JP7158185B2 - IMAGE READING SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD AND PROGRAM OF IMAGE READING SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image reading system, an image reading system control method, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art In a system for reading a large amount of documents such as forms, it has been conventionally known to sort and save read images by group using a separator sheet.
For example, in order to sort the images, the operator of the image reading device inserts a dedicated separation sheet that serves as a predetermined separation between the forms, and continuously reads the stack of forms including the separation. There is a conventional technique for sorting each image for each form group by identifying the inserted partition sheet as a partition.

This method has a relatively high detection accuracy of the separation sheet, but requires the operator to insert the separation sheet before reading the image and to collect the separation sheet after the work is finished.
For the separation sheet, a document with a blank back surface or a document on which a special mark is printed is used.

There is also proposed a method of sorting read images by printing delimiter information such as a bar code on a form in advance without using a dedicated delimiter sheet and detecting the delimiter information with an image reading device.
The delimiter information may be a character or a character string, and the character string recognized by optical character recognition (OCR) may be compared with a pre-registered character string to be used as delimiter information. can.

In addition, by detecting feature points based on the shape of the ruled lines of the form and comparing the feature points of ruled line shapes of pre-registered forms, it is possible to determine that the form is a specific form and use it as delimiter information. can also

Note that the recognition accuracy of bar code recognition and character recognition varies depending on reading settings such as resolution at the time of image reading. In addition, the recognition accuracy is lowered by oblique lines during image reading, the color of the characters on the form, dirt, and the like. Therefore, after reading the images, the operator needs to correctly detect the delimiter information and check whether the images are sorted, and it is desired to improve the accuracy of the delimiter information detection.

In the image processing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001, a proposal is made to improve the accuracy of image classification by considering the first and second form recognition results.

Japanese Patent No. 4255766

By the way, in a system that reads a large amount of documents such as forms, the read images are stored as files in a server hard disk or the like. In addition, since there is a limit to the capacity of the storage area such as the hard disk of the server, settings such as setting the file size to be small and low-resolution binary images (monochrome) may be preferred for image reading settings. .
However, the image reading settings for reducing the file size are different from the optimum image reading settings for detecting delimiter information such as bar codes. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to simultaneously reduce the size of the read image and improve the sorting accuracy of the read image to efficiently perform grouping.

In addition, there is a function called multi-stream that generates and outputs multiple images with different settings in one scan, and the images output by this multi-stream function are sorted as described above. In some cases, there was also the problem that the sorting results differed for each stream.

In view of the above, a reading unit capable of sequentially reading images of a plurality of documents, a first image group according to the first setting from the entire image group read in one reading operation by the reading unit, and a second setting. generation means for generating a second image group according to the above; division means for generating division information based on the first setting; and division at positions where the images of the second image group are divided based on the division information. and output means for grouping the second image group based on the delimiter inserted in the second image group and outputting each group as an image file, The delimiting means is characterized in that the delimiting information can be edited on a preview screen displayed before the image file is output by the output means .

According to the present invention, the sorting results for each stream in the multistream function can be the same, and images desired by the user can be efficiently generated.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image reading system according to the present embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment; FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship among an application, a scanner driver, and an image reading apparatus according to the embodiment; The figure which shows an example of the user interface of this embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing delimiter detection processing when multistream setting is disabled. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a read image and a list of delimiter information when multistream setting is disabled; 4 is a flowchart showing processing of the image reading apparatus when multistream setting is enabled; 10 is a flowchart showing delimiter detection processing when multistream setting is valid. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a read image and a list of delimiter information when multistream setting is enabled; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a folder that stores sorted images; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a preview screen displayed by an application; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a preview screen displayed by an application;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using drawing.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an image reading system showing one embodiment of the present invention.
The image reading system of this embodiment is a system in which an image reading apparatus (scanner) 1 and an information processing apparatus (PC; personal computer) can communicate with each other.

The image reading device 1 has a well-known general-purpose connection interface (for example, USB interface). The image reading device 1 is communicably connected to a PC 201 via a general-purpose cable 200 connected to a connection interface. Also, the image reading apparatus 1 and the PC 201 may be connected via a LAN (Local Area Network). Further, the image reading apparatus 1 may have a wireless communication interface in addition to the wired communication interface, or may have both wired and wireless communication interfaces.

