Patent Application
20160127571
The priority application number JP2014-224910, Image Reading Device and Image Reading Method, Nov. 5, 2014, Shinichi Kamisoyama, upon which this patent application is based, is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading device and an image reading method, and more particularly, it relates to an image reading device and an image reading method each that detects a read fault of a medium.
2. Description of the Background Art
An image reading device and an image reading method that detect a read fault of a medium are known in general, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-228351, for example.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-228351 discloses a booklet reading device with a page turning mechanism (hereinafter referred to as the “booklet reading device”) including a multi feed detector that detects multi feed of turned pages. This booklet reading device includes a page turning portion, a reader, and the multi feed detector. The page turning portion has a function of turning the pages of a booklet. The reader is configured to read a newly opened page. The multi feed detector includes an ultrasonic sensor and is configured to detect the multi feed of the turned pages (a read fault of a medium) by the ultrasonic sensor when the page turning portion turns the pages of the booklet.
The booklet reading device described in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-228351 is provided with the ultrasonic sensor in order to detect the read fault of a manuscript (medium). Thus, the booklet reading device according to the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-228351 must be provided with the ultrasonic sensor, and hence the structure of the booklet reading device (image reading device) is complicated.
The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the aforementioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image reading device and an image reading method each capable of detecting a read fault of a medium while suppressing complication of the structure of the image reading device.
In order to attain the aforementioned object, an image reading device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a reading portion that reads image data of a medium, a storage portion that stores the image data, and a controller that acquires first information having regularity contained in the image data and positional information about the first information, both of which are stored in the storage portion. The controller determines a range based on the first information and the positional information both acquired from each of two or more pieces of image data and to detect a read fault of the medium based on the first information contained in the range.
As hereinabove described, the image reading device according to the first aspect of the present invention determines the range based on the first information and the positional information both acquired from each of the two or more pieces of image data and to detect the read fault of the medium based on the first information (page number, for example) contained in the range, whereby no detector that detects the read fault of the medium (multi feed, for example), such as an ultrasonic sensor may be provided separately from the reading portion. Therefore, the image reading device can detect the read fault of the medium while suppressing complication of the structure. Furthermore, the image reading device determines the range based on the first information and the positional information both acquired from each of the two or more pieces of image data, and hence a user may not set the range (written page number position range) of the image data. Consequently, the user may not set the written page number position range of the image data, and hence operational convenience for the user can be improved. In addition, the image reading device can more accurately determine the range (written page number position range), as compared with the case where the image reading device determines the range (the written page number position range of the image data) based on the position of a written number in one piece of image data.
In the aforementioned image reading device according to the first aspect, the controller preferably determines the range based on an overlap of two or more pieces of positional information. The positions of written first information (page numbers) in a common medium (manuscript) are frequently set to prescribed positions (same positions) even in different pages. More specifically, the positions of the written page numbers in the manuscript frequently overlap each other over a plurality of pages. In consideration of this point, according to the present invention, the range is determined based on the overlap of the two or more pieces of positional information, whereby the written page number position range of the image data can be easily set.
In this case, the controller preferably determines second information based on the reading order of the image data and to detect the read fault of the medium resulting from multi feed of the medium based on the first information and the second information contained in the range. According to this structure, multi feed of the medium (manuscript) can be detected.
In the aforementioned image reading device that detects multi feed, the controller preferably determines a plurality of ranges corresponding to the number of overlapping positions of the positional information when there are a plurality of overlapping positions. According to this structure, the controller can determine the plurality of ranges when the image reading device reads the medium having a plurality of pages aggregated in one piece of image data. Consequently, even when reading the medium having the plurality of pages aggregated in one piece of image data, the image reading device can detect the read fault of the medium based on the first information and the second information contained in the plurality of ranges.
In the aforementioned image reading device that detects multi feed, the controller preferably determines an overlapping position with the largest number of acquired pieces of first information of a plurality of overlapping positions of the positional information as the range when there are the plurality of overlapping positions. In a medium, a page number is generally written in an overlapping position with the largest number of pieces of first information of a plurality of overlapping positions. Based on this point, according to the present invention, the controller determines the overlapping position with the largest number of acquired pieces of first information of the plurality of overlapping positions as the range when there are the plurality of overlapping positions of the positional information, whereby the controller can more accurately determine the range (written page number position range).
In the aforementioned image reading device that detects multi feed, the controller preferably determines the range within a range having a first width from an end of the image data in a transverse direction and having a second width from an end of the image data in a longitudinal direction. In general, the first information (such as a page number) is frequently written in the range having the first width from the end of the medium in the transverse direction and having the second width from the end of the image data in the longitudinal direction. Based on this point, according to the present invention, the controller determines the range within the range having the first width from the end of the image data in the transverse direction and having the second width from the end of the image data in the longitudinal direction, whereby the first information and the positional information may not be acquired in a range that is in excess of the first width from the end of the image data in the transverse direction and a range that is in excess of the second width from the end of the image data in the longitudinal direction, and hence a processing load on the controller can be reduced.
In the aforementioned image reading device that detects multi feed, the first information preferably contains one of a number, an alphabet, and a symbol having regularity. According to this structure, the number, the alphabet, or the symbol is detected, whereby the range can be easily determined, and the read fault of the medium can be easily detected.
In the aforementioned image reading device that determines the range based on the overlap of the positional information, the controller preferably determines the range based on the number of overlaps of the positional information. According to this structure, the written page number position range of the image data can be more effectively determined, as compared with the case where an entire range in which the overlap of the positional information is detected is determined as the range (written page number position range).
In the aforementioned image reading device according to the first aspect, the controller preferably acquires the first information and the positional information from a previously set margin of the image data. According to this structure, the first information (a number) written in an area other than the margin and the positional information may not be detected, and hence a processing load can be reduced when the first information and the positional information are detected from the image data.
