Image processing apparatus, reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, and image processing method

Abstract

To select an image creation mode according to how the original object is colored when settings are such that invisible light is used.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus according to the present invention has: a light source that irradiates an object with at least invisible light; an image sensor that has sensitivity in a visible light wavelength range and an invisible light wavelength range; an image processing unit that creates an image based on image information output by the image sensor; a switching unit that switches the image processing unit to a single color image creation mode for creating a single color image that is an image in a single color; and a control unit that, when an operation mode for irradiating the object with the invisible light is selected, controls the switching unit to switch the image processing unit to the single color image creation mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Claims

1. A light source that illuminates the object with at least invisible light, An image sensor having sensitivity in the visible light wavelength range and the invisible light wavelength range, An image processing unit that generates an image based on the image information output by the aforementioned image sensor, A control unit that instructs the operating mode, A switching unit that switches the image processing unit to a single-color image generation mode that generates a single-color image, which is an image of a single color, It has, When the operation mode for irradiating invisible light is selected, the switching unit detects the selection of the operation mode for irradiating invisible light and switches the image generation mode of the image processing unit to the single-color image generation mode. Image processing device.

2. The image processing unit has multiple image generation modes, The aforementioned plurality of image generation modes include a color image generation mode that generates an RGB color image. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. It has a scalp correction processing unit that corrects the scalp level of the aforementioned image, When the operation mode that irradiates invisible light is selected, the skin level of the single-color image is corrected. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. It has a printing correction processing unit that corrects the density of the single-color image, When the operation mode for irradiating with invisible light is selected, the density of the single-color image is corrected. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The light source that emits the invisible light is a near-infrared light source, The image sensor has sensitivity in the infrared wavelength range as the invisible light wavelength range. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The image sensor has pixels having peak sensitivity in the infrared wavelength range. The image processing unit generates the single-color image based on the infrared image information output from the image sensor. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The scalp correction processing unit has a setting unit for setting the correction level, When the setting of the correction level in the setting unit is changed, the background level of the single-color image is corrected to the changed value. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3.

8. The single-color image generation mode generates a black and white binary image as a single-color image. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The single-color image generation mode generates a single-color multi-level image as a single-color image. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

10. The switching unit, after an image has been generated in the single-color image generation mode, switches the image processing unit from the single-color image generation mode to a mode other than the single-color image generation mode. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

11. In the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The light source and the image sensor are provided as a scanner. A reading device.

12. In the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The light source and the image sensor are used as a scanner. The image forming unit has an image forming unit that forms an image based on the output image of the image processing unit. Image forming apparatus.

13. A method for image processing of an object, When an operating mode for irradiating invisible light is selected, the light source irradiates the object with invisible light, The steps include: an image sensor having sensitivity in the visible light wavelength range and the invisible light wavelength range outputs image information of the object; The steps include: an image processing unit generating an image based on the image information output by the image sensor; When the operation mode for irradiating invisible light is selected, the switching unit detects the selection of the operation mode for irradiating invisible light and switches the image generation mode of the image processing unit to a single-color image generation mode that generates a single-color image, which is an image of a single color. Image processing methods including [specific details omitted].

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