JP6939268B2 - Image reader, image forming device and image reading method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image reading device, an image forming device, and an image reading method for reading both sides of a document placed on a platen.

Conventionally, in a system that saves or prints an image obtained by scanning a document placed on a platen, if a paper jam is detected during scanning of the document, the scanning of the document is stopped. After removing the original that has been stopped due to a paper jam, the original is placed on the platen again and read from the beginning. At this time, there is a request for re-reading so as not to duplicately save or print the image of the original that has already been read normally before the paper jam occurs.

The technique described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed in order to meet the above requirements. Patent Document 1 states, "The characteristics of a document that has been read normally before a paper jam occurs are memorized. Then, when the first page of the document is read again after the paper jam occurs, the characteristics are determined. , The page with the same features is not read, and the document is read from the page where the features are not stored and printed. "

Further, Patent Document 2 states that "among the original images stored in the image memory, it is determined that the original orientation of the original image on the same page does not match the original image obtained by the restarted original transfer and image reading. In this case, the image processing unit rotates the original image of the page on which the jam has occurred by 180 degrees among the original images obtained by the restarted original transfer and image reading and stored in the image memory, and the orientation of the original image. Is inverted, and the manuscript images on pages other than the relevant page are maintained without rotation. "

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-236950 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-232779

However, in the case of a document in which information is recorded on both sides (hereinafter, also referred to as "double-sided document"), when the user sets the document to be read on the platen again, the information exists on both sides of the document. You may make a mistake whether to put the page down or the last page down. If the original is placed upside down on the platen at the time of re-reading, the printed matter cannot be obtained in the desired page order, and there is a problem that the burden on the user is increased such as re-reading.

From the above situation, it is an object of the present invention to be able to determine the placement direction when the user places the original on the platen during the re-reading operation and the placement direction (stacking method) of the original is wrong.

The image reading device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an image reading unit that sequentially reads a plurality of placed originals and generates image data, a storage unit that stores image data generated by the image reading unit, and an image. When the scanning of the original by the scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, the image data generated before the interruption of scanning the original and the original Based on the image comparison unit that compares the image data generated after the interruption of scanning, and the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the document read after the interruption. When it is determined that the placement direction of the original document read before the interruption is not the same as the placement direction of the original document read after the interruption. , A control unit that corrects the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption so that the order of the image data generated before the interruption matches the order of the image data generated after the interruption. Be prepared.

The image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes the image reading device and an image forming unit that forms image data of a plurality of original documents including image data whose order has been corrected by a control unit on paper.

In the image reading method of one aspect of the present invention, a step of sequentially reading a plurality of originals placed by the image reading unit to generate image data and a step of storing the image data generated by the image reading unit in the storage unit. When the image scanning unit interrupts the scanning of the original, and then the image scanning unit scans all or part of the original again and regenerates the image data, the image data generated before the interruption of the original scanning is interrupted. Based on the step of comparing the image data generated after the interruption of scanning of the original by the image comparison unit and the result of the comparison by the image comparison unit, the placement direction of the original scanned before the interruption and the placement direction of the original after the interruption. The step of determining whether the reading direction of the scanned document is the same by the document determination unit, the placement direction of the document read before the interruption, and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are the same. If it is determined that this is not the case, the order in which the image data generated after the interruption is saved or output is controlled so that the order of the image data generated before the interruption matches the order of the image data generated after the interruption. It includes a step to correct by a part.