In the aforementioned image reading device according to the first aspect, the controller preferably displays the image data corresponding to the read fault of the medium on a display portion when detecting the read fault of the medium and to display the last page of the image data on the display portion when not detecting the read fault of the medium. According to this structure, the image reading device can allow the user to visually recognize the image data corresponding to the read fault of the medium when detecting the read fault of the medium. Furthermore, the image reading device can allow the user to visually recognize (confirm) the last page of the image data when detecting no read fault of the medium.
In the aforementioned image reading device that detects multi feed, the controller preferably detects the read fault of the medium based on the first information and the second information of the image data excluding the image data in which the first information is not written when the first information is not written in the range. In a manuscript (medium) such as a common magazine, for example, there is a page(s) containing a page number(s) and a page(s) (such as a picture page(s)) containing no page number. In this case, if the image reading device immediately determines that there is the read fault of the medium when there is the page(s) in which the page number(s) is not written in the range (written page number position range) of the image data, the image reading device erroneously detects that there is the read fault of the medium even when there is no read fault of the medium (even when reading the manuscript without multi feed). On this point, according to the present invention, the image reading device is configured as described above, whereby the image reading device does not detect the read fault of the medium when page numbers before and after the page(s) containing no page number are in the correct order even in the case where there is the page(s) containing no page number, such as the picture page(s). Thus, the possibility of erroneously detecting the read fault of the medium can be significantly reduced.
The aforementioned image reading device that detects multi feed preferably further includes a paper carrying portion that carries the medium including a paper to the reading portion, and the controller preferably determines that there is multi feed during carrying of the medium by the paper carrying portion when detecting the read fault of the medium based on the first information contained in the range. According to this structure, multi feed caused during the carrying of the medium by the paper carrying portion can be detected based on the first information contained in the range.
In the aforementioned image reading device according to the first aspect, the reading portion preferably reads the medium including a manuscript with a plurality of pages as the image data for each page, and the controller preferably detects the first information including a number and the position of the number that is written from the image data read by the reading portion. According to this structure, in a manuscript, a page number is generally written as information having regularity, and hence the number (page number) is employed as the first information, whereby the read fault of the medium can be easily detected.
In this case, the controller preferably sets the range including a written page number position range of the image data based on the positional information that is the position of the number that is written in each of at least two of the two or more pieces of image data and to detect the read fault of the medium based on the number written in the range.
An image reading method according to a second aspect of the present invention includes reading image data of a medium, storing the image data, acquiring first information having regularity contained in the image data and positional information about the first information, both of which are stored in a storage portion, determining a range based on two or more pieces of first information and two or more pieces of positional information both acquired from each of two or more pieces of image data, and detecting a read fault of the medium based on the first information contained in the range.
As hereinabove described, the image reading method according to the second aspect of the present invention includes determining the range based on the two or more pieces of first information and the two or more pieces of positional information both acquired from each of the two or more pieces of image data and detecting the read fault of the medium based on the first information contained in the range. Thus, also in the image reading method according to the second aspect, the read fault of the medium can be detected while complication of the structure is suppressed.
In the aforementioned image reading method according to the second aspect, determining the range preferably includes determining the range based on an overlap of the two or more pieces of positional information. According to this structure, the range (written page number position range) of the image data can be easily set.
In this case, the image reading method preferably further includes determining second information based on the reading order of the image data, and detecting the read fault of the medium preferably includes detecting the read fault of the medium resulting from multi feed of the medium based on the first information and the second information contained in the range. According to this structure, multi feed of the medium (manuscript) can be detected.
In the aforementioned image reading method including detecting the read fault of the medium resulting from multi feed of the medium, determining the range preferably includes determining a plurality of ranges corresponding to the number of overlapping positions of the positional information when there are a plurality of overlapping positions. According to this structure, the plurality of ranges can be determined when the medium having a plurality of pages aggregated in one piece of image data is read. Consequently, even when the medium having the plurality of pages aggregated in one piece of image data is read, the read fault of the medium can be detected based on the first information and the second information contained in the plurality of ranges.
In the aforementioned image reading method including detecting the read fault of the medium resulting from multi feed of the medium, determining the range preferably includes determining an overlapping position with the largest number of acquired pieces of first information of a plurality of overlapping positions of the positional information as the range when there are the plurality of overlapping positions. In a medium, a page number is generally written in an overlapping position with the largest number of pieces of first information of a plurality of overlapping positions. Based on this point, the image reading method is configured as described above, whereby the range (written page number position range) can be more accurately determined.
In the aforementioned image reading method including detecting the read fault of the medium resulting from multi feed of the medium, determining the range preferably includes determining the range within a range having a first width from an end of the image data in a transverse direction and having a second width from an end of the image data in a longitudinal direction. In general, the first information (such as a page number) is frequently written in the range having the first width from the end of the medium in the transverse direction and having the second width from the end of the image data in the longitudinal direction. Based on this point, the image reading method is configured as described above, whereby the first information and the positional information may not be acquired in a range that is in excess of the first width from the end of the image data in the transverse direction and a range that is in excess of the second width from the end of the image data in the longitudinal direction, and hence a processing load on the controller can be reduced.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Embodiments of the present invention are hereinafter described with reference to the drawings.
The overall structure of an image reading device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is now described with reference to
As shown in
According to the first embodiment, the PC 2 of the image reading device 100 is configured to set written page number position ranges R (see
More specifically, according to the first embodiment, the PC 2 of the image reading device 100 is configured to determine the written page number position ranges R on the basis of the numbers and the positions B in the image data D acquired from each of the two or more pieces of image data D and to detect the read fault of the manuscript P on the basis of the numbers (page numbers X) in the image data D contained in the written page number position ranges R.
The structure of the scanner 1 is now described.