The PC 201 is provided with a motherboard on which hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) are mounted. Various programs and data are stored in the ROM. The RAM functions as a work area for the CPU. The HDD is a hard disk drive that stores various programs and data. Note that a configuration in which another storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or the like is provided instead of or in combination with the HDD may be used. The CPU performs various processes by loading programs stored in a ROM, HDD, or the like into a RAM as necessary and executing the programs.

Further, the PC 201 is connected to a display device 202 for displaying processing contents, a keyboard 203, a pointing device 204, and the like.

The PC 201 has an operating system (OS) of the PC 201 and programs such as various applications installed as software. The application includes driver software for reading information and image data of the image reading apparatus 1 connected to the PC 201 . Applications include software for displaying image data read from the image reading apparatus 1 on the display device 202 and editing image data, and software for saving image data in a designated folder and sending it as e-mail. Software and software for outputting to a printer are also included.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the image reading device 1. As shown in FIG.
The image reading apparatus 1 starts processing when receiving an image reading instruction from a capture application or the like running on the PC 201 . As a result, the image reading device 1 sequentially reads images of a plurality of documents placed on the document placement section 4 and transmits the images to the PC 201 side. A detailed description will be given below.

First, the image reading apparatus 1 separates the documents placed on the document placement unit 4 one by one by the separation roller 6 so as not to feed them in duplicate, while the paper feed roller 5 and the pair of transport rollers 7 move the documents onto the transport path. 14 downstream.

Further, when the registration sensor 9 of the image reading apparatus 1 detects that the leading edge of the document has passed, the distance between the registration sensor 9 and the front image reading unit 10 is L_1, and the transport speed of the document 17 is v. Since the document 17 reaches the front image reading unit 10 after L_1/v, a timer (not shown) is used to measure the time. ”, read the front image.

In the image reading apparatus 1, if the distance between the registration sensor 9 and the back image reading unit 11 is L_2, and the conveying speed of the document 17 is v, the document 17 reaches the back image reading unit 11 after "L_2/v". A timer (not shown) is used to measure the time, and after "L_2/v" has passed since the leading edge of the document 17 passed over the registration sensor 9, the back image is read.

After reading the front and back images, the image reading apparatus 1 transfers the image data to the PC 201 via the general-purpose cable 200 and ejects the document 17 to the document ejection unit 13 . After reading the back image, the image reading apparatus 1 updates the number of originals to be read on a reading counter (not shown). Note that the image reading apparatus 1 detects the presence or absence of the document with the paper feed sensor 15 and the paper discharge sensor 16 .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the control configuration of the image reading device 1. As shown in FIG.
The image reading apparatus 1 includes a system bus 305, a CPU 301, a nonvolatile storage medium (Flash) 303, a RAM 302, an external I/F 304, an ADF section 306, a data processing section 307, a paper feed sensor 15, a paper discharge sensor 16, and the like. have.

A CPU 301 controls the reading operation. The Flash 303 stores various programs and data executed by the CPU 301, and is a flash memory in this embodiment. A RAM 302 temporarily stores read image data, various data, programs, and the like. The external I/F 304 is, for example, a USB interface, and enables external communication with an external device represented by an information processing apparatus such as the PC 201 via the general-purpose cable 200 .

An ADF (Auto Document Feeder) unit 306 includes a line image sensor (not shown), an A/D conversion unit for converting into digital data, and an image processing unit. The ADF unit 306 reads an image according to an instruction from the CPU 301 and stores the read image data in the RAM 302 . A data processing unit 307 edits the read image.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the application executed by the PC 201, the scanner driver, and the image reading apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. A relationship between an application (hereinafter “app”) 401 installed in the PC 201 connected to the image reading apparatus 1, a scanner driver (hereinafter “driver”) 402, and the image reading apparatus 1 will be described below.

For example, when the user purchases the image reading device (scanner) 1 , the application 401 and the driver 402 are installed on the PC 201 . The installed application 401 communicates with the image reading apparatus 1 via the driver 402 . A predetermined protocol is used for communication between the application 401 and the driver 402 and between the driver 402 and the image reading apparatus 1 . In this embodiment, the application 401 and the driver 402 communicate using a protocol defined by the Twain standard. Further, communication is performed between the driver 402 and the image reading apparatus 1 using a protocol defined by the USB standard, for example. However, the protocol is not limited to these. For example, standards other than Twain such as ISIS, WIA, and IEEE1394 other than USB may be used.

