IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE CAPABLE OF PREVENTING NEEDLESS PRINTING

• US 20090059257A1
• Filed: 09/02/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: KONDO, Masaki, HASEGAWA, Tomohiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,284,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.900
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6075 Corrections to the hue

Abstract

An image processing device includes a first image inputting unit, a second image inputting unit, an image processing unit, and a restriction control unit. The first image inputting that inputs a first image. The second image inputting unit inputs a second image. The image processing unit performs a prescribed process on the second image based on the first image. The restriction control unit is configured to restrict the prescribed process based on information of the first image.

Claims

1. An image processing device comprising:

a first image inputting unit that inputs a first image;

a second image inputting unit that inputs a second image;

an image processing unit that performs a prescribed process on the second image based on the first image; and

a restriction control unit that is configured to restrict the prescribed process based on information of the first image.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising an instruction inputting unit that is configured so as to be capable of inputting, by a user of the image processing device, an instruction that the prescribed process is performed, and

wherein the restriction control unit cancels the restriction on the prescribed process when the user inputs the instruction via the instruction inputting unit.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit further comprises a printing unit that performs a printing process to print the second image, and

wherein the prescribed process is the printing process.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first characteristic quantity data determining unit that determines first characteristic quantity data expressing a characteristic of the first image; and

a second characteristic quantity data determining unit that determines second characteristic quantity data expressing a characteristic of the second image, and

wherein the image processing unit comprises an image correcting unit that performs an image correction process on the second image to adjust the second characteristic quantity data close to the first characteristic quantity data.

5. The image processing device according to claim 4, wherein the image processing unit further comprises a printing unit that performs a printing process to print the corrected second image, and

wherein the prescribed process is the printing process.

6. The image processing device according to claim 4, wherein the prescribed process is the image correction process.

7. The image processing device according to claim 4, wherein the first characteristic quantity data determining unit determines a plurality of first values as the first characteristic quantity data according to a prescribed condition,

the second characteristic quantity data determining unit determines a plurality of second values as the second characteristic quantity data according to the same condition as that for the first characteristic quantity data determining unit, and

the correcting unit performs the image correction process on each of a plurality of pixels constituting the second image based on correction values that are calculated for the pixels based on the plurality of first values and the plurality of second values.

8. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first image inputting unit is configured to input the first image optically read from a document placed in a prescribed reading position, and

wherein the restriction control unit comprises:

a judging unit that judges whether the document is set in the reading position based on the information of the first image; and

a restricting unit that restricts the prescribed process based on a result of the judgment.

9. The image processing device according to claim 8, wherein the restriction control unit further comprises a calculating unit that calculates a mean brightness in the first image,

wherein the judging unit judges whether the document is set in the reading position when the mean brightness value in the first image is greater than a prescribed value, and

wherein the restricting unit restricts the prescribed process based on a result of the judgment.

10. The image processing device according to claim 8, wherein the first image inputting unit is configured to input the first image optically read from the document at a main reading resolution,

wherein the image processing device further comprises a preliminary first image inputting unit that is configured to input the first image optically read from the document at a preliminary reading resolution lower than the main reading resolution, and

wherein the judging unit judges whether the document is set in the reading position based on the first image read by the preliminary first image inputting unit.

11. The image processing device according to claim 10, wherein the image processing unit further comprises another image correcting unit that performs another image correction process on the second image based on the another first image,

wherein the restriction control unit further comprises a comparing unit that compares an amount of change in the second image before and after the another image correction process with a prescribed reference amount, and

wherein the restricting unit restricts the prescribed process when the amount of change is smaller than the prescribed reference amount.

12. The image processing device according to claim 11, further comprising an instruction inputting unit that is configured so as to be capable of inputting, by a user of the image processing device, an instruction that the prescribed process is performed, and

wherein, when the user inputs the instruction via the instruction inputting unit, the restricting unit cancels the restriction on the prescribed process and updates the prescribed reference amount to the amount of change.

13. The image processing device according to claim 4, wherein the image processing unit further comprises a printing unit that performs a printing process to print the corrected second image, and

wherein the prescribed process is the image correction process.

14. The image processing device according to claim 13, wherein the first image inputting unit is configured to input the first image optically read from a document placed in a prescribed reading position, and

wherein the restriction control unit comprises:

a judging unit that judges whether the document is set in the reading position based on the information of the first image; and

a restricting unit that restricts the image correction process based on a result of the judgment.

15. An image processing method comprising:

inputting a first image;

inputting a second image;

performing a prescribed process on the second image based on the first image; and

restricting the prescribed process based on information of the first image.

16. A computer readable recording medium storing a set of program instructions executable on an image processing device, the program comprising instructions for:

inputting a first image;

inputting a second image;

performing a prescribed process on the second image based on the first image; and

restricting the prescribed process based on information of the first image.