As shown in
The roller portions 11a to 11d each are configured to carry papers Pa normally one by one from the paper feed tray 12 to the paper ejection tray 13 by rolling while contacting with the papers Pa of the manuscript P. The paper carrying mechanism 11 may infrequently carry two or more papers Pa simultaneously from the paper feed tray 12 to the paper ejection tray 13. In this case, the scanner 1 does not read some pages of the two or more papers Pa as the image data D but carries those papers Pa to the paper ejection tray 13. In this description, simultaneous carrying of two or more papers Pa is described as the “multi feed”.
The scanner 1 is provided with the reading portion 15 and an imaging circuit 16. The reading portion 15 includes an image sensor, and the image sensor of the reading portion 15 is configured to read the manuscript P with N pages carried by the paper carrying mechanism 11 as data for each page and to transmit the data to the imaging circuit 16. As shown in
As shown in
The controller 17 is configured to drive the paper the paper carrying drive portion 19 to carry the manuscript P from the paper feed tray 12 to the paper ejection tray 13 and to control the reading portion 15 and the imaging circuit 16 to acquire the image data D1 to DM from the manuscript P when acquiring a control signal for reading the manuscript P from the PC 2 through the communication portion 18. The controller 17 is further configured to transmit the acquired image data D1 to DM to the PC 2 through the communication portion 18.
The structure of the PC 2 is now described.
The PC 2 is provided with a PC controller 21, a storage portion 22, and a communication portion 23. The PC controller 21 is configured to control each portion of the PC 2 and to be capable of controlling the operation of the scanner 1 by executing a scanner control program 22a stored in the storage portion 22. The PC controller 21 is further configured to be capable of performing processing for setting the written page number position ranges R and processing for determining multi feed by executing the scanner control program 22a stored in the storage portion 22. The PC controller 21 is configured to acquire the image data D1 to DM through the communication portion 23 and to control the storage portion 22 to store the image data D1 to DM. The PC controller 21 is an example of the “controller” in the claims.
The PC 2 is provided with a display portion 24 and an operation portion 25. The display portion 24 is configured to be capable of displaying the image data D and to display a multi feed part confirmation screen (see
As shown in
The PC controller 21 has an optical character recognition function (hereinafter referred to as the “OCR function”) of being capable of recognizing characters written in the image data D. A simple function of being capable of recognizing only numbers is preferably employed as the OCR function of the PC controller 21. Thus, a processing load on the PC controller 21 can be reduced in the processing for setting the written page number position ranges R.
The PC controller 21 is configured to be capable of detecting the font sizes and the font types of the numbers written in the image data D.
The processing for setting the written page number position ranges R performed by the image reading device 100 according to the first embodiment is now described.
According to the first embodiment, the PC controller 21 of the image reading device 100 is configured to set the written page number position ranges R of the image data D on the basis of the number U of overlaps of the positions B of the written numbers and addition regularity of read values Z of the numbers written in the positions B (overlapping positions Q) of the written numbers in which the overlap is detected. More specifically, the PC controller 21 is configured to determine the written page number position ranges R on the basis of the overlap of the positions B of the written numbers. The following is a specific description.
The PC controller 21 is configured to determine whether or not the numbers are written in the image data D1 to DM and to acquire positional information about the aforementioned recognized positions B of the written numbers.
According to the first embodiment, the PC controller 21 is configured to detect overlapping positions Q of the positions B of the written numbers in one of at least two of the two or more pieces of image data D and the positions B of the written numbers in the other of at least two of the two or more pieces of image data D, as shown in
The PC controller 21 is configured to detect the same font sizes and the same font types when detecting the overlapping positions Q and to be capable of setting the positions B of the written numbers in which the overlap is detected as the overlapping positions Q when the numbers of the same font sizes or the same font types overlap with each other. The PC controller 21 is configured to be capable of excluding other than fonts that are likely to be generally employed in writing page numbers (special numbers or the like) when setting the overlapping positions Q.
The PC controller 21 is configured to calculate the number U of overlaps of the positions B of the written numbers in the overlapping positions Q and to determine whether or not a value E (=U/M) obtained by dividing the number U by the total number M (the maximum value M of the image count numbers Y) of image data D is equal to or more than a prescribed number F. The prescribed number F is more than 0 and not more than 1 (0<F≦1).
In an example shown in
According to the first embodiment, the PC controller 21 is configured to set the written page number position ranges R of the image data D on the basis of the addition regularity of the read values Z of the numbers written in the overlapping positions Q (Q1 to Q3), as shown in
Specifically, the PC controller 21 is configured to determine that there is the aforementioned addition regularity when the number of times (identical number I) each of increase values H of the image count numbers Y is identical to each of increase values H of the read values Z of the numbers written in the overlapping positions Q1 to Q3 with respect to the total number M of image data D is equal to or more than a prescribed ratio G (I/(M−J)≧G; the number J is described later) and to set an overlapping position Q where I/(M−J)≧G as the written page number position ranges R.
More specifically, the PC controller 21 is configured to calculate an increase value H1 from a read value Zn corresponding to an image count number Y nth read by the scanner 1 to a read value Zn+1 corresponding to an image count number Y (n+1)th read by the scanner 1. The PC controller 21 is also configured to calculate an increase value H2 from the read value Zn to a read value Zn+2 and an increase value H3 from the read value Zn to a read value Zn+3. As shown in
The PC controller 21 determines whether or not the increase values H1 to H3 in the overlapping positions Q1 to Q3 are identical to the increase values H1 to H3 of the image count numbers Y, respectively. The PC controller 21 acquires the identical number I for each of the overlapping positions Q1 to Q3. The PC controller 21 acquires the aforementioned number J of “ERROR” for each of the overlapping positions Q1 to Q3. The PC controller 21 sets the overlapping position Q where (I−J)/M≧G as the written page number position ranges R when a value obtained by dividing a difference value between the identical number I and the number J of “ERROR” by the number M of pages (=(I−J)/M) is equal to or more than the prescribed ratio G (0.8, for example).