In any case, the application 401 and the driver 402 as described above, as well as software preinstalled in the image reading apparatus 1, perform processing while communicating with each other. This realizes a function of acquiring a desired image from the image reading apparatus 1, displaying it on the screen of the PC 201, and storing it in a designated storage area. Thus, an image reading system is configured by combining the image reading apparatus 1 and the PC 201 .

[Multi-stream]
Multistreaming will now be described.
Multistreaming is a function of generating and outputting a plurality of images with different settings in one scan. For example, the image reading apparatus 1 scans a document, and outputs a first stream as a color image and a second stream as a gray (monochrome) image from one image read by scanning to the PC 201 . Furthermore, in the PC 201, the application 401 detects a delimiter and saves the images in a file for each image of the first stream and the second stream. Incidentally, the number of streams may be three or more.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface displayed by the application 401. As shown in FIG.
The setting when the multi-stream is enabled (ON) will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5A shows a user interface for making settings (scan mode settings) for reading an image from the image reading apparatus 1. FIG. This screen is displayed when the Scan Mode tab at the top of the initial screen and user interface screens is selected.
When performing image reading in multistream, enable (ON) the multistream setting 5101 and select a stream number in the stream selection setting 5102 . In this embodiment, stream numbers "1" and "2" are used for explanation, but stream numbers of 3 or more can also be selected. Although the description is omitted here, the streams after stream number "3" (third stream) are assumed to be the same as the second stream.

Image reading setting 5103 is performed for each stream number selected in stream selection setting 5102 . The image reading setting 5103 includes setting items such as color mode such as color/gray/monochrome, paper size such as A4/A5/B5/Letter, resolution, and reading surface such as single-sided/double-sided. Setting items that can be set in the multistream are the color mode, size, resolution, and reading surface, but the setting items are not limited to these. For example, setting items such as ON/OFF of a color dropout function that removes any one of the R (red) component, B (blue) component, and G (green) component in the image, brightness, and contrast are displayed in the image reading setting 5103. may be included in

FIG. 5B shows a user interface for performing delimiter detection settings (batch delimiter settings) for images continuously read by the image reading apparatus 1 . This screen is displayed when the batch separator tab at the top of the user interface screen is selected.
When performing image reading in multi-stream, a stream number is selected in the stream selection setting 5201 . Delimitation method 5202 and delimiter paper setting 5203 are performed for each stream number selected in stream selection setting 5201 .

A delimiting method 5202 can select a delimiting method such as bar code delimiting, OCR delimiting, blank paper delimiting, and mark delimiting. In the case of "Barcode Separation", a barcode is placed in the specified area of the document to be separated, in the case of "OCR Separation", a character string is placed in the specified area of the document to be separated, and in the case of "Mark Separation", the separator A mark is printed in advance on a predetermined area of the original document. Also, in the "Blank Separator", a blank sheet is inserted between the manuscripts to be separated.

Also, in the division method 5202, a barcode detection type, an OCR detection language, and a detection area for detecting them can be set in an interface (not shown). As an initial setting when it is not set, the entire image is the detection area. When the stream number “2” is selected, the “first stream and common delimiter” item can be selected as the delimiter method 5202 . The "first stream and common delimiter" is a function that can apply the delimiter result detected in the first stream to the second stream. For example, the second stream (file save Scanning with the scanning settings for .) can also generate a scanned image by inserting a break at the same position. Also, the barcode information of the first stream read at the time of detection can be used as the file name of the second stream. In the present embodiment, the default setting (initial setting) of the delimiting method 5202 when stream number "2" is selected is "common delimiter with first stream", but the setting can be changed by the user.

A delimiter sheet setting 5203 can select whether the delimiter image is to be deleted when a delimiter is detected, or whether the delimiter image is included in which group before or after the delimiter. In addition, in the delimiting method 5202 when the second stream is selected, when the "common delimiter with the first stream" is selected, the delimiter paper setting 5203 cannot be selected, and the settings of the first stream are applied.

FIG. 5C shows a user interface for making file output settings (output destination settings) for images read by the image reading apparatus 1 .
When performing image reading in multistream, a stream number is selected in the stream selection setting 5301 . Settings 5302 to 5304 are set for each stream number selected in the stream selection setting 5301 .

A file name setting 5302 sets a file name when a read image is filed. The file name can be set to add the date, serial number, bar code information and character information detected when detecting delimiters to the file name. As described above, in the first stream, it is possible to set a character string based on the delimiter given to the file name according to the delimiter setting to a part of the file name, and in the second stream, can add the same string to part of the file name as the delimiter-based string applied to the first stream.

