Image recognizing apparatus

• US 20030048490A1
• Filed: 07/30/2002
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yanagihara, Yasushi, Okuda, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/206,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20030048490A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/474
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00002 Diagnosis, testing or measuring; Detecting, analysing or monitoring not otherwise provided for error detection, error correction or monitoring in digital computers or digital computer components G06F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00013 Reading apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00037 Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state H04N1/00031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00042 Monitoring, i.e. observation H04N1/00029 - H04N1/00039 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00053 out of service, i.e. outside of normal operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00055 automatically on a periodic basis
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00058 using a separate apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00063 using at least a part of the apparatus itself, e.g. self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00076 locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209

Abstract

In an image recognizing apparatus in which a plurality of stand-type image scanners using environmental light are connected respectively to client computers and the client computers are connected via a network to each other, when a scanner is started, the client computer connected thereto reads the event of start and reads in response thereto light intensity information of the associated scanner and light intensity information of one of the other scanners via its associated client computer and the network to determine light intensity. When the light intensity of the associated scanner is insufficient and that of the other scanner is sufficient, the client computer reads again light intensity information after a lapse of a predetermined period of time.

Claims

1. An image recognizing apparatus, comprising:

an image scanner having;

a sensor for obtaining an image of a slip and

a light intensity sensor for measuring intensity of light; and

an image processing apparatus connected to the image scanner having;

a communication control section for obtaining, when reading an image of the slip, first light intensity information of another image recognizing apparatus connected to a network from the image recognizing apparatus, and

a control section for indicating the image scanner to read a slip, according to the first light intensity information from the image recognizing apparatus and second light intensity information from the light intensity sensor.

2. An image recognizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the image scanner includes a memory for storing the second light intensity information; and

the light intensity sensor measures intensity of light at a predetermined interval of time.

3. An image recognizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when intensity of light indicated by the first light intensity information is more than a threshold value and intensity of light indicated by the second light intensity information is less than the threshold value, the communication control section obtains again the first light intensity information after a lapse of a predetermined period of time.

4. An image recognizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when intensity of light indicated by the second light intensity information is more than a threshold value, the control section indicates the image scanner to read the slip.

5. An image recognizing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information processing apparatus includes an output device,

the output device outputting a warning message when intensity of light indicated by the first light intensity information is less than the threshold value.

6. An image recognizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image scanner is an image scanner of stand type.

7. An image recognizing apparatus for obtaining image data of a slip and for recognizing characters in the image data, comprising:

a stand-type image reading device for reading an image of a slip and

an information processing apparatus for recognizing characters in the image of the slip, wherein;

the stand-type image reading device, comprises

a reading plate for setting a slip thereon,

a scanner for reading an image of a slip set on the reading plate, and

a light intensity sensor for measuring intensity of light on the reading plate; and

the information processing apparatus comprises

a communication board for obtaining, when reading an image of the slip, first light intensity information of another image recognizing apparatus connected to a network from the image recognizing apparatus,

the information processing apparatus obtaining, before indicating the stand-type image reading device to read a slip, second light intensity information regarding intensity of light on the reading plate from the light intensity sensor and then indicating the communication board to obtain the first light intensity information.

8. An image recognizing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the information processing apparatus determines according to the first and second light intensity information whether or not the control section indicates the stand-type image reading device to read an image of a slip.

9. An image recognizing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the stand-type image reading device includes a memory for storing the second light intensity information; and

the light intensity sensor measures intensity of light at a predetermined interval of time.

10. An image recognizing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when intensity of light indicated by the first light intensity information is more than a threshold value and intensity of light indicated by the second light intensity information is less than the threshold value, the information processing apparatus indicates again the communication board to obtain the first light intensity information after a lapse of a predetermined period of time.

11. An image recognizing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when intensity of light indicated by the second light intensity information is more than a threshold value, the information processing apparatus indicates the stand-type image reading device to read the slip.

12. An image recognizing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information processing apparatus includes an output device,

the output device outputting a warning message when intensity of light indicated by the first light intensity information is less than the threshold value.