According to at least one aspect of the present invention, when a user places a document on a platen during a re-reading operation, the placement direction can be determined when the placement direction (stacking method) of the documents is incorrect. Then, the images of the original document read during the re-reading operation can be saved or printed in the correct order according to the determination result. Issues, configurations and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the reading image of the front surface scanner and the back surface scanner with respect to the document first placed on the platen. It is explanatory drawing which shows the manuscript which was placed upside down with the manuscript which was first placed on the manuscript stand. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the reading image of the front surface scanner and the back surface scanner with respect to the document placed upside down on the platen. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure example of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the kind of image feature information which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware configuration example of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure example of the reading process of the document in the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the method of determining the attention image with respect to the read image of the document first placed on the platen according to the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the difference of the attention image (front side image, back side image) appearing in the read image by the difference of the way of placing a document on the platen according to 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the method of determining the attention image with respect to the read image of the document placed upside down on the document table which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the difference of the address map of the image memory which stores a read image by the difference of the way of placing a document on a platen. It is explanatory drawing which shows the reading order of the read image stored in the image memory when the way of placing a document on the platen in 1st Embodiment of this invention is upside down. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the reading image of the single-sided scanning scanner with respect to the document first placed on the document stand which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the reading image of the single-sided scanning scanner with respect to the document placed upside down on the document table which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the difference of the attention image (front side image, back side image) appearing in the read image by the difference of the way of placing a document on the platen which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the address map of the image memory at the time of the first document reading and the time of re-manuscript reading for explaining the image comparison process which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention and the modification. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure example of the image comparison processing which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention and the modified example thereof. It is explanatory drawing which shows the method of determining the attention image with respect to the read image of the document first placed on the platen according to the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the method of determining the attention image with respect to the read image of the document placed upside down on the document table which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the printing by 2in1 imposition according to the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the formation of the 2in1 image of the manuscript which was first placed on the platen and the manuscript which was placed upside down by the 2in1 imposition according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the address map of the image memory at the time of the first document reading and the time of re-manuscript reading for explaining the image comparison process which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, an example of a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The explanation will be given in the following order. Components having substantially the same function or configuration in the attached drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.
1. 1. First Embodiment (Example of comparing the image of interest immediately before a paper jam with the images before and after the jam)
2. Second embodiment (an example of generalizing the first embodiment)
3. 3. Third embodiment (example applied to 2in1 imposition)
4. Fourth embodiment (example of comparing the first images before and after the paper jam and the attention images)
5. others

First, before explaining the first embodiment of the present invention, a specific image obtained when both sides of a document conveyed by an automatic document feeder (ADF: Auto Document Feeder) are simultaneously read (scanned) will be described. This will be described with an example. Here, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus equipped with the automatic document feeder includes a front surface scanner that reads information on the front surface of the conveyed document and a back surface scanner that reads information on the back surface of the document.

In the processing when a paper jam occurs in a general image forming apparatus, (1) when a paper jam occurs while reading a plurality of double-sided originals placed on a platen, (2) a reading operation. To interrupt. Then, (3) after clearing the paper jam of the original, all the originals placed on the platen before the paper jam are set again, (4) the re-reading operation is started, and the original is read by the paper jam. Save or print images of all manuscripts, including those that did not.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of images read by a front-side scanner and a back-side scanner with respect to a document first placed on a platen. Initially, when a document is placed on a platen, it is read in order from the first sheet as shown in FIG. 1 by an image scanning unit (front side scanner and back side scanner) capable of simultaneous double-sided scanning. The example of FIG. 1 is an example of reading an image of 8 pages (8 sides) from 4 double-sided originals. If the reading is performed normally, the front side images M1a to M4a can be obtained by reading the front side scanner, and the back side images M1b to M4b can be obtained by reading the back side scanner. In the example of FIG. 1, the reading order of the manuscript and the number of pages are described in correspondence with each other, but in the present specification, even if the manuscript is the same, it may be described as different pages on the front side and the back side (for example, FIG. 17).

However, in the example of FIG. 1, since a paper jam occurred while scanning the third double-sided original, the scanning was interrupted, and the four double-sided originals were set on the platen again for scanning. The images on the front and back surfaces of the first and second sheets have been read normally before the paper jam occurs, and are saved in the image memory, and the images of the third and subsequent sheets cannot be read. In FIG. 1, the first to fourth pages are described as the first to fourth pages. The same description shall be applied to other drawings.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a manuscript placed upside down with a manuscript initially placed on the platen. The "top and bottom of the original" refers to the upper and lower surfaces of a plurality of stacked originals (manuscript bundles). Inverting the "upper and lower sides of a document" means turning the upper surface and the lower surface of the document bundle upside down. When the "upper and lower sides of the original" are reversed, the placement direction, that is, the stacking method (for example, the page order from the top of the original bundle) of a plurality of originals placed on the platen is reversed, and the front and back of each original are reversed. .. For example, when a user removes a paper jam and sets a document to be read again on the platen, assuming that the document is placed upside down, the back image M4b (arrow) on page 4 is displayed when the document is reread as shown in FIG. Image) is located at the top of the manuscript.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of images read by a front-side scanner and a back-side scanner for a document placed upside down on a platen. As shown in FIG. 3, the reading order when a plurality of originals are placed upside down on the platen is as follows: back and front of page 4, back and front of page 3, back and front of page 2, and back and front of page 2. The back and front of one page. That is, since the original is upside down, the back side images M4b to M1b are read by the front side scanner, and the front side images M4a to M1a are obtained by the back side scanner.

