 401, the orientation of the document image when the designated area is set on the application (in this example, the up-down direction) becomes the top-to-bottom direction, and "up" is displayed in the information area of ​​the "top position". From this information, the user can recognize that the top position (top) of the document image when the designated area is set on the external application does not match the top position (left) of the scanned image.

[0117] Therefore, in order to correct image E31 of the designated area to a desired position (a position surrounding area 11 of character string image "ABCDEF"), the user changes the "top position" information to "left" using operation means such as various buttons provided on operation unit 142 (top position change unit) and presses (tap) "Register" button 304. This operation rotates all of images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area 270 degrees clockwise on display operation screen 300. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area move to the desired position (position of areas E11, E12, and E13) on composite image 301, and data related to the coordinates of images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area is changed. In addition, at this time, the setting value areas of the “Width Setting”, “Height Setting”, “Horizontal Position Setting”, and “Vertical Position Setting” in the coordinate area 401 display “10”, “80”, “10”, and “105” (mm), respectively, as data (setting values) relating to the coordinates corresponding to the image E31 of the changed specified area, as shown in FIG. 11.

[0118] In this example, the designated area data is changed by changing the "top position" when image E31 of the designated area is selected, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the designated area data may be changed by changing the "top position" when image E32 or image E33 of the designated area is selected. In this case, too, each designated area can be placed in a desired position by executing the above-mentioned change method (method of changing the information of "top position").

[0119] [Display example 3 of the composite image in the first inspection operation (example 3 of correction of the specified area)] 12 and 13 are diagrams for explaining a display example 3 (specified area correction example 3) of a composite image displayed on the display operation screen of the operation display unit 14 when a first inspection operation is performed in the image inspection process 2 (image inspection system 1) according to this embodiment. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the display state of the display operation screen before correcting (changing) data of the specified area (area to be inspected and area excluded from inspection) for the original image, and Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the display state of the display operation screen after correcting (changing) data of the specified area for the original image.

[0120] In addition, in the configuration of the read image and the image of the specified area of ​​display example 3 shown in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13, the same configuration as those of display example 2 shown in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As is clear from a comparison between display example 3 shown in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 and display example 2 shown in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, in display example 3, only the configuration of area coordinates 501 (setting items of data related to the coordinates of the specified area) is different from the configuration of area coordinates 401 of display example 2, and other configurations of the read image, the image of the specified area, and the display operation screen are similar to those of display example 2. Therefore, in order to simplify the explanation, explanations of the configuration other than the configuration of area coordinates 501, and the read image and the image of the specified area will be omitted here.

[0121] In this example, the display area of ​​the area coordinates 501 includes display areas for the information on the "width setting", "height setting", "width position setting" and "vertical position setting" of each specified area (set values ​​in mm), as well as information on the "top position" ("top", "bottom", "left", "right"), and also a display area for information on the "origin (reference position)" of the original image (original image in the scanned image or original image at the time of setting the specified area) (the vertices of the corners of "top left", "bottom left", "top right", and "bottom right"). Note that the "origin" information displayed on the display operation screen 300 can be changed in the same manner as the information on the "width setting", "height setting", "width position setting", "vertical position setting" and "top position" of each specified area described in display examples 1 and 2.

[0122] Next, the data correction operation of the designated area in this example will be described. In this example, an example will be described in which the orientation of the read image of the recording medium on which the original image is printed during inspection (top-bottom direction: left-right direction in the example of FIG. 12) is the same as the orientation of the original image when the designated area is set on the external application (orientation of the original image displayed on the setting screen: left-right direction in the example of FIG. 12). However, in this example, the origin position of the read image is "upper left", but the origin position of the original image when the designated area is set on the external application is "lower left" (an example in which the origin positions are different from each other). Therefore, in display example 3, as shown in FIG. 12, in the composite image 301 displayed on the display operation screen 300, the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area are displayed in a position that is vertically (up and down) inverted with respect to the desired position (areas E11, E12, and E13). Therefore, even in this example, when a user looks at this composite image 301 displayed on the display operation screen 300, he or she can easily confirm that the images E31, E32 of the specified area are not in the desired position (areas E11, E12) relative to the read image, but are set in an incorrect position.