In an example shown in
According to the first embodiment, the PC controller 21 is configured to determine (set) a plurality of written page number position ranges R corresponding to the number of overlapping positions Q when there are the plurality of overlapping positions Q, as shown in
As shown in
Processing for determining the possibility of multi feed and processing for specifying a multi feed part (when the written page number position ranges R are set in one position) performed by the image reading device 100 are now described with reference to
As shown in
Specifically, the PC controller 21 is configured to determine whether or not increase values S1 to S3 of the page numbers X in the written page number position ranges R are identical to increase values S1 to S3 of the image count numbers Y, respectively. As shown in view (b) of
More specifically, the PC controller 21 is configured to detect a part(s) where the increase value S1 of the page numbers X is not 1, a part(s) where the increase value S2 of the page numbers X is not 2, and a part(s) where the increase value S3 of the page numbers X is not 3.
View (a) of
View (b) of
In the example shown in view (b) of
As shown in view (c) of
View (c) of
Processing for determining the possibility of multi feed and processing for specifying the multi feed part (when the written page number position ranges R are set in two or more positions) performed by the image reading device 100 are now described with reference to
The PC controller 21 is configured to determine whether or not the increase values S1 to S3 of the page numbers X in the written page number position ranges R are identical to the quadruple of the increase values S1 to S3 of the image count numbers Y, respectively. As shown in view (b) of
More specifically, the PC controller 21 is configured to detect a part(s) where the increase value S1 of the page numbers X is not 4, a part(s) where the increase value S2 of the page numbers X is not 8, and a part(s) where the increase value S3 of the page numbers X is not 12.
In addition to the aforementioned structure, the PC controller 21 may be configured to determine that there is no multi feed when the last (maximum) page number XM is identical to the quadruple of the last (maximum) image count number YM and determine that there is multi feed when the last (maximum) page number XM is not identical to the quadruple of the last (maximum) image count number YM.
Processing for detecting an irregularity in the processing for determining multi feed performed by the image reading device 100 is now described with reference to
According to the first embodiment, the image reading device 100 (PC controller 21) is configured to determine whether or not there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P on the basis of the page number X of the image data D excluding the image data D in which the page number X is not written when there is a page(s) in which the page number(s) X is not written in the written page number position ranges R of the image data D (a page(s) in which the page number(s) X is not acquired).
Specifically, the PC controller 21 is configured to determine whether or not there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P by further considering a page number X1, the page number XM, and either a minimum page number XA or a maximum number XB of pages in which the page numbers X are acquired after the aforementioned processing for determining the possibility of multi feed. This processing is described later in detail with reference to
The multi feed part confirmation screen and the last page confirmation screen are now described with reference to
According to the first embodiment, the image reading device 100 (PC controller 21) is configured to display the image data D corresponding to the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P on the display portion 24 when determining that there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P (see
Specifically, the PC controller 21 displays an indication of the multi feed part on the display portion 24 when determining that there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P, as shown in
The PC controller 21 is configured to display a message for notifying the user of the possibility of multi feed (“THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF MULTI FEED BETWEEN THESE PAGES.”, for example) together with the aforementioned image data D before and after the multi feed part and operation indications (“NEXT” and “REREAD”, for example) on the display portion 24.
The PC controller 21 is configured to display an indication of the next multi feed part if there is another multi feed part and display the last page (see
The PC controller 21 is configured to read a page(s) of the manuscript P corresponding to the multi feed part by the scanner 1 after the user places the page(s) of the manuscript P corresponding to the multi feed part on the paper feed tray 12 when “REREAD” is selected on the basis of an input operation corresponding to the operation indication performed on the operation portion 25 by the user. The PC controller 21 is configured to store the read image data D as the page(s) corresponding to the multi feed part in the storage portion 22.
As shown in
The PC controller 21 is configured to control the scanner 1 to read the last page of the manuscript P after the user places the last page of the manuscript P on the paper feed tray 12 when “REREAD” is selected on the basis of an input operation corresponding to the operation indication performed on the operation portion 25 by the user. The PC controller 21 is configured to store the read image data D as the last page (image data DM) in the storage portion 22.
The PC controller 21 terminates the overall processing for determining multi feed of the manuscript P when “END” is selected on the basis of an input operation corresponding to the operation indication performed on the operation portion 25 by the user.
As shown in
An entire flow of the processing for determining multi feed performed by the image reading device 100 according to the first embodiment is now described with reference to
First, paper carrying processing and reading processing (see
At the step S2, the written page number position ranges R are set (see
At the step S3, it is determined whether or not there is the possibility of multi feed (see
At the step S4, the processing for detecting the irregularity is performed (see
When it is determined that there is multi feed at the step S5, the processing for determining multi feed advances to a step S6, and when it is determined that there is no multi feed at the step S5, the processing for determining multi feed advances to a step S11.
At the step S6, the processing for specifying the multi feed part is performed (see
At the step S7, the image data D (multi feed part confirmation screen) before and after the page(s) (image count number(s) Y) corresponding to the multi feed part specified through the processing for specifying the multi feed part at the step S6 is displayed on the display portion (see
At the step S8, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to reread the page(s) corresponding to the multi feed part on the basis of the selection operation performed on the operation portion 25 by the user. When the user selects the operation indication of “REREAD” in
At the step S9, the processing for reading the page(s) corresponding to the multi feed part is performed by the scanner 1. This reading processing at the step S9 may be started on the basis of the input operation performed on the operation portion 25 by the user after an indication asking the user whether or not the page(s) (manuscript P) corresponding to the multi feed part is placed on the paper feed tray 12 is displayed on the display portion 24, or may be started after a sensor or the like provided to detect that the manuscript P is placed on the paper feed tray 12 detects that the manuscript P is placed on the paper feed tray 12.