A file format setting 5303 can select a file format such as PDF (Portable Document Format) or TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) when converting a read image into a file. The file format setting 5303 can select whether or not to output one file for each detected delimiter.

A storage location setting 5304 can select a storage location folder for the read image. Also, the storage location setting 5304 can select whether or not to create a subfolder in the storage location folder for each detected delimiter. The subfolder name can be added to the folder name with the date, serial number, bar code information and character information detected when the delimiter is detected.

Note that when multi-stream is enabled (ON), the reading results of stream number "1" (first stream) are not saved, and only the reading results of streams after stream number "2" (second stream) are saved. It is also possible to store the reading results of all streams.

Note that the delimiter may be inserted at the beginning of the read document image. A case in which a leading delimiter is inserted will be described below.
If you use the information obtained from the recognition results such as barcodes as a delimiter setting and set it so that it is reflected in the file name and folder name, the file based on the recognition result will also be used for the first document. It is necessary to acquire the name and folder name. In this case, if there is no leading delimiter, the file name or folder name for the leading group cannot be acquired, so it is desirable to include a leading delimiter. In particular, when a file name is displayed as a delimiter image on preview screens such as those shown in FIGS. In addition, when setting to save documents in a subfolder where documents are saved based on the delimiter, if the delimiter based on the recognition result is not added to the first document, the first document is saved in the root folder of the designated save location shown in FIG. If a leading delimiter is provided, a subfolder is also generated for the file of the leading document and saved in the subfolder.

[When the multi-stream setting is disabled (OFF)]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, processing for detecting a delimiter when the multistream setting 5101 is disabled (OFF) will be described. In this embodiment, the delimitation method 5202 is “barcode delimitation”, the delimitation paper setting 5203 is “include in group after delimitation”, the file name setting 5302 is “add delimitation detection result”, and the file format setting 5303 is “PDF format” shall be selected.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of delimiter detection processing when the multistream setting 5101 is disabled (OFF). The processing shown in FIG. 6 and the flowchart of FIG. 9, which will be described later, is realized by the CPU of the PC 201 loading a program stored in the ROM, HDD, or the like into the RAM as necessary and executing the program. Note that processing executed by the CPU of the PC 201 based on the application 401 will be described with the "application 401" as the subject.
FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a read image and delimiter information list generated when the multistream setting 5101 is disabled (OFF).

First, the application 401 acquires an image from the image reading device 1 via the driver 402 (S601), performs detection processing (delimiter detection) of delimiter information (for example, bar code) image in the detection area of the image, and detects The result is stored in a storage area within RAM 302 (S602).

Next, the application 401 determines whether or not a delimiter information image has been detected within the detection area in the process of S602 (S603). Then, if it is determined that the delimiter information image has been detected within the detection area (Yes in S603), the application 401 advances the processing to S604.

In S604, the application 401 reads information from the delimiter information image detected in S602 above, and adds delimiter information (701 in FIG. ). Also, in this case, in S605, the application 401 adds delimiter information 701 to the image acquired in S601 and stores it in the image list 700 as indicated by 702 in FIG. Note that the image list 700 is generated in the RAM of the PC 201 or the like by the application 401 .

On the other hand, if it is determined in S603 that the delimiter information image has not been detected within the detection area (No in S603), the application 401 directly proceeds to S605. In this case, in S605, the application 401 stores the image acquired in S601 in the image list 700 as indicated by 703 in FIG.

Next, the application 401 confirms the presence or absence of the next acquired image (S606). Then, when it is determined that the next acquired image exists (Yes in S606), the application 401 repeats S601 to S606 and adds images to the list 700 as shown in FIG. 706).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the next acquired image does not exist (No in S606), the application 401 advances the processing to S607.

In S607, the application 401 performs file output processing.
In the file output process, the application 401 first displays a preview screen as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, which will be described later, for the images in the list (for example, the list 700 in FIG. 7). Although the details will be described later, the application 401 outputs the images of the list to a file for each group according to the user's operation on this preview screen. In the example of FIG. 7, the images in the groups 702 and 703 are output to the file 707 "0001.pdf", and the images in the groups 705 and 706 are output to the file 708 "0002.pdf". It is also possible to create a subfolder in the folder specified as the storage location, and to specify that the files are divided into folders for each sorted group and stored. When this designation is made, the application 401 creates a folder for each group and saves the images of the group in the corresponding folder. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, which will be described later, create subfolders "0001" and "0002" in the folder specified as the save location, and save the file "0001.pdf" in the folder "0001". and save the file “0002.pdf” in the folder “0002”. Note that when the separator information is reflected in the folder name, the separator information does not necessarily have to be reflected in the file name as well.