[0123] In this example of the correction operation, first, the user selects the designated area image E31 from the designated area images E31, E32, and E33 by performing a touch operation on the display unit 141 (area image selection unit) on the display operation screen 300 or by pressing various buttons on the operation unit 142 (area image selection unit). As a result, in the setting value areas of the "Width setting", "Height setting", "Horizontal position setting", and "Vertical position setting" of the area coordinates 501, as shown in FIG. 12, "10", "80", "10", and "20" (mm) are displayed as data (setting values) related to the coordinates corresponding to the designated area image E31, respectively, and "Left", which is the top position of the document image when the designated area is set on the application, is displayed as information on the "Top position". Also, at this point, "Bottom left", which is the origin position of the document image when the designated area is set on the application, is displayed in the information area of ​​the "Origin". From this information, the user can recognize that the origin position of the original image ("bottom left") when setting the specified area on the external application does not match the origin position of the scanned image ("top left").

[0124] Therefore, in order to correct the image E31 of the designated area to a desired position (a position surrounding the area 11 of the character string image "ABCDEF"), the user changes the information of the "origin" to "upper left" using operation means such as various buttons provided on the operation unit 142 (reference position change unit), and presses (tap) the "register" button 304. This operation inverts the arrangement positions of the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area in the vertical direction (up and down direction) on the display operation screen 300. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area move to the desired positions (the positions of the areas E11, E12, and E13) on the composite image 301, and the data regarding the coordinates of the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area are changed. In addition, at this time, the setting value areas of the “Width Setting”, “Height Setting”, “Horizontal Position Setting”, and “Vertical Position Setting” in the coordinate area 501 display “10”, “80”, “10”, and “105” (mm), respectively, as data (setting values) relating to the coordinates corresponding to the image E31 of the changed specified area, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0125] In addition, in the display example 3 shown in Figures 12 and 13, an example in which both the "top position" and the "origin" can be set has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the display example 3, the setting function for the "top position" may not be provided.

[0126] [effect] As described above, in the first inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area of ​​the original image performed when proof mode printing (trial printing) is performed in the image inspection device 2 (image inspection system 1) of this embodiment, the designated area to be inspected and / or excluded from inspection is set in the original image by an application implemented in the external PC 50 and / or the image inspection device 2. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to set the designated area in the scanned image for proof mode printing, and therefore it is possible to prevent the complication of setting the designated area. In addition, since the designated area can be specified by the application when the original image is generated, operations for various images to be printed can be consolidated in one place.

[0127] In addition, in the above-mentioned first inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, a composite image of the scanned image of the document image printed in proof mode printing (trial printing) and the image of the designated area set on the external application is displayed on the display operation screen 300. Therefore, the user can easily check on the display operation screen 300 whether the designated area is placed at the desired position. In addition, in the above-mentioned first inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, if the user looks at the display result of the composite image and determines that the designated area is not placed at the desired position, various data related to the coordinates of the designated area can be changed (corrected) so that the designated area is placed at the desired position on the display operation screen 300. In addition, in the above-mentioned first inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, if the user looks at the display result of the composite image and determines that the designated area is placed at the desired position, the actual printing can be performed immediately, and a decrease in productivity can be suppressed.

[0128] In other words, in the image inspection device 2 (image inspection system 1) of this embodiment, when proof mode printing (test printing) is performed, the first inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area described above is performed, making it possible to easily set, confirm, and change (correct) the designated area while also suppressing a decrease in productivity.

