IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20080100885A1
• Filed: 10/17/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: ONISHI, Akiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,149,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/488
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00241 using an image reading device as a local input to a computer input via network, e.g. network scanners H04N1/00225
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0035 User-machine interface; Control console input or output arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00795 Reading arrangements details of scanning heads H04N1/024; scanning arrangements therefor H04N1/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00816 Determining the reading area, e.g. eliminating reading of margins
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3873 defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0098 User intervention not otherwise provided for, e.g. placing documents, responding to an alarm

Abstract

In order to extract a plurality of items of image data corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of documents from scan data more accurately, an image processing apparatus is provided with a detection unit adapted to detect a plurality of image areas corresponding to the plurality of documents; a setting unit adapted to set a reference area size from sizes of the plurality of image areas; a comparison unit adapted to compare the sizes of the plurality of image areas and the reference area size; and a decision unit adapted to decide that an image area detected by the detection unit has not been detected correctly if result of the comparison by the comparison unit exceeds a preset threshold value.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus for scanning a plurality of documents that have been placed in a scanning zone capable of being scanned by an image scanning unit and extracting a plurality of items of image data corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of documents, said apparatus comprising:

a detection unit adapted to detect a plurality of image areas corresponding to the plurality of documents;

a setting unit adapted to set a reference area size from sizes of the plurality of image areas;

a comparison unit adapted to compare the sizes of the plurality of image areas and the reference area size; and

a decision unit adapted to decide that an image area detected by said detection unit has not been detected correctly if result of the comparison by said comparison unit exceeds a preset threshold value.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a correction unit which, if said decision unit decides that an image area has not been detected correctly, is adapted to correct the size of this image area to the reference area size.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said correction unit corrects the size of each image area in accordance with a designation from a designating unit that accepts a detection from a user.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in a case where result of the comparison by said comparison unit exceeds the preset threshold value, said correction unit corrects the value of a detection parameter, which is used when the plurality of image regions corresponding to the plurality of documents are detected from scan data, until the result of comparison becomes equal to or less than the threshold value.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in a case where the threshold value is exceeded even though the value of the detection parameter is changed, said correction unit corrects the size of the image area based upon a designation from an area designating unit that accepts an area designation from a user.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the largest image area size among the sizes of the plurality of image areas is adopted as the reference area size.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the average of image area sizes that remain upon excluding image area sizes smaller, by more than a prescribed amount, than the largest image area size among the sizes of the plurality of image areas is adopted as the reference area size.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined fixed size closest to an average size of image area sizes that remain upon excluding image area sizes smaller, by more than a prescribed amount, than the largest image area size among the sizes of the plurality of image areas is adopted as the reference area size.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection unit detects a plurality of image areas corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of documents from scan data obtained by a single scanning operation.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection unit detects a plurality of image areas corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of documents from scan data obtained by a low-resolution scanning operation, and acquires a plurality of items of image data corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of documents by scanning the plurality of image areas at a high resolution.

11. A method of controlling an image processing apparatus for scanning a plurality of documents that have been placed in a scanning zone capable of being scanned by an image scanning unit and extracting a plurality of items of image data corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of documents, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting a plurality of image areas corresponding to the plurality of documents;

setting a reference area size from sizes of the plurality of image areas;

comparing the sizes of the plurality of image areas and the reference area size; and

deciding that an image area detected at said detecting step has not been detected correctly if result of the comparison at said comparing exceeds a preset threshold value.

12. A computer program, which has been stored on a computer-readable recording medium, for causing an image processing apparatus, which is for scanning a plurality of documents that have been placed in a scanning zone capable of being scanned by an image scanning unit and extracting a plurality of items of image data corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of documents, to execute the steps of:

detecting a plurality of image areas corresponding to the plurality of documents;

setting a reference area size from sizes of the plurality of image areas;

comparing the sizes of the plurality of image areas and the reference area size; and

deciding that an image area detected at said detecting step has not been detected correctly if result of the comparison at said comparing exceeds a preset threshold value.

13. A computer-readable recording medium on which the computer program set forth in claim 12 has been stored.