[When the multi-stream setting is enabled (ON)]
Next, with reference to FIG. 8, processing of the image reading apparatus 1 when the multistream setting 5101 is enabled (ON) will be described.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the image reading apparatus 1 when the multistream setting 5101 is valid (ON). The processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is realized by the CPU 301 of the image reading apparatus 1 loading a program stored in the Flash 303 or the like into the RAM 302 as necessary and executing the program. Note that processing executed by the CPU 301 of the image reading apparatus 1 based on the program will be described with the "image reading apparatus 1" as the subject.

In the present embodiment, as the settings of the first stream, the image reading setting 5103 is color/resolution 300 dpi/single-sided reading, the delimiting method 5202 is bar code delimiting, the delimiting paper setting 5203 is included in the group after delimiting, and file name setting. It is assumed that 5302 is to add delimiter detection results and PDF format is to be selected as file format setting 5303 . Also, as the settings for the second stream, the image reading setting 5103 is set to monochrome/resolution of 200 dpi, and the division method 5202 is set to be the same as the first stream. Other settings of the second stream are the same as those of the first stream.

When the image reading apparatus 1 receives an image reading instruction from the driver 402, it starts image reading processing (S801).

At this time, the image reading apparatus 1 compares the reading settings (color mode, size, and resolution) of the reading settings of the first stream and the reading settings of the second stream, and reads the image with the reading settings having larger values. That is, when color and monochrome are selected in the color mode, color is set. Also, when A4 and B5 are selected as the paper size, A4 is set. Also, when 200 dpi and 300 dpi are selected for the resolution, 300 dpi is set. Therefore, in the example described above, the image reading apparatus 1 reads the document at color/300 dpi. Since the paper size is not set, the start and stop of reading are controlled based on the timing detected by the registration sensor 9 .

After reading the image, the image reading apparatus 1 determines whether image generation is necessary for image transmission of the first stream (S802). If it is determined that image generation is not necessary for image transmission of the first stream (No in S802), the image reading apparatus 1 advances the process to S803. In the above example, the reading setting for the first stream is color/300 dpi, and the read image (color/300 dpi) satisfies the reading instruction from the driver 402. Therefore, the image reading apparatus 1 starts generating a new image. Decide it is not necessary. In this case, the image reading apparatus 1 transmits the read image to the driver 402 as the first stream read image (S803).

Next, in S805, the image reading apparatus 1 determines whether or not there is image transmission of the next stream. If it is determined that there is image transmission of the next stream (there are remaining images) (Yes in S805), the image reading apparatus 1 returns the process to S802.

If it is determined in S802 that image generation is necessary for image transmission of the first stream (Yes in S802), the image reading apparatus 1 advances the process to S804. In the above example, the reading setting for the second stream is monochrome/200 dpi, and the read image (color/300 dpi) does not satisfy the reading instruction from the driver 402. Therefore, the image reading apparatus 1 cannot generate a new image. deem necessary. In this case, the image reading apparatus 1 generates a second stream image (monochrome/200dpi) based on the read image (color/300dpi) according to the second stream reading setting (monochrome/200dpi) (S804). Then, the image reading apparatus 1 transmits the second stream image generated in S804 to the driver 402 (S803).

Then, if it is determined in S805 that there is no image transmission of the next stream (there is no remaining image) (No in S805), the image reading apparatus 1 discards the read image and ends the processing of this flowchart. do.
As described above, when the multi-stream setting 5101 is enabled, the image reading apparatus 1 generates the images of the first stream by image-converting the read image group so as to satisfy the setting of the first stream. On the other hand, the image of the second stream can be generated by converting the read image group so as to satisfy the setting of the second stream.

Next, the processing of the application 401 when the multistream setting 5101 is enabled (ON) will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of delimiter detection processing when the multistream setting 5101 is valid (ON).
FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a read image and delimiter information list generated when the multistream setting 5101 is enabled (ON).

First, the application 401 acquires an image from the image reading apparatus 1 via the driver 402 (S901) and acquires the stream number of the acquired image (S902).
Next, the application 401 determines whether the stream number obtained in S902 is "1" (first stream) (S903). If the stream number is determined to be "1" (first stream) (Yes in S903), the application 401 advances the process to S904.