[0129] [Second inspection operation (check function for second specified area)] Next, a second inspection operation (confirmation operation) of a designated area of ​​an original image performed when proof mode printing (trial printing) is performed in the image inspection device 2 (image inspection system 1) of this embodiment will be described. In the second inspection operation (confirmation operation) of a designated area, first, a composite image is generated of an image of a designated area (area to be inspected and area not to be inspected) set for the original image on an application input (implemented) into the external PC 50 or the image inspection device 2 and an original image, and this composite image is printed on a recording medium. Then, on the printed recording medium, the user checks the positional relationship between the original image and the designated area, judges whether the position of the designated area is correct (correctness check), and corrects the designated area if necessary.

[0130] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing the flow of data and instruction signals between functional blocks in the second inspection operation (checking operation) of the specified area on the document image. Note that each functional block shown in Fig. 14 is similar to each functional block described in Fig. 5, and therefore is shown with the same reference numerals.

[0131] In the second inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, as shown in Fig. 14, the control means M7 first receives an original image from the image input means M1 (image processing unit 60) (operation A2). Next, the control means M7 (compression IC 112) compresses the received original image and stores it in the compression memory 116a (operation B2). Next, the control means M7 (decompression IC 113) decompresses the compressed original image stored in the compression memory 116a and stores it in the page memory pm1 (operations C2, D2).

[0132] In the second inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, the control means M7 receives data (including coordinate data, etc.) of the designated area for the document image from the image input means M1 (image processing section 60) and stores the received data of the designated area in the page memory pm3 (operation E2). Note that the operation from receiving the data of the designated area to storing it in the page memory pm3, shown in operation E2, may be performed in parallel with the operation from receiving the data of the document image to storing it in the page memory pm1, shown in operations A2 to D2, or operation E2 may be performed after or before operations A2 to D2.

[0133] Next, in the second inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, the control unit M7 issues an instruction to the designated area synthesis unit M3 to synthesize the image of the designated area and the document image (operation F2). At this time, the control unit M7 generates data of the image of the received designated area and stores it in the page memory pm3. Next, the designated area synthesis unit M3 acquires the document image stored in the page memory pm1 and the image of the designated area corresponding to the document image stored in the page memory pm3, and generates a synthesized image of the image of the designated area and the document image. Then, the data of the generated synthesized image of the image of the designated area and the document image is output to the page memory pm1 and stored. Note that since the image of the designated area is generated based on the data of the designated area set on the application, the position where the image of the designated area is formed is determined by the data of the designated area and is not affected by the orientation (top-bottom direction) of the document image or positional deviation during image formation. Therefore, for example, as described in Figure 2, when the orientation of the original image is rotated 270 degrees clockwise from the desired orientation and printed during image formation, the formation position of the image of the specified area on the recording medium will be a position rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the desired position relative to the original image.

[0134] Next, in the second inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, after the data of the composite image of the image of the designated area and the document image is stored in the page memory pm1, the control means M7 issues an instruction to print the document image to the image recording means M4 (printer 12) (operation G2). At this time, the control means M7 outputs the data of the composite image of the image of the designated area and the document image to the image recording means M4 (printer 12). Then, when the printing of the composite image is completed, the image recording means M4 (printer 12) notifies the control means M7 of the completion of printing (operation G2).

[0135] [Image inspection process including second inspection operation] Next, a procedure of the image inspection process (image formation process) including the second inspection operation performed in the image inspection device 2 (image inspection system 1) of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the image inspection process (image formation process) including the second inspection operation performed in this embodiment.

[0136] In the image inspection device 2, when the image processing unit 60 receives print job data from the external PC 50 via the communication network 40, the image inspection process is started.

[0137] First, the control unit 11 acquires data (coordinate data, etc.) of a designated area (an area to be inspected and an area not to be inspected) set for the document image (step S201). In this process, the control unit 11 acquires data of the designated area set for the document image on an application implemented in the external PC 50 or the image inspection device 2. The acquired data of the designated area is stored in the page memory 116b of the image memory 116.

[0138] Next, the control unit 11 acquires data of the document image (step S202). In this process, the control unit 11 compresses the data of the document image included in the data of the print job received from the image processing unit 60 and stores it in the compression memory 116a, and expands the compressed document image stored in the compression memory 116a and stores it in the page memory 116b.