At the step S10, it is determined whether or not there is another multi feed part. More specifically, it is determined whether or not there is another multi feed part other than the page(s) corresponding to the aforementioned multi feed part. When there is another multi feed part other than the page(s) corresponding to the aforementioned multi feed part, the processing for determining multi feed advances to the step S7, and when there is no multi feed part other than the page(s) corresponding to the aforementioned multi feed part, the processing for determining multi feed advances to the step S11.
At the step S11 to which the processing for determining multi feed advances when it is determined that there is no multi feed at the step S5 or it is determined that there is no multi feed part at the step S10, an indication of the last page (last page confirmation screen) (see
At the step S12, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to reread the last page on the basis of the selection operation performed on the operation portion 25 by the user. When the user selects the operation indication of “REREAD” in
A flow of the processing for setting the written page number position ranges R performed by the image reading device 100 according to the first embodiment is now described with reference to
First, the processing for recognizing numbers and detecting the positions B of the written numbers is performed (see
At the step S21, it is determined whether or not there are the overlapping positions Q (see
At the step S22, it is determined whether or not the value E obtained by dividing the number U of overlaps of the positions B of the written numbers by the total number M of image data D is equal to or more than the prescribed number F (see
At the step S23, it is determined whether or not the read values Z of the numbers in the overlapping positions Q have regularity (addition regularity) (see
At the step S24, one of the overlapping positions Q with the largest sample number (number) of read values Z of the numbers is set as the written page number position ranges R. Then, the processing for setting the written page number position ranges R according to the first embodiment is terminated.
When the processing for setting the written page number position ranges R advances to the step S25, no written page number position range R is set, and the processing for setting the written page number position ranges R according to the first embodiment is terminated. In this case, a determination about multi feed is not made, but the processing for setting the written page number position ranges R advances to the step S11 in the entire flow of the processing for determining multi feed, for example.
A flow of the processing for detecting the irregularity performed by the image reading device 100 according to the first embodiment is now described with reference to
First, it is determined whether or not the page number XM of the Mth image data D (image data DM) is acquired at a step S30, as shown in
At the step S31, it is determined whether or not the page number X1 of the first image data D (image data D1) is acquired. More specifically, it is determined whether or not the page number X of the first page of the image data D read by the scanner 1 is acquired. When it is determined that the page number X1 is acquired, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to a step S32, and when it is determined that the page number X1 is not acquired, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to a step S35.
At the step S32, it is determined whether or not the sum (XM−X1+1) of a difference value between the page number XM and the page number X1 and 1 is M. When it is determined that XM−X1+1=M, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to a step S33, and when it is determined that XM−X1+1≠M, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to a step S34.
At the step S33, it is determined that there is no fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P and there is no multi feed of the manuscript P. In this case, it is determined that there is no multi feed of the manuscript P as the irregularity even when it is determined that there is the possibility of multi feed at the step S3 in the aforementioned entire flow of the processing for determining multi feed.
At the step S34 to which the processing for detecting the irregularity advances when it is determined that XM−X1+1≠M at the step S32, it is determined that there is multi feed of the manuscript P.
At the step S35 to which the processing for detecting the irregularity advances when it is determined that the page number X1 is not acquired at the step S31, it is determined whether or not a difference value between the page number XM and the page number XA is equal to a difference value between the total number M and the number A (XM−XA=M−A), setting the minimum value of the image count numbers Y corresponding to the acquired page numbers X as the number A and the page number of image data DA corresponding to the Ath image count number Y as the page number XA. When it is determined that XM−XA=M−A, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to a step S36, and when it is determined that XM−XA≠M−A, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to a step S38.
At the step S36, it is determined whether or not the page number XA is equal to the number A. When it is determined that the page number XA is equal to the number A, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S33. More specifically, when it is determined that XM−XA=M−A and XA=A, it is determined that there is no multi feed. When it is determined that the page number XA is different from the number A, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to a step S37.
At the step S37, it is determined that there is the part of the image data D where multi feed cannot be determined, and the processing for detecting the irregularity according to the first embodiment is terminated. In this case, in the entire flow of the processing for determining multi feed, the processing for determining multi feed advances to the step S11 after the step S5, and the last page confirmation screen shown in
At the step S38 to which the processing for detecting the irregularity advances when it is determined that XM−XA≠M−A at the step S35, it is determined whether or not the page number XA is equal to the number A. When it is determined that the page number XA is equal to the number A, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S34. More specifically, when it is determined that XM−XA≠M−A and XA=A, it is determined that there is multi feed. When it is determined that the page number XA is different from the number A, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to a step S39.
At the step S39, it is determined that there is multi feed, and it is determined that there is the part of the image data D where multi feed cannot be determined. Then, the processing for detecting the irregularity according to the first embodiment is terminated. In this case, in the entire flow of the processing for determining multi feed, the processing for determining multi feed advances to the steps S6 and S7 after the step S5, and the multi feed part confirmation screen shown in
As shown in
At the step S41, it is determined whether or not the sum of a difference value between the page number XB and the page number X1 and 1 is equal to a number B (XB−X1+1=B), setting the maximum value of the image count numbers Y corresponding to the acquired page numbers X as the number B and the page number of image data DB corresponding to the Bth image count number Y as the page number XB. When it is determined that XB−X1+1=B, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to a step S42, and when it is determined that XB−X1+1≠B, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to a step S44.
At the step S42, it is determined that there is the part of the image data D where multi feed cannot be determined, and the processing for detecting the irregularity according to the first embodiment is terminated.
