Image processing apparatus, audio recording method, and recording medium storing an audio recording program

• US 9,860,412 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Matsuzawa, Junji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Madelein
• Application Number:
  US14/947,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20160165090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/04018 Image composition, e.g. adding or superposing informations on the original image composition of facsimile picture signals H04N1/387
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/50 Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control sequencing control G03G21/14
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00637 Acoustic detector
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17823 Reference signals, e.g. ambient acoustic environment
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17873 using a reference signal without an error signal, e.g. pure feedforward
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1052 Copiers or other image-forming apparatus, e.g. laser printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00403 Voice input means, e.g. voice commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes circuitry configured to obtain audio data of audio collected through a microphone, determine whether the audio data has a noise level equal to or less than a threshold to generate a determination result, record the audio data when the determination result indicates that the noise level of the audio data is equal to or less than the threshold, and add the recorded audio data to image data.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a plotter configured to output a printable image contained in first image data to a recording medium;

a scanner configured to scan the recording medium at a set resolution to generate second image data;

a control panel configured to receive input from an operator to control the plotter and the scanner; and

circuitry configured to,

obtain audio data from audio collected through a microphone,

determine whether the audio data has a noise level equal to or less than a threshold to generate a determination result,

selectively record the audio data when the determination result indicates that the noise level of the audio data is equal to or less than the threshold, and

add the recorded audio data to image data, the image data being one or more of the first image data and the second image data.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data output interface to output the image data to which the audio data is added.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry instructs the scanner to scan the recording medium while recording the audio simultaneously with the microphone if the noise level is less than the threshold.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the circuitry determines that the noise level of the audio data is greater than the threshold, the circuitry is further configured to,

obtain antiphase audio of noise,

reduce the noise of the audio data using the antiphase audio to be equal to or less than the threshold, and

record the audio data from which the noise is reduced.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a memory to store the noise, wherein

the circuitry converts the noise into the antiphase audio of the noise.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a memory to store the antiphase audio of the noise.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry is configured to,

collect external noise, and

convert the external noise into the antiphase audio of the noise.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry is configured to mix the antiphase audio of the noise with the audio data collected through the microphone so as to have the audio data having the noise level equal to or less than the threshold.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry amplifies the antiphase audio of the noise.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a memory configured to store noise cancelling data corresponding to the noise such that the noise cancelling data includes information on canceling operating noise generated by the image processing apparatus.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the noise level is a level of operating noise of the image processing apparatus.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control panel comprises:

the microphone, the microphone configured to collect the audio based on instructions received from circuitry, the audio including a voice of the operator; and

a speaker configured to output the audio data based on instructions received from the circuitry.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to set a recording time for recording the audio data based on the input from the operator via the control panel.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to selectively record the audio data such that the circuitry is configured to,

record the audio data without performing noise cancellation thereon only if the noise level of the audio data is equal to or less than the threshold;

and

if the noise level of the audio data is greater than the threshold,

perform noise cancellation on the audio data to generate noise reduced audio data, and

record the noise reduced audio data, only if the noise level of the noise reduced audio data is equal to or less than the threshold.

15. A method of recording audio performed by an image processing apparatus, the image processing apparatus including a plotter configured to output a printable image contained in first image data to a recording medium, a scanner configured to scan the recording medium at a set resolution to generate second image data, and a control panel configured to receive input from a user to control the plotter and the scanner, the method comprising:

obtaining audio data collected through a microphone;

determining whether the audio data has a noise level equal to or less than a threshold to generate a determination result

selectively recording the audio data when the determination result indicates that the noise level of the audio data is equal to or less than the threshold; and

adding the recorded audio data to image data, the image data being one or more of the first image data and the second image data.

16. A non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium storing a program that, when executed by one or more processors of an image processing apparatus including a plotter configured to output a printable image contained in first image data to a recording medium, a scanner configured to scan the recording medium at a set resolution to generate second image data, and a control panel configured to receive input from a user to control the plotter and the scanner, causes the processors to implement a method of recording audio comprising:

obtaining audio data collected through a microphone;

determining whether the audio data has a noise level equal to or less than a threshold to generate a determination result

selectively recording the audio data when the determination result indicates that the noise level of the audio data is equal to or less than the threshold; and

adding the recorded audio data to image data, the image data being one or more of the first image data and the second image data.