[0139] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the printing to be executed is proof mode printing (trial printing) or not (step S203).

[0140] In the process of step S203, if the control unit 11 determines that the printing to be performed is not proof mode printing (if the determination at step S203 is NO), the control unit 11 performs the process of step S205 described below.

[0141] On the other hand, in the process of step S203, if the control unit 11 determines that the printing to be performed is proof mode printing (YES determination in step S203), the control unit 11 composites the image of the designated area and the document image to generate a composite image (step S204). In this process, the control unit 11 generates an image of the designated area (for example, a rectangular frame image described below) based on the data of the designated area acquired in the process of step S201, and composites the generated image of the designated area with the document image acquired in the process of step S202 to generate a composite image. The generated data of the composite image is stored in the page memory 116b of the image memory 116. Note that the image of the designated area may be generated when the data of the designated area is acquired in the process of S201.

[0142] After the process of step S204, or if step S203 is judged as NO, the control unit 11 performs an image forming process (step S205). In this process, if the printing to be performed is proof mode printing, the control unit 11 outputs the composite image data generated in the process of step S204 to the printer 12, and issues a print instruction to the printer 12 to print the composite image. When the printer 12 receives the print instruction from the control unit 11, it prints the composite image input from the control unit 11 on a recording medium supplied to a recording medium supply unit (not shown) of the printing unit 121. Also, in this process, if the printing to be performed is regular printing, the control unit 11 outputs the document image data acquired in the process of step S202 to the printer 12, and issues a print instruction to the printer 12 to print the document image. When the printer 12 receives the print instruction from the control unit 11, it prints the document image input from the control unit 11 on a recording medium supplied to a recording medium supply unit (not shown) of the printing unit 121. Then, the recording medium on which the composite image or the document image is printed is discharged to the image reading unit 20. Furthermore, when printing is completed, the printer 12 notifies the control unit 11 to that effect.

[0143] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the printing performed in step S205 is regular printing (step S206).

[0144] In the process of step S206, if the control unit 11 determines that the executed printing is not regular printing (if the determination in step S206 is NO), the control unit 11 performs the process of step S211 described below.

[0145] On the other hand, if in the process of step S206, the control unit 11 determines that the executed printing is regular printing (YES determination in step S206), the control unit 11 performs image reading process (step S207). In this process, first, the control unit 11 issues an instruction to the image reading unit 20 to read the image printed on the recording medium. Upon receiving the image reading instruction from the control unit 11, the image reading unit 20 reads the image printed on the recording medium discharged to the image reading unit 20. Then, the control unit 11 acquires the image read by the image reading unit 20 (read image) and stores it in the page memory 116b of the image memory 116.

[0146] Next, the control unit 11 performs an image inspection of the recording medium on which the image is formed (step S208). In this process, the control unit 11 performs a comparison process between the read image obtained in step S207 and a reference image prepared in advance, and inspects whether or not there is a defect in the read image. If a designated area is set for the document image, in the image inspection process of this step S208, the control unit 11 performs an inspection process or an inspection exclusion process according to the type of each designated area.

[0147] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether or not there is an image defect as a result of the image inspection in step S208 (step S209).

[0148] In the process of step S209, if the control unit 11 determines that there is no image defect (if the determination in step S209 is NO), the control unit 11 performs the process of step S211 described below.

[0149] On the other hand, if the control unit 11 determines in the process of step S209 that there is an image defect (YES in step S209), the control unit 11 issues an instruction to the image processing unit 60 to perform recovery printing (step S210).

[0150] After the process of step S210, if the process of step S206 is determined to be NO, or if the process of step S209 is determined to be NO, the control unit 11 determines whether or not printing of all pages has been completed (step S211).

[0151] In the process of step S211, if the control unit 11 determines that printing of all pages of the document image has not been completed (if the determination at step S211 is NO), the control unit 11 returns the process to the process of step S201, and repeats the processes of steps S201 to S211.