At the step S43 to which the processing for detecting the irregularity advances when it is determined that the page number X1 is not acquired at the step S40, it is determined whether or not a difference value between the page number XB and the page number XA is equal to a difference value between the number B and the number A (XB−XA=B−A). When it is determined that XB−XA=B−A, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S42, and when it is determined that XB−XA≠B−A, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S44.
At the step S44, it is determined that there is multi feed and there is the part of the image data D where multi feed cannot be determined. Then, the processing for detecting the irregularity according to the first embodiment is terminated.
The processing for detecting the irregularity for each of Examples 1 to 5 shown in
As shown in
First, it is determined whether or not the page number X5 of the fifth image data D5 is acquired at the step S30. In Example 1, the page number X5 of the fifth image data D5 (whose image count number Y is 5), which is 5, is acquired. Therefore, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S31.
At the step S31, it is determined whether or not the page number X1 of the first image data D1 is acquired. In Example 1, the page number X1 of the first image data D1 (whose image count number Y is 1), which is 1, is acquired. Therefore, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S32.
At the step S32, it is determined whether or not X5−X1+1=5. Since X5=5, X1=1, and 5−1+1=5 in the case of Example 1, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S33.
At the step S33, it is determined that there is no multi feed in Example 1. More specifically, it is determined that there is no multi feed as the irregularity in Example 1. Then, the flow of the processing for detecting the irregularity for Example 1 is terminated.
As shown in
First, it is determined whether or not the page number X10 of the tenth image data D10 is acquired at the step S30. In Example 2, the page number X10 of the tenth image data D10 (whose image count number Y is 10), which is 10, is acquired. Therefore, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S31.
At the step S31, it is determined whether or not the page number X1 of the first image data D1 is acquired. In Example 2, the page number X1 of the first image data D1 is not acquired. Therefore, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S35.
At the step S35, it is determined whether or not X10−X2=10−2. Since X10=10, X2=2, and 10−2=10−2 in the case of Example 2, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S36.
At the step S36, it is determined whether or not X2=2. Since X2=2 in the case of Example 2, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S33. At the step S33, it is determined that there is no multi feed in Example 2. Then, the flow of the processing for detecting the irregularity for Example 2 is terminated.
As shown in
First, it is determined whether or not the page number X5 of the fifth image data D5 is acquired at the step S30. In Example 3, the page number X5 of the fifth image data D5 (whose image count number Y is 5), which is 9, is acquired. Therefore, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S31.
At the step S31, it is determined whether or not the page number X1 of the first image data D1 is acquired. In Example 3, the page number X1 of the first image data D1, which is 5, is acquired. Therefore, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S32.
At the step S32, it is determined whether or not X5−X1+1=5. Since X5=9, X1=5, and 9−5+1=5 in the case of Example 3, it is determined that there is no multi feed in Example 3 at the step S33. Then, the flow of the processing for detecting the irregularity for Example 3 is terminated.
As shown in
First, it is determined whether or not the page number X5 of the fifth image data D5 is acquired at the step S30. In Example 4, the page number X5 of the fifth image data D5 (whose image count number Y is 5), which is 9, is acquired. Therefore, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S31.
At the step S31, it is determined whether or not the page number X1 of the first image data D1 is acquired. In Example 4, the page number X1 of the first image data D1 is not acquired. Therefore, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S35.
At the step S35, it is determined whether or not X5−X2=5−2. Since X5=9, X2=6, and 9−6=5−2 in the case of Example 4, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S36.
At the step S36, it is determined whether or not X2=2. Since X2=6 in the case of Example 4, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S37.
At the step S37, it is determined that there is the part where multi feed cannot be determined in Example 4, and the flow of the processing for detecting the irregularity for Example 4 is terminated.
As shown in
First, it is determined whether or not the page number X5 of the fifth image data D5 is acquired at the step S30. In Example 5, the page number X5 of the fifth image data D5 is not acquired. Therefore, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S40 (see
At the step S40, it is determined whether or not the page number X1 of the first image data D1 is acquired. In Example 5, the page number X1 of the first image data D1, which is 5, is acquired. Therefore, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S41.
At the step S41, it is determined whether or not X4−X1+1=4. Since X4=8, X1=5, and 8−5+1=4 in the case of Example 5, the processing for detecting the irregularity advances to the step S42.
At the step S42, it is determined that there is the part where multi feed cannot be determined in Example 5, and the flow of the processing for detecting the irregularity for Example 5 is terminated.
According to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
According to the first embodiment, as hereinabove described, the image reading device 100 is configured to determine whether or not there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P on the basis of the page numbers X, which are the numbers written in the written page number position ranges R of the image data D. Thus, no detector configured to detect the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P (multi feed, for example), such as an ultrasonic sensor may be provided separately from the reading portion 15. Therefore, the image reading device 100 can be configured to determine the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P while suppressing complication of the structure of the scanner 1. Furthermore, the image reading device 100 sets the written page number position ranges R of the image data D on the basis of the positional information about the positions B of the written numbers in the image data D, and hence the user may not set the written page number position ranges R of the image data D. Consequently, the user may not set the written page number position ranges R of the image data D, and hence operational convenience for the user can be improved. In addition, the image reading device 100 sets the written page number position ranges R of the image data D on the basis of the positional information about the positions B of the written numbers in at least two of the two or more pieces of image data D, and hence the image reading device 100 can more accurately set the written page number position ranges R, as compared with the case where the image reading device sets the positions B of the written numbers in one piece of image data D as the written page number position ranges R of the image data D. As described above, the PC controller 21 is preferably configured to determine the page count numbers Y based on the reading order of the image data D and to detect multi feed of the manuscript P on the basis of the page numbers X contained in the written page number position ranges R and the page count numbers Y.
