JP2009010858A - Image reader and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reader and an image forming apparatus that can suppress time loss due to wrong copying by reducing the wrong copying. <P>SOLUTION: A scanner 12 includes a read unit 25 which reads a document image, a read image memory 27 which saves the document image read by the read unit 25, and a converting unit 37 which converts the document image saved in the read image memory 27 into a rotated image obtained by rotating the document image by a predetermined rotation angle, and has a display unit 33 for displaying the document image saved in the read image storage memory 27 and the rotated image generated by the converting unit 37. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus that reads an original image and an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile, a copying machine, or a complex machine thereof.

  In general, in an image forming apparatus having an image reading apparatus (for example, see Patent Document 1) that reads an image (original image) of a document placed on a contact glass, it is printed on both sides like a book and bound. When reading the spread part of an existing document (hereinafter referred to as the “original document”), after reading the left page of the book to read the right side, after reading the left page, It is necessary to rotate the original by 180 ° and place it again on the contact glass. In this case, if the read original image is copied as it is and printed out in the same direction, the direction of the image on the printed paper is reversed every page. The paper must be aligned so that the images on the paper are in the same direction, which is very laborious.

  Therefore, a technique is known that resolves the above problem by determining the left and right pages of the opened original and outputting the read image of one page as image data rotated by 180 ° (for example, Patent Document 2). To 5).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-081403 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-300360 JP-A-6-086050 JP 2000-165616 A JP 2005-117666 A

  By the way, when actually reading the original document, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the orientation when the original document 100 is placed on the contact glass 101 is simply 180 ° different. If they are mixed, the right and left pages are determined, and the read original image only needs to be rotated 180 °.

  However, the orientation of the original is changed irregularly because it is difficult to place the original or the user changes in the middle. As shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, the initial position of the original is changed. There are cases where directions rotated by 90 ° or 270 ° with respect to FIG. In this case, simply rotating the original image by 180 ° as in the above-described prior art, it is not possible to print out the image in the correct direction, increasing miscopying and causing time loss due to miscopying. There's a problem.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of reducing miscopying and suppressing time loss due to miscopying.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 includes a scanner unit that reads a document image, a read image storage unit that stores a document image read by the scanner unit, and a read image storage unit. An image reading apparatus comprising: a conversion unit that converts a stored document image into a rotated image that is rotated by a predetermined rotation angle, and is converted by the document image stored in the read image storage unit and the conversion unit. And a display means for displaying the rotated image.

  The invention described in claim 2 comprises the operation means operated by the user in order to specify the rotation angle of the image displayed on the display means in the invention described in claim 1, and the conversion means comprises: The image displayed on the display means is converted as a rotated image rotated at a specified angle input to the operation means.

  The invention described in claim 3 is the invention described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising size detecting means for detecting the size of a document read by the scanner means, and the scanner means is a range detected by the size detecting means. It is characterized by reading the whole.

  The invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the operation means displays the original image stored in the read image storage means and the rotated image converted by the conversion means on the display means. The display selection part for making a user select whether or not to perform is provided.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image reading device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and an image forming unit that forms an image based on a document image read by the image reading device. An image forming apparatus.

  According to the present invention, since the original image stored in the read image storage unit and the rotated image converted by the conversion unit are displayed on the display unit, the image of the image to be printed out can be displayed to the user before printing out. Since the image can be displayed, the user can correct the rotated image. As a result, miscopying can be reduced and occurrence of time loss due to miscopying can be suppressed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a color copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main part of the copying machine of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a copying machine of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control in.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the color copying machine (image forming apparatus) 10 can create a color image using a plurality of colors of toner, and generally has an operation unit 11 operated by a user and an original image. A scanner (image reading device) 12 for reading the image, the color copier 10 as a whole is controlled based on an input signal from the operation unit 11, and a main control unit 7 for operating each unit and a document image read by the scanner 12 are formed. And an image forming unit 8.

  The image forming unit 8 includes a writing unit 13 that writes image information (image data) from the scanner 12 as optical information to the photoconductor 14 that is an image carrier, and a static image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 14 by the writing unit 13. A developing unit 15 that supplies cyan, magenta, yellow, and black toner to the electrostatic latent image, an intermediate transfer member 16 on which the toner images of the plurality of colors on the photosensitive member 14 are sequentially transferred and superimposed, and the intermediate transfer member 16 A transfer unit 19 for transferring toner images of a plurality of colors superimposed on the sheet P to the sheet P, a sheet feeding unit 17 for feeding the sheet P from the sheet feeding tray 1 to the transfer unit 19 one by one, and a toner on the sheet P. A fixing unit 18 for fixing an image is provided, and an image corresponding to the original image is copied (printed) on the sheet P by each of these units.