[0152] On the other hand, in the process of step S211, if the control unit 11 determines that printing of all pages of the document image has been completed (if the determination in step S211 is YES), the control unit 11 ends the image inspection process.

[0153] [Example 1 of printing a composite image in the second inspection operation (Example 1 of checking the specified area)] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a print example 1 of a composite image printed on a recording medium in the second inspection operation of the image inspection process 2 (image inspection system 1) according to this embodiment.

[0154] In print example 1 of a composite image (designated area confirmation example 1) shown in Fig. 16, the original image used is the same as the original image shown in Fig. 1. In this example, the configuration (number, arrangement, etc.) of the designated areas printed on recording medium 600 and the images of the designated areas are also the same as the images of the designated areas (rectangular frame images) shown in Fig. 8. Therefore, in Fig. 16, the portrait image, character string image "ABCDEF", number string image "101", barcode image, and images of the multiple designated areas printed on recording medium 600 are denoted with the same reference characters as in display example 1 shown in Fig. 8.

[0155] In addition, in the composite image printing example 1 shown in Figure 16 (designated area confirmation example 1), a case is explained in which the orientation of the composite image (top-bottom direction: left-right direction in the example of Figure 16) when the composite image of the original image and the image of the designated area is printed during inspection is rotated 270 degrees clockwise from the orientation of the original image when the designated area is set on the external application (orientation of the original image displayed on the setting screen: top-bottom direction in the example of Figure 16).

[0156] In this example, the orientation of the composite image when it is printed is rotated 270 degrees clockwise relative to the orientation of the original image when the specified area is set, so that in the composite image printed on recording medium 600, images E31, E32, and E33 of the specified area are printed at a position rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the desired position (areas E11, E12, E13).

[0157] 16, the user can easily confirm that the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area are not in the desired positions (areas E11, E12, and E13) but are set in incorrect positions relative to the original image. In such a case, the user resets various data related to the coordinates of the designated area on the application implemented in the external PC 50 or the image inspection device 2 so that the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area are placed in the desired positions (areas E11, E12, and E13).

[0158] [Print example 2 of composite image in second inspection operation (example 2 of confirmation of specified area)] For example, when the size of the original image is different from the size of the recording medium (printing paper) or when the original image is shifted and printed, even if the orientation of the original image when the specified area is set on the external application is the same as the orientation of the composite image (recording medium) when printed, the origin of the original image is different from the origin of the recording medium (printing paper). Here, an example of printing a composite image in such a case will be described.

[0159] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a print example 2 of a composite image printed on a recording medium in the second inspection operation of the image inspection process 2 (image inspection system 1) according to this embodiment.

[0160] 17 shows an example of a printed composite image in which the orientation of the original image when the specified area is set on the external application is the same as the orientation of the composite image (recording medium) when printed, but the size of the recording medium (printing paper) 601 is larger than the size of the original image. In addition, in FIG. 17, the size of the area inside the boundary defined by the cross marks (so-called registration marks) printed near each corner of the recording medium 601 is the size of the original image.

[0161] In print example 2 of a composite image (designated area confirmation example 2) shown in Fig. 17, the original image used is the same as the original image shown in Fig. 1. In this example, the configuration (number, arrangement, etc.) of the designated areas printed on recording medium 601 and the images of the designated areas are also the same as the images of the designated areas (rectangular frame images) shown in Fig. 8. Therefore, in Fig. 17, the portrait image, character string image "ABCDEF", number string image "101", barcode image, and images of the multiple designated areas printed on recording medium 601 are denoted with the same reference characters as in display example 1 shown in Fig. 8.

[0162] In this example, the origin of the recording medium 601 (printing paper) is the vertex of the upper left corner of the recording medium 601, while the origin of the document image on the recording medium 601 is the center of the upper left cross mark. In this case, the set coordinates of each designated area at the time of printing are coordinates relative to the origin of the recording medium 601 (printing paper), so in the print result of this example, images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated areas are printed at positions shifted to the upper left from the desired positions (areas E11, E12, and E13), as shown in Fig. 17.