Based on the setting of the first stream, the application 401 performs processing (delimitation detection) for detecting delimiter information (for example, a barcode) image in the detection area of the image, and stores the detection result in the storage area within the RAM 302 (S904). ).
Next, the application 401 determines whether or not a delimiter information image has been detected within the detection area in the process of S602 (S905). Then, if it is determined that the delimiter information image has been detected within the detection area (Yes in S905), the application 401 advances the processing to S906.

In S906, the application 401 reads information from the delimiter information image detected in S904, and stores the information as delimiter information (1001 in FIG. 10) in the image list 1000 managing the image list of the first stream as shown in FIG. . That is, in S904 to S906 described above, the application 401 performs detection processing of the delimiter information image within the detection area of the image based on the settings of the first stream, creates delimiter information based on the detection result, and puts the delimiter information into list 1. Give. As a method of assigning to the list 1, it may be stored in association with the list 1, and in the present embodiment, the delimiter information is inserted into the list 1. FIG. Here, the break is inserted in S906 and the image is inserted in S907, but the break may be inserted at an appropriate position after the image is inserted. In this case, in S907, the application 401 stores the image acquired in S901 in the image list 1000 as indicated by 1002 in FIG. Note that the image list is generated in the RAM of the PC 201 or the like by the application 401 .

On the other hand, if it is determined in S905 that the delimiter information image has not been detected in the detection area (No in S905), the application 401 directly advances the processing to S907. In this case, in S907, the application 401 stores the image acquired in S901 in the image list 1000 as indicated by 1003 in FIG.

Next, the application 401 confirms the presence or absence of the next acquired image (S908). Then, when it is determined that the next acquired image exists (Yes in S908), the application 401 returns the processing to S901.

If it is determined in S903 that the stream number is not "1" (for example, the second stream) (No in S903), the application 401 advances the process to S909.

In S909, the application 401 refers to the break detection result of the first stream, and determines whether or not a break has been detected in the first stream (S910). Then, if it is determined that a delimiter has been detected in the first stream (Yes in S910), the application 401 advances the processing to S911.

In S911, the application 401 acquires the delimiter information (eg, 1001 in FIG. 10) of the first stream, and adds the delimiter information (eg, 1001 in FIG. 10) to the image list 1100 that manages the image list of the current stream (eg, the second stream). 1101). In this case, in S912, the application 401 stores the image acquired in S901 in the image list 1100 as indicated by 1102 in FIG. 10, and proceeds to S908. Here, the break is inserted in S911 and the image is inserted in S912, but the break may be inserted at an appropriate position after the image is inserted.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S910 that no delimiter has been detected in the first stream (No in S910), the application 401 directly proceeds to S912. In this case, in S912, the application 401 stores the image acquired in S901 in the image list 1100 as indicated by 1103 in FIG. 10, and proceeds to S908.

If it is determined in S908 that the next acquired image does not exist (No in S908), the application 401 advances the process to S913.

In S913, the application 401 performs file output processing.
In the file output process, the application 401 first displays preview screens as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 for images of each list (for example, lists 1000 and 1100 in FIG. 10). In response to the user's operation on this preview screen, the application 401 outputs the images of the list (for example, the list 1100 in FIG. 10) corresponding to the streams to be saved to a file for each group. Here, a configuration will be described in which the image of the first stream used for delimiter detection is discarded without being output as a file, but the image of the first stream may be output as a file. Also, the stream to be saved may be configured so that the user can designate it. Note that the default setting (initial setting) may be set to discard the image of the first stream used for delimiter detection and save the image of the stream other than the first stream.

When discarding the first stream and saving only the second stream, in the example of FIG. Output to file "0002.pdf". It is also possible to create a sub-folder in the folder specified as the storage location, and to specify that the files are divided into folders for each sorted group and stored. When this designation is made, the application 401 creates a folder for each group and saves the images of the group in the corresponding folder. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, create subfolders "0001" and "0002" in the folder specified as the save location, save the file "0001.pdf" in the folder "0001", Save the file "0002.pdf" in the folder "0002".
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a folder that stores sorted images.
If there are multiple streams to be saved, the stream number may be added to the folder name or file name.

Here, the preview screen will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG.
12 and 13 are diagrams showing examples of preview screens displayed by the application 401. FIG.
On this preview screen, the sorting image display can be switched for each stream, and sorting results can be edited. For example, FIG. 12 corresponds to the state where the first stream is displayed on the preview screen, and FIG. 13 corresponds to the state where the second stream is displayed on the preview screen.