  The scanner 12 includes an operation control unit (display control unit) 21 that controls the entire scanner 12 based on an input signal from the operation unit 11 provided in the scanner 12, a contact glass 23 on which a document is placed, A reading unit (scanner means) 25 that reads a document image of a document placed on the contact glass 23, and a read image memory (read image) that stores (stores) a document image (original image data) read by the reading unit 25. Storage means) 27, a rotation image memory 29 for storing a rotation image (rotation image data) obtained by rotating the original image stored in the read image memory 27, and a contact glass 23. Of the images read by the size detection sensor (size detection means) 31 for detecting the size of the placed document and the reading unit 25, the image shape And a output unit 32 for outputting an image (image data) to the image forming unit 8 to form a section 8.

  In the present embodiment, the operation unit 11 is provided in the scanner 12. However, instead of this, the operation unit 11 may be provided in the main body of the copying machine 10. It can be changed as appropriate. In the present embodiment, the document image and the rotated image are stored in the read image memory 27 and the rotated image memory 29, respectively. Instead, the document image and the rotated image are stored in a single memory. Needless to say, you can do it.

  The reading unit 25 reads the entire range of the document detected by the size detection sensor 31, that is, the entire part of the document (the entire document) on the contact glass 23, and is read by the reading unit 25. The original image data is stored in the read image memory 25.

  The operation unit 11 includes a display unit (display unit) such as an LCD for displaying a message to the user, a message indicating the state of the apparatus, operation guidance, or an original image (image) based on the image data stored in the memories 27 and 29. ) 33 and a selection switch (display selection unit) 35 such as a touch panel for allowing the user to select whether or not to display a document image on the display unit 33.

  In the present embodiment, the user selectable modes include a normal document mode for reading a normal document (sheet-like document), a main document mode for reading only the main document, and a document image in advance in this main document mode. Three display modes are prepared, and the user can select one of these modes by the selection switch 35. In the original document mode, the even-numbered pages output the document image read by the reading unit 25 to the image forming unit 8 through the output unit 32 as a rotated image rotated by 180 ° by the conversion unit 37 described later. The copying operation is performed by the image forming unit 8.

  The operation control unit 21 counts the conversion unit 37 that converts the document image stored in the read image memory 27 as a rotated image rotated by a predetermined rotation angle, and the number of reading operations (number of pages) by the reading unit 25. A counter 40 is provided. The conversion unit 37 converts the document image read by the reading unit 25 into a rotation angle corresponding to an operation signal from the operation unit 11 (in other words, a designated rotation angle input to the operation unit 11 by the user), for example, 90 The image is converted as a rotated image rotated at a rotation angle such as °, 180 °, 270 °, etc. The rotated image converted by the converting unit 37 is stored in the rotated image memory 29. It should be noted that the rotation angle of the document image is not limited to the numerical values described above, and it goes without saying that the rotation angle can be appropriately set by operating the operation unit 11, for example.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flow of FIG. When reading and copying a sheet-like document, the user operates the selection switch 35 of the operation unit 11 to select the normal document mode (No in step S1). In this case, the operation control unit 21 causes the reading unit 25 to read the entire range of the document detected by the size detection sensor 31 and sends the read document image directly to the image forming unit 8 via the output unit 32. As a result, the image forming unit 8 copies an image corresponding to the sent document image onto the sheet P (step S2).

  When reading and copying the original document, the user selects either the original document mode or the display mode with the selection switch 35. First, when the user selects the original document mode (Yes in step S1, No in step S3), the reading unit 25 reads the left page of the original (an odd page such as the first page or the third page). Are sequentially read from the right to the right page (even pages such as the second page, the fourth page, etc.), and for each reading operation, the counter 40 of the operation control unit 21 counts the read pages for each reading (step S4).

  The operation control unit 21 monitors the value of the counter 40 (number of read pages) (step S5), and if the read page is an odd page (No in step S6), the read original image Is sent to the image forming unit 8 through the output unit 32 as it is to form an odd-numbered page image on the sheet P (step S8). If the read page is an even page (Yes in step S6), the document image (image) read by the conversion unit 37 is rotated by 180 °, and this rotated image is output to the output unit 32. Then, the image forming unit 8 copies the images of even pages (step S8). Such an operation is repeated until the last page (No in step S9, step S10). When the last page is reached (Yes in step S9), the series of operations from the above-described steps S5 to S8 is ended.

  On the other hand, when the user selects the display mode (Yes in step S1, Yes in step S3), all the original images read by the reading unit 25 are stored in the read image memory 27 (step S11). After that, among all the original images stored in the read image memory 27, the even page original image is converted into a rotated image rotated by 180 ° by the conversion unit 37, and the rotated image is stored in the rotated image memory 29 (step S 30). S12).

  Then, all document images are sequentially displayed from the first page on the display unit 33 of the operation unit 11 (step S13 and step S14). Specifically, the original image stored in the image reading memory 27 is displayed for odd pages, and the rotated image rotated by 180 ° stored in the rotated image memory 29 is displayed for even pages.