[0163] Therefore, even in this example, if a user looks at the printout of the composite image as shown in Fig. 17, he or she can easily confirm that the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area are not in the desired positions (areas E11, E12, and E13) but are set in incorrect positions relative to the original image. In such a case, the user resets various data related to the coordinates of the designated area on the application implemented in the external PC 50 or the image inspection device 2 so that the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area are placed in the desired positions (areas E11, E12, and E13).

[0164] [Print example 3 of composite image in second inspection operation (example 3 of confirmation of designated area)] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a print example 3 of a composite image printed on a recording medium in the second inspection operation of the image inspection process 2 (image inspection system 1) according to this embodiment.

[0165] As is clear from a comparison between the composite image print example 3 shown in FIG. 18 and the composite image print example 1 shown in FIG. 16, in this example, specific coordinate information is added to each of the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated area in the composite image print example 1 shown in FIG. 16. In this example, the coordinates of the upper left corner vertex and the lower right corner vertex of the rectangular frame image of each designated area are printed on the composite image, with the upper left corner vertex of the recording medium 600 (printing paper) as the origin and the reference point, respectively. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 18, for the image E31 of the designated area, "(10, 20)" is printed as the coordinates of the upper left corner vertex of the image E31, and "(90, 30)" is printed as the coordinates of the lower right corner vertex of the image E31.

[0166] Therefore, when a user looks at the print result of the composite image as shown in FIG. 18, the user can easily confirm that the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated areas are not in the desired positions (areas E11, E12, and E13) but are set in the wrong positions relative to the original image. Also, in this example, when changing (correcting) the data related to the coordinates of each designated area, the user resets various data related to the coordinates of the designated areas on the application implemented in the external PC 50 or the image inspection device 2 so that the images E31, E32, and E33 of the designated areas are placed in the desired positions (areas E11, E12, and E13). Note that, as in this example, when the coordinates of each designated area are printed together with the image of the designated area, for example, the position of the origin as the reference position and the rough correction amount of the data related to the coordinates of each designated area can be recognized, so that the designated area can be changed more easily.

[0167] In this example, when printing a composite image on a recording medium in the second inspection operation of the image inspection process 2 (image inspection system 1) according to this embodiment, an example is described in which the coordinate information of each designated area is printed together with the image of the designated area, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the first inspection operation of the image inspection process 2 according to this embodiment, when a composite image of the read image and the image of the designated area is displayed on the display operation screen of the operation display unit 14, the coordinate information of each designated area may be displayed together with the image of the designated area.

[0168] [effect] As described above, in the second inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area of ​​the original image performed when proof mode printing (trial printing) is performed in the image inspection device 2 (image inspection system 1) of this embodiment, a designated area to be inspected and / or excluded from inspection is set in the original image by an application implemented in the external PC 50 and / or the image inspection device 2. This eliminates the need to set a designated area in the scanned image for proof mode printing, thereby preventing the complication of setting the designated area. In addition, since the designated area can be specified by the application when the original image is generated, operations for various images to be printed can be consolidated in one place.

[0169] In the above-mentioned second inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, a composite image of the document image and the image of the designated area set on the external application is printed and output on a recording medium. Then, the user can easily check whether the designated area is placed at the desired position by looking at the print result. In the above-mentioned second inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, if the user looks at the print result of the composite image and determines that the designated area is not placed at the desired position, the user can change (correct) various data related to the coordinates of the designated area in the application implemented in the external PC 50 or the image inspection device 2 so that the designated area is placed at the desired position. In the above-mentioned second inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area, if the user looks at the print result of the composite image and determines that the designated area is placed at the desired position, the user can immediately execute the actual printing, thereby suppressing a decrease in productivity.