12 and 13, reference numeral 1201 denotes a thumbnail display section, which displays delimiter information and thumbnail images of read images stored in the image list described above.
In the thumbnail display area 1201, the user can edit the sorting result of the read images by performing an operation of adding/moving/deleting delimiter information between arbitrary thumbnail images. At this time, if the second stream is set to share the delimiter position with the first stream, the delimiter information edited in the thumbnail display section 1201 of one stream is displayed in the thumbnail display section 1201 of the other stream. You may make it reflected.

A read image display portion 1202 displays a read image corresponding to the thumbnail image selected in the thumbnail display portion 1201 .
1203 is a stream switching button, and when this button is pressed, the stream displayed on the preview screen is switched. When the stream switching button 1203 is pressed, the display is switched to the image in the other stream corresponding to the image displayed in the read image display unit 1202 at that time. Specifically, when the stream switching button 1203 is pressed while the image of the third page in the first stream is being displayed, the image of the third page in the second stream is displayed.
With this configuration, the user can easily compare the same images while switching streams.

Reference numeral 1204 denotes an additional scan button, and when this button is pressed, the image reading process in the image reading apparatus 1 is continued, and it becomes possible to additionally read a document.
1205 is a finish button, and when this button is pressed, the sorted image (if the sorting result is edited on the preview screen, the edited one) is saved as a file.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to apply the result of detection with reading settings that are optimal for delimiter detection to an output file desired by the user.

In the above-described embodiment, delimiter information is also inserted into the image list of the first stream used for delimiter detection. Insertion of delimiter information may be omitted. Also, the generation of the image list of the first stream itself may be omitted. In this case, delimiter information is inserted into the image list of streams other than the first stream based on the delimiter detection result based on the first stream.

Note that in the above-described embodiment, multi-stream image generation is performed by the image reading apparatus 1, but the driver 402 or the application 401 may be used.
In this case, the driver 402 or the like receives an image from the image reading apparatus 1, compares the reading settings of the first stream and the reading settings of the second stream (color mode, size, resolution), and determines which of the two is larger ( (the one with the larger amount of data) is instructed to the image reading device 1 . In response to this instruction, the image reading device 1 reads an image and transmits the read image to the driver 402 . The driver 402 or the like receives images from the image reading apparatus 1, determines whether image generation is necessary for each stream, and if necessary, generates an image corresponding to the stream from the received images. For example, it is assumed that the second stream image (monochrome/200dpi) is generated based on the read image (color/300dpi) according to the second stream reading setting (monochrome/200dpi).

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the application 401 performs the sorting process has been described, but the image reading apparatus 1 may perform the sorting process. In this configuration, the CPU 301 of the image reading apparatus 1 executes the processing of the application 401 described above based on a program stored in the Flash 303 or the like.
In this case, the image reading apparatus 1 may discard the image of the first stream used for delimiter detection and transmit the images of streams other than the first stream to the driver 402. It may be configured to transmit to the driver 402 . For example, an image of a stream designated to be saved may be transmitted to the driver 402, and images of other streams may be discarded.

In the above-described embodiment, the delimitation of the second stream is determined based on the delimitation detection result information of the first stream. , may be applied to images of other streams (for example, the first stream).

As described above, in the image reading system of the present embodiment, the images of the documents are sequentially read from the document bundle, and from the read image group, the first image group according to the first setting and the second image group according to the second setting are read. Generate an image group. Further, based on the first setting, delimiter images included in the first image group are detected, delimiter information is created based on the detection result, and the delimiter information is added to the first image group. At this time, the delimiter information given to the first image group may be linked to the first image group and stored, and the first image group is separated from the first image group based on the given delimiter information. A break may be inserted at a position where the images of the group are separated. Furthermore, according to the result of adding the delimiter information, the delimiter information is inserted into the second image group at the position where the images of the second image group are delimited. Further, the second image group or both the first image group and the second image group are grouped based on the delimiter information inserted in the image group, and output as an image file for each group. With such a configuration, an image desired by the user can be efficiently generated. Also, the accuracy of grouping images can be improved. As a result, it is possible to achieve both generation of a saved image desired by the user with a reduced size of the read image and efficient grouping by improving the sorting accuracy of the read image. Also, the sorting results for each stream in the multi-stream function can be the same. Therefore, the sorting result for each stream in the multi-stream function can be the same, and the image desired by the user can be efficiently generated.

