Image Forming Apparatus Coordinates Servers to Protect QR Codes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image processing systems face issues where multiple image processing servers performing operations on image data can inadvertently alter security codes or QR codes, leading to unintended conversions that may distort their intended meaning or detectability.
Innovation Solution
An image processing system where an image forming apparatus coordinates multiple image processing servers to perform operations in a predetermined order, ensuring non-overlapping target areas by adjusting priority levels and instructing servers to adjust their processing areas, thereby preventing unintended alterations of security codes or QR codes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If multiple image processing servers cooperatively perform image processing operations on image data, then the image forming apparatus can have a simple configuration with limited resources, but the security codes or QR codes may be unfavorably converted to different image patterns, making them hard to detect or against the intended meaning
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines the processing order of multiple image processing servers before they actually process the image data. By establishing a predetermined sequence (such as OCR first, then translation, then code merging), the system ensures that security codes and QR codes are protected from being distorted by subsequent processing operations. This preliminary ordering prevents the harmful effect where later processing might convert or distort code patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The image forming apparatus acts as an intermediary that coordinates between multiple external image processing servers. It receives image data, determines the appropriate processing order, and distributes data to servers in the correct sequence. This intermediary role ensures that servers with code merging functions process data after OCR and translation servers have completed their work, preventing codes from being distorted by text recognition operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If image processing servers perform operations on target image data without predetermined order, then processing flexibility is improved, but the target image data may be converted to unintended forms affecting security codes or QR codes
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines the processing order based on the specific functions of each image processing server. Rather than using a fixed static sequence, the image forming apparatus evaluates the capabilities and requirements of each server (OCR, translation, code merging) and establishes an optimal processing sequence. This dynamic approach maintains flexibility while ensuring that code-protecting operations occur at appropriate stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the processing parameter of operation sequence by assigning different priorities to different image processing servers. By modifying the order parameter (which server processes first, second, third), the system ensures that operations which might distort codes (OCR, translation) are performed before operations that add codes (code merging). This parameter change maintains versatility while improving processing accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus obtains area information indicating target areas to be subjected to image processing from a plurality of image processing servers and judges whether or not their target areas are overlapping each other. The image forming apparatus examines the priority levels set in advance for the image processing servers if their target areas are overlapping each other, then repeats to instruct an image processing server with a lower priority level than another image processing server to adjust the position of its target area until it is judged that the target areas are not overlapping each other. And the image forming apparatus transmits information of the target areas confirmed to be not overlapping each other to the image processing servers, so that the image processing servers can successfully perform image processing on their own target areas according to the information.