[0170] In other words, in the image inspection device 2 (image inspection system 1) of this embodiment, when proof mode printing (test printing) is performed, the second inspection operation (confirmation operation) of the designated area described above is performed, making it possible to easily set, confirm, and change (correct) the designated area while also suppressing a decrease in productivity.

[0171] [Various variations] The above describes the configuration of the image inspection system 1 and image inspection device 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention, as well as the method of image inspection processing (confirming and changing the designated area). However, the present invention is not limited to these, and various other modified embodiments can be adopted as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present invention as described in the claims.

[0172] In the above embodiment, when proof mode printing is specified, in the first inspection operation by the image inspection device 2, a composite image of the image of the designated area and the read image of the proof mode printing is displayed on the operation display unit 14, the user checks the display result, and if necessary, changes the data related to the coordinates of the designated area. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when proof mode printing is specified, a composite image of the image of the designated area and the read image of the proof mode printing is printed (formed) on a recording medium, the user checks the print result, and if necessary, changes the arrangement position of the designated area.

[0173] In the above embodiment, when proof mode printing is specified, a configuration has been described in which a composite image of the image of the designated area and the document image is printed (formed) on a recording medium in the second inspection operation by the image inspection device 2, the print result is checked by the user, and data related to the coordinates of the designated area is changed if necessary, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration may be used in which the image inspection device 2 displays a composite image of the image of the designated area and the document image on the operation display unit 14, the display result is checked by the user, and the arrangement position of the designated area is changed if necessary.

[0174] In the above embodiment, a configuration example was described in which a composite image of the image of the designated area and the document image is printed (formed) on a recording medium in the second inspection operation by the image inspection device 2, and the user checks the print result, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, depending on the contents of the document image and the contents of the information printed in the designated area, if it is easy to check whether the position of the designated area is correct without printing the document image, the second inspection operation may be configured to print only the image of the designated area on a recording medium.

[0175] In the above embodiment, the image inspection device 2 includes the printing device unit 10, the image reading unit 20, and the post-processing unit 30, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only a group of components related to the operation of the above-mentioned correctness confirmation function (image inspection function) of a specified area (an area to be inspected and an area not to be inspected) for a document image may be considered as an image inspection device. In this case, the image inspection device may be included in a device consisting of the printing device unit 10, the image reading unit 20, and the post-processing unit 30, or may be provided as a device separate from these devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0176] 1...image inspection system, 2...image inspection device, 10...printing device section, 11...control section, 12...printer, 13...scanner, 14...operation display section, 15...storage section, 16...PCI bus, 20...image reading section, 21,131...CCD, 22...image reading control section, 30...post-processing section, 31...post-processing control section, 40...communication network, 50...external PC, 60...image processing section, 61...NIC, 62...communication control section, 6 3,111...DRAM control IC, 64,116...image memory, 65...image processing control unit, 70...image forming unit, 112...compression IC, 113...decompression IC, 114...read processing unit, 115...write processing unit, 117...image control CPU, 116a...compression memory, 116b...page memory, 118...ROM, 121...printing unit, 122...printing control unit, 132...scanner control unit, 141...display unit, 142...operation unit

Claims

1. a designated area acquisition unit that acquires area data including coordinate data of an area designated by a user in an original image and the original image from an external device that can communicate with the device itself; an image inspection unit that performs image inspection processing by comparing a read image of a recording medium on which the original image is printed with a reference image for image inspection; and a display unit; When a test print is instructed, a read image of the document image printed on the recording medium in the test print is synthesized with an area image indicating the area generated using the coordinate data included in the area data acquired by the designated area acquisition unit, and a synthesized image of the read image and the area image is displayed on the display unit; When a print command is issued, if the area specified in the document image is an area to be inspected, the image inspection unit performs the image inspection process on the specified area.