According to the first embodiment, as hereinabove described, the PC controller 21 is configured to determine the plurality of written page number position ranges R corresponding to the number of overlapping positions Q when there are the plurality of overlapping positions Q on the basis of the overlap of the positional information about the positions B of the written numbers. Thus, the PC controller 21 can determine the plurality of written page number position ranges R when the scanner 1 reads the manuscript P having the plurality of pages aggregated in one piece of image data D. Consequently, even when the scanner 1 reads the manuscript P having the plurality of pages aggregated in one piece of image data D, the image reading device 100 can detect the read fault of the manuscript P on the basis of the page numbers X contained in the plurality of written page number position ranges R and the page count numbers Y.
According to the first embodiment, as hereinabove described, the PC controller 21 is configured to determine the overlapping position Q with the largest number (sample number) of acquired read values Z of the numbers of the plurality of overlapping positions Q as the written page number position ranges R when there are the plurality of overlapping positions Q. Thus, the PC controller 21 can more accurately determine the written page number position ranges R.
According to the first embodiment, as hereinabove described, the image reading device 100 is configured to set the written page number position ranges R of the image data D by detecting the overlap of the positions B of the written numbers in one of at least two of the two or more pieces of image data D and the positions B of the written numbers in the other of at least two of the two or more pieces of image data D. The positions of written page numbers in a common manuscript P are frequently set to prescribed positions (same positions) even in different pages. More specifically, the positions of the written page numbers in the manuscript P frequently overlap each other over a plurality of pages. In consideration of this point, according to the first embodiment, the overlap of the positions B of the written numbers in one image data D and the positions B of the written numbers in another image data D is detected, whereby the written page number position ranges R of the image data D are set, and hence the written page number position ranges R of the image data D can be easily set.
According to the first embodiment, as hereinabove described, the image reading device 100 is configured to set the written page number position ranges R of the image data D on the basis of the regularity of the numbers (the read values Z of the numbers) written in the positions (overlapping positions Q) of the written numbers in which the overlap is detected. Thus, the page numbers of the manuscript P generally have regularity, and hence the image reading device 100 can more accurately set the written page number position ranges R of the image data D by setting the written page number position ranges R of the image data D on the basis of the regularity of the read values Z of the numbers.
According to the first embodiment, as hereinabove described, the image reading device 100 is configured to acquire the number U of overlaps of the overlapping positions Q and to set the written page number position ranges R of the image data D on the basis of the number U of overlaps and the regularity of the read values Z of the numbers written in the positions of the written numbers in which the overlap is detected. Thus, the image reading device 100 can more accurately set the written page number position ranges R of the image data D, as compared with the case where the image reading device 100 sets the written page number position ranges R of the image data D only by detecting the overlap of the positions B of the written numbers.
According to the first embodiment, as hereinabove described, the image reading device 100 is configured to display the image data D corresponding to the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P on the display portion 24 when determining that there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P (multi feed) and to display the last page (image data DM) of the image data D on the display portion 24 when determining that there is no fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P (no multi feed). Thus, the user can visually recognize the image data D corresponding to the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P when there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P (multi feed). Furthermore, the user can visually recognize (confirm) the last page (image data DM) of the image data D when determining that there is no fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P (no multi feed).
According to the first embodiment, as hereinabove described, the image reading device 100 is configured to determine whether or not there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P on the basis of the page number X (the page number X1, XM, XA, or XB) of the image data D excluding the image data D in which the page number X is not written when there is the page(s) in which the page number(s) X is not written in the written page number position ranges R of the image data D. In a manuscript P such as a common magazine, for example, there is a page(s) containing a page number(s) and a page(s) (such as a picture page(s)) containing no page number. In this case, if the image reading device 100 is configured to immediately determine that there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P when there is the page(s) in which the page number(s) X is not written in the written page number position ranges R of the image data D, the image reading device 100 erroneously determines that there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P even when reading the manuscript P in the correct order (even when reading the manuscript without multi feed). On this point, according to the first embodiment, the image reading device 100 determines whether or not there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P on the basis of the page number X1, XM, XA, or XB of the image date D excluding the image data D in which the page number is not written, and hence the image reading device 100 can determine that there is no fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P when the page numbers before and after the page(s) containing no page number, such as the picture page(s), are in the correct order even in the case where there is the page(s) containing no page number, such as the picture page(s). Thus, the possibility of erroneously determining that there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P can be significantly reduced.
According to the first embodiment, as hereinabove described, the image reading device 100 is provided with the paper carrying mechanism 11 and the paper carrying drive portion 19 that are configured to carry the manuscript P with the plurality of pages to the reading portion 15 and is configured to determine that there is multi feed during the carrying of the manuscript P by the paper carrying mechanism 11 and the paper carrying drive portion 19 when determining that there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P. Thus, the image reading device 100 can determine that there is multi feed during the carrying of the manuscript P by the paper carrying mechanism 11 and the paper carrying drive portion 19 without providing a detector configured to detect multi feed, such as an ultrasonic sensor, and hence the image reading device 100 can determine that there is multi feed during the carrying of the manuscript P by the paper carrying mechanism 11 and the paper carrying drive portion 19 while suppressing complication of the structure of the scanner 1.
The structure of a scanner 201 according to a second embodiment is now described with reference to
The scanner 201 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is provided with a controller 217, a storage portion 222, a display portion 224, and an operation portion 225, as shown in
The storage portion 222 is configured to be capable of storing image data D or the like similarly to the storage portion 22 of the PC 2 according to the first embodiment.
The operation portion 225 is configured to be capable of accepting an input operation from a user similarly to the operation portion 25 of the PC 2 according to the first embodiment.
According to the second embodiment, the scanner 201 is configured to display the image data D corresponding to a fault related to the reading order of a manuscript P on the display portion 224 when determining that there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P and to display the last page (image data DM) of the image data D on the display portion 224 when determining that there is no fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P, as shown in
The remaining structure of the scanner 201 according to the second embodiment is similar to that of the scanner 1 according to the first embodiment.