  When the user looks at the image displayed on the display unit 33 and determines that correction is necessary, the user operates the operation unit 11 to rotate the image displayed on the display unit 33 a number of times. By designating whether or not to perform (Yes in step S15, step S16), the conversion unit 37 converts the displayed image into a rotated image rotated at the specified rotation angle and stores it in the rotated image memory 29. The operation control unit 21 displays the stored rotated image (corrected image) on the display unit 33 (step S17). If there is no problem with the displayed image (No in step S15), the image is displayed. Is stored in the read image memory 27 as a print image (print-out image) (step S18). Note that the print image may be stored in the rotated image memory 29, or a memory for storing only the print image may be separately provided and stored therein.

  On the other hand, the user who has determined that there is no need to correct the image displayed on the display unit 33 operates the operation unit 11 to send a signal to print the currently displayed image to the operation control unit. 21, the operation control unit 21 stores the currently displayed image in the read image memory 27 as a print image (No in step S15, step S18).

  Such display and correction operations are repeated for each page (steps S19 to S24), and when the last page is reached, the image forming unit 8 is transmitted by transmitting the printing image to the image forming unit 8. The images based on the printed images are sequentially copied on the sheet P (step S26).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the image to be copied is displayed on the display unit 33 before copying, the image of the image to be printed out can be displayed to the user before printing out. Therefore, the user can correct the rotated image. As a result, miscopying can be reduced and occurrence of time loss due to miscopying can be suppressed.

  In addition, since the rotation angle of the image displayed on the display unit 33 can be designated by an operation input to the operation unit 11, even if the original document is placed on the contact glass 23 with a slight inclination, It is possible to easily correct the inclination.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the reading unit 25 reads the entire range of the document detected by the size detection sensor 31, only a part of the entire document (refer to the one-dot chain line in FIG. 5C) is read. Therefore, the entire original can be reliably read.

  Further, since the user can select any one of the three modes of the normal document mode, the main document mode, and the display mode by an operation input to the operation unit 11, the mode desired by the user is set. And unnecessary time loss can be prevented.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the modified examples described below, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the three modes of the normal document mode, the main document mode, and the display mode are provided. Instead, the above-described normal document mode and the document image read by the reading unit 25 are checked. For this purpose, only two modes of the read original check mode may be provided. A control flow in this case is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the user feels that it is not necessary to check the read original image, the normal original mode is selected by the selection switch 35 (No in step S30), and the normal copy operation is performed. (Step S2). On the other hand, when it is desired to check the read original image, the read original check mode is selected by the selection switch 35 (Yes in step S30), the read original is sequentially displayed on the display unit 33, and the original which needs to be corrected. In step S11, the operation for adjusting the rotation angle is repeated until the last page, and the print images of all the originals are determined, so that the images corresponding to these print images are copied by the image forming unit 8 (step S11). -Step S26).

  In the above-described embodiment, the conversion unit 37 rotates the image in the read image memory 27 to the rotation angle based on the input signal from the operation unit 11, but instead, the document by the reading unit 25. When the image is read and the original image is stored in the read image memory 27, the original image stored in the memory 27 is set in advance, for example, 90 °, 180 °, 270 °, etc. The image may be automatically converted into a plurality of rotation angles and stored in the rotation image memory 29. In this case, the same effect as the above-described embodiment is obtained, and the rotation image converted into a plurality of rotation angles can be displayed on the display unit 33 even if the user does not specify the rotation angle via the operation unit 11. It can be displayed and the convenience of the user can be enhanced.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the color copying machine has been described as an example of the image forming apparatus. However, the image forming apparatus is not limited to this, and may be a monochrome copying machine. In addition to a copying machine, it may be a printer, a facsimile machine, or a combination machine of these and a copying machine. In any case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a color copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main part of the copier of FIG. 1. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of control in the copying machine of FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of control in a copying machine according to a modified example. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for schematically explaining the state of the original placed on the contact glass.

Explanation of symbols

8 Image forming unit 10 Color copier (image forming device)
11 Operation Unit 12 Scanner (Image Reading Device)
21 Operation control unit (display control means)
25 Reading unit (scanner means)
27 Read image memory (read image storage means)
31 Size detection sensor (size detection means)
33 Display section (display means)
35 selection switch (display selection section)
37 Conversion unit (conversion means)

Claims (5)

Scanner means for reading an original image, read image storage means for saving the original image read by the scanner means, and conversion of the original image stored in the read image storage means as a rotated image rotated at a predetermined rotation angle An image reading apparatus comprising:
An image reading apparatus comprising: display means for displaying a document image stored in a read image storage means and a rotated image converted by a conversion means.   An operation unit operated by a user to designate a rotation angle of an image displayed on the display unit is provided, and the conversion unit rotates the image displayed on the display unit to a specified angle input to the operation unit. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading apparatus is converted as a rotated image.   The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a size detection unit that detects a size of a document to be read by the scanner unit, wherein the scanner unit reads the entire range detected by the size detection unit.   The operation unit includes a display selection unit for allowing the user to select whether or not to display the original image stored in the read image storage unit and the rotated image converted by the conversion unit on the display unit. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2 or 3.   An image forming apparatus comprising: the image reading apparatus according to claim 1; and an image forming unit that forms an image based on a document image read by the image reading apparatus.

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