1. An image inspection device comprising:

2. The display device further includes a region image selection unit that is capable of selecting one of the region images that are combined into the composite image displayed on the display unit, the coordinate data includes coordinate data of a reference position that defines the position of the region on the document image, and data that defines a range of the region image on the document image with the reference position as an origin; The display unit displays data defining a range in the document image of the region image selected by the region image selection unit.

2. The image inspection apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. a region information changing unit capable of changing the coordinate data of the region, When the coordinate data of the region is changed by the region information change unit, the display unit displays the composite image of the region image of the region generated using the changed coordinate data and the read image.

3. The image inspection apparatus according to claim 2.

4. When the orientation of the document image in the read image is rotated by a predetermined angle from the orientation of the document image, the region information change unit changes the coordinate data in response to a predetermined operation by the user so as to rotate the region image by the predetermined angle; The display unit displays the composite image of the region image rotated at the predetermined angle due to the change in the coordinate data and the read image.

4. The image inspection apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The predetermined operation is an operation for inputting a setting for rotating the area image at the predetermined angle.

5. The image inspection apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The coordinate data of the area after the change is further included in a storage unit.

6. The image inspection device according to claim 3, wherein the image inspection device is a multi-axis image inspection device.

7. a designated area acquisition unit that acquires area data including coordinate data of an area designated by a user in an original image and the original image from an external device that can communicate with the device itself; and an image inspection unit that performs image inspection processing by comparing a read image of a recording medium on which the original image is printed with a reference image for image inspection, When a test print is instructed, a region image indicating the region specified by the user for the document image is generated using the coordinate data included in the region data acquired by the designated region acquisition unit, and is printed on a blank recording medium; When a print command is issued, if the area specified in the document image is an area to be inspected, the image inspection unit performs the image inspection process on the specified area.

1. An image inspection device comprising:

8. When the test print is instructed, a composite image of the area image and the original image is printed on the recording medium on which nothing is recorded.

8. An image inspection apparatus according to claim 7.

9. When a test print is instructed, the coordinate data of the area is printed on the recording medium together with the area image.

9. An image inspection apparatus according to claim 7 or 8.

10. an image inspection device having a designated area acquisition unit that acquires area data including coordinate data of an area designated by a user in an original image and the original image from an external device that can communicate with the device itself; an image inspection unit that performs image inspection processing by comparing a read image of a recording medium on which the original image is printed with a reference image for image inspection; and a display unit, when a test printing is instructed, a read image of the original image printed on the recording medium in the test printing is synthesized with an area image indicating the area generated using the coordinate data included in the area data acquired by the designated area acquisition unit, and a synthesized image of the read image and the area image is displayed on the display unit, and when a regular printing is instructed, the image inspection unit performs the image inspection processing on the designated area if the area designated in the original image is an area to be inspected; an image reading unit that reads the document image printed on the recording medium in the test print when the test print is instructed; Image inspection system.

11. acquiring area data including coordinate data of an area designated by a user in an original image from an external device capable of communicating with the apparatus; and acquiring the original image; performing an image inspection process by comparing a read image of the recording medium on which the original image is printed with a reference image for image inspection; When a test print is instructed, a read image of the document image printed on the recording medium in the test print is synthesized with an area image indicating the area generated using the coordinate data included in the acquired area data; displaying a composite image of the read image and the area image on a display unit; and when a command for regular printing is issued, if the area designated for the document image is an area to be inspected, performing the image inspection process for the designated area. Imaging methods.

12. A process of acquiring area data including coordinate data of an area designated by a user on an original image from an external device capable of communicating with the device itself, and the original image; A process of performing an image inspection process by comparing a read image of the recording medium on which the original image is printed with a reference image for image inspection; When a test print is instructed, a process of synthesizing a read image of the document image printed on the recording medium in the test print with an area image indicating the area generated using the coordinate data included in the acquired area data; A process of displaying a composite image of the read image and the area image on a display unit; and when a command for actual printing is issued, if the area specified in the document image is an area to be inspected, a process of performing the image inspection process on the specified area is implemented in the information processing device and executed. Image inspection program.

Images