According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
According to the second embodiment, as hereinabove described, the scanner 201 is configured to display the image data D corresponding to the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P on the display portion 224 when determining that there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P and to display the last page (image data DM) of the image data D on the display portion 224 when determining that there is no fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P. Thus, the scanner 201 can allow the user to visually recognize the image data D corresponding to the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P when determining that there is the fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P (there is multi feed). Furthermore, the scanner 201 can allow the user to visually recognize (confirm) the last page (image data DM) of the image data D when determining that there is no fault related to the reading order of the manuscript P (there is no multi feed).
The remaining effects of the scanner 201 according to the second embodiment are similar to those of the scanner 1 (image reading device 100) according to the first embodiment.
The structure of an image reading device 300 according to a third embodiment is now described with reference to
The image reading device 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is provided with a PC 302, as shown in
According to the third embodiment, the PC controller 321 is configured to detect a number written in a previously set margin T of the image data D and the position B of the written number when detecting the number and the position B of the written number from the image data D read by a scanner 1 by executing the control program 322a.
Specifically, the margin T has a constant width W1 from an end of the image data D in a transverse direction and a constant width W2 from an end of the image data D in a longitudinal direction, as shown in
As shown in
The remaining structure of the image reading device 300 according to the third embodiment is similar to that of the image reading device 100 according to the first embodiment.
According to the third embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
According to the third embodiment, as hereinabove described, the image reading device 300 is configured to detect the number written in the previously set margin T of the image data D and the position B of the written number when detecting the number and the position B of the written number from the image data D read by the scanner 1. Thus, numbers written in an area other than the margin T and the positions B of the written numbers may not be detected, and hence a processing load can be reduced when the number and the position B of the written number are detected from the image data D.
According to the third embodiment, as hereinabove described, the PC controller 321 is configured to determine (set) a written page number position range R within the range (margin T) having the width W1 from the end of the image data D in the transverse direction and the width W2 from the end of the image data D in the longitudinal direction. Thus, a page number X and the position B of a written number may not be acquired in a range that is in excess of the width W1 from the end of the image data D in the transverse direction and a range that is in excess of the width W2 from the end of the image data D in the longitudinal direction, and hence a processing load on the PC controller 321 can be reduced. The remaining effects of the image reading device 300 according to the third embodiment are similar to those of the image reading device 100 according to the first embodiment.
The embodiments disclosed this time must be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The range of the present invention is shown not by the above description of the embodiments but by the scope of claims for patent, and all modifications within the meaning and range equivalent to the scope of claims for patent are further included.
For example, while the scanner provided with the paper carrying mechanism and the paper carrying drive portion is employed as the image reading device according to the present invention in each of the aforementioned first to third embodiments, the present invention is not restricted to this. According to the present invention, a scanner provided with no paper carrying portion may alternatively be employed. For example, a so-called flat head scanner or over head scanner can be employed. Also in this case, a fault related to the reading order of a manuscript can be determined (the incorrect order in which a user places papers or the like can be detected) according to the aforementioned structure of the first to third embodiments.
While the written page number position ranges are set on the basis of the positions of the written numbers in all the pieces of image data in the processing for setting the written page number position ranges according to the present invention in each of the aforementioned first to third embodiments, the present invention is not restricted to this. According to the present invention, the written page number position ranges may alternatively be set on the basis of the positions of the written numbers in some pieces of image data.
While the overlapping position meeting the condition of (I (identical number)/(M (total number)−J(number of errors))≧G is set as the written page number position ranges in the processing for setting the written page number position ranges according to the present invention in each of the aforementioned first to third embodiments, the present invention is not restricted to this. According to the present invention, an overlapping position simply meeting the condition of I/M≧G may alternatively be set as the written page number position ranges.
While a plurality of roller portions are employed as the paper carrying portion according to the present invention in each of the aforementioned first to third embodiments, the present invention is not restricted to this. According to the present invention, a paper carrying portion other than the roller portions may alternatively be employed as the paper carrying portion. For example, an arm or the like configured to carry papers, such as a so-called page turning device, may be employed.
While the margin is set to have the constant width from the end of the image data in the transverse direction and the constant width from the end of the image data in the longitudinal direction in the aforementioned third embodiment, the present invention is not restricted to this. According to the present invention, the margin may alternatively be set to have a constant width from either the end of the image data in the transverse direction or the end of the image data in the longitudinal direction.
While the processing operations performed by the controller according to the present invention are described, using the flowcharts described in a flow-driven manner in which processing is performed in order along a processing flow for the convenience of illustration in each of the aforementioned first to third embodiments, the present invention is not restricted to this. According to the present invention, the processing operations performed by the controller may alternatively be performed in an event-driven manner in which processing is performed on an event basis. In this case, the processing operations performed by the controller may be performed in a complete event-driven manner or in a combination of an event-driven manner and a flow-driven manner.
While the manuscript is employed as the medium according to the present invention in each of the aforementioned first to third embodiments, the present invention is not restricted to this. According to the present invention, a medium other than the manuscript may alternatively be employed as the medium.
While the numbers having regularity are employed as the first information according to the present invention in each of the aforementioned first to third embodiments, the present invention is not restricted to this. According to the present invention, information other than the numbers having regularity may alternatively be employed as the first information. For example, alphabets or symbols having regularity may be employed as the first information.
While the medium (manuscript) with the three or more pages is read in each of the aforementioned first to third embodiments, the present invention is not restricted to this. Also when a manuscript with two pages is read, the present invention is applicable, and a read fault of the manuscript P can be detected. For example, a PC controller 421 according to a modification shown in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-224910 | Nov 2014 | JP | national |
| 2015-214473 | Oct 2015 | JP | national |