The configuration and content of the various data described above are not limited to this, and may be configured in various configurations and content according to the application and purpose.
Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can be embodied as, for example, a system, device, method, program, storage medium, or the like. Specifically, it may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.
In addition, the present invention includes all configurations obtained by combining the above embodiments.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by processing to It can also be implemented by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that implements one or more functions.
Moreover, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or to an apparatus composed of a single device.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the document is conveyed and read from a stack of documents, but the present invention is not limited to this. , and store them in a particular order as an image list.
In the above embodiment, as a method of generating an image group using the multi-stream function, a document is read under reading conditions that allow generation of an image group based on each reading setting for a plurality of streams from one image group, An example of generating an image group according to reading settings for each stream from the obtained image group has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and the document may be read a plurality of times with reading settings corresponding to a plurality of streams. This can be preferably implemented particularly in the flatbed image reading apparatus described above.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications (including organic combinations of each embodiment) are possible based on the gist of the present invention, and they are excluded from the scope of the present invention. is not. In other words, the present invention includes all configurations obtained by combining each of the above-described embodiments and modifications thereof.

1 Image reader (scanner)
201 personal computer 401 application 402 scanner driver

Claims (14)

a reading unit capable of sequentially reading images of a plurality of originals;
generating means for generating a first image group according to a first setting and a second image group according to a second setting from the entire image group read by the reading means in one reading operation ;
delimiter for creating delimiter information based on the first setting;
inserting means for inserting a delimiter at a position where the images of the second image group are delimited based on the delimiter information;
output means for grouping the second image group based on the delimiter inserted in the second image group and outputting each group as an image file;
has
The image reading system according to claim 1, wherein the delimiter allows the delimiter information to be edited on a preview screen displayed before the image file is output by the output unit . 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a setting as to whether or not a delimiter sheet used for generating the delimiter information is included in the image file is the same for the first image group and the second image group. Image reading system. 3. The image reading system according to claim 1, wherein the delimiter gives the delimiter information to the first image group. 4. The image reading system according to claim 3 , wherein the delimiter inserts a delimiter at a position where the images of the first image group are delimited based on the delimiter information. The output means is characterized in that both the first image group and the second image group are grouped based on the delimiter inserted in the image group, and output as an image file for each group. 5. The image reading system according to claim 4 . 6. The delimiter detects the delimiter image included in the first image group based on the first setting, and creates the delimiter information based on the detection result. The image reading system according to any one of Claims 1 to 3. The separator image is a barcode or a character string,
The delimiter information is information recognized from the delimiter image,
7. The image reading system according to claim 6 , wherein the file name of said image file is a file name based on said delimiter information. The separator image is a barcode or a character string,
The delimiter information is information recognized from the delimiter image,
7. The image reading system according to claim 6 , wherein said image file is output into a folder based on said delimiter information. The first image group is generated by performing image conversion on the image group read by the reading means so as to satisfy the first setting,
9. The second image group is generated by performing image conversion on the image group read by the reading means so as to satisfy the second setting. The image reading system according to the paragraph. The image reading system is a system in which an image reading device and an information processing device can communicate,
The image reading device has the reading means and the generating means,
10. The image reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein said information processing device comprises said delimiter, said inserter, and said outputter. The image reading system is a system in which an image reading device and an information processing device can communicate,
The image reading device has the reading means,
The information processing device has the generating means, the delimiting means, the inserting means, and the output means,
10. The image reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , characterized in that: 10. The image reading device according to claim 1 , further comprising: said reading means, said generating means, said separating means, said inserting means, and said output means. Image reading system. A control method for an image reading system in which an image reading device and an information processing device can communicate,
a reading step in which the image reading device sequentially reads images of a plurality of documents;
The image reading device or the information processing device extracts a first image group according to a first setting and a second image group according to a second setting from the entire image group read in one reading operation in the reading step. a generating step to generate;
a division step in which the image reading device or the information processing device creates division information based on the first setting;
an inserting step in which the image reading device or the information processing device inserts a delimiter at a position where the images of the second image group are delimited based on the delimiter information created in the delimiting step;
an output step in which the image reading device or the information processing device divides the second image group into groups based on the delimiter inserted in the second image group, and outputs each group as an image file;
has
2. A control method for an image reading system , wherein in said delimiting step, said delimiting information can be edited on a preview screen displayed before said image file is output in said outputting step . A program for causing a computer to function as the dividing means, inserting means, and output means according to any one of claims 1 to 12 .

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