As shown in FIG. 1, when a paper jam occurs on the third page, it is generally determined by the page number of the original at the time of the paper jam, in other words, the number of pages (number of sheets) read before the paper jam, and the original is read. Unscanned manuscripts can be identified. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, since a paper jam occurs when the third document (= M3a, M3b = third page) is read, the last document normally read before the paper jam is two sheets. It becomes the eye (= M2a, M2b = 2nd page). However, according to this discrimination method, in the case of FIG. 3, it is determined that the second sheet (= M3b, M3a = third page) of the original after resetting has been read, and the third sheet (= M2b, M2a) is determined to have been read. = 2nd page) Since it is determined that the subsequent documents have not been read, the judgment results of the scanned documents will differ before and after the occurrence of a paper jam. Therefore, if the original is placed upside down on the platen during re-reading (see FIG. 2), the original on the first page is read after the original on the second page as shown in FIG. 3, and the images are saved in the desired order. There is a problem that you cannot print or print.

Therefore, as a solution, the present inventor holds (in pairs) the image feature information of the front side image and the back side image of the read original before the paper jam when the double-sided original is read, and the double-sided original. We considered a method to compare the image obtained before the paper jam with the image obtained by the re-reading operation based on the image feature information of the front and back surfaces held during the re-reading operation. In this method, it is determined whether or not the double-sided originals placed on the platen are upside down during the re-reading operation using the comparison result, and the images are saved or printed in the correct order based on the determination result. I do. Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking the case where the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus as an example.

<1. First Embodiment>
[Functional configuration of image forming apparatus]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 10, an image reading unit 12, a feature extraction unit 13, an image holding unit 14, an image comparison unit 15, a document determination unit 16, an image forming unit 17, an operation display unit 18, and an image editing unit 19. To be equipped. The image forming apparatus 1 is also an example of an image reading apparatus.

The control unit 10 controls the operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 1.

The automatic document feeder 11 (ADF) is an example of a document feeder, and transports a plurality of documents placed on a platen according to a transport instruction from the control unit 10. The automatic document feeder 11 has a document reading detection unit 11s arranged at an arbitrary position on the transport path. The document reading detection unit 11s monitors the transport status of the document and detects a paper jam in the document. The document reading detection unit 11s outputs a detection signal according to the transport status of the document, and the control unit 10 determines whether or not there is a paper jam based on this detection signal. As the document reading detection unit 11s, for example, an optical detector is used. When the document is normally conveyed, the document reading detection unit 11s outputs a detection signal having a length of time corresponding to the length of time that the paper passes through the detection position. On the other hand, when a paper jam occurs at the detection position of the document reading detection unit 11s, the document reading detection unit 11s outputs a detection signal while the paper jam is present at the detection position. A plurality of document reading detection units 11s may be arranged on the transport path at predetermined intervals.

The image reading unit 12 performs a process (scanning process) of reading information on both sides of a plurality of documents conveyed by the automatic document feeder 11 to obtain an image (original image). The image scanning unit 12 includes a front surface scanner 12a arranged on one side (for example, lower) of the transport path on which the document is conveyed, and a back surface scanner 12b arranged on the other side (for example, upper side) of the transport path. NS. The surface scanner 12a reads information on the first surface (for example, the surface) of the conveyed document. Further, the back surface scanner 12b reads the information on the second surface (for example, the back surface) opposite to the first surface of the conveyed document. The front surface scanner 12a and the back surface scanner 12b irradiate the reading surface of the original with light and receive the light reflected by the reading surface to obtain image data.

The feature extraction unit 13 extracts image feature information from all or part of the image of the original document read by the image reading unit 12. More specifically, the feature extraction unit 13 has the image feature of the image corresponding to the first surface of the original with respect to the image data corresponding to at least one original among the image data generated before the interruption. Information (first image feature information) and image feature information (second image feature information) of the image corresponding to the second surface opposite to the first surface are extracted. Then, the feature extraction unit 13 holds the extracted first image feature information and the second image feature information in its own internal memory, or outputs the extracted first image feature information and the second image feature information to the image holding unit 14 or the image comparison unit 15.

An example of the types of image feature information is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the feature extraction unit 13 separates the character area CA, the photographic area PA, and the margin area MA of the image as image feature information, or extracts a part of the feature portion AP of the image and digitizes it into numerical data D. Or generate.

The image holding unit 14 (an example of a storage unit) has been read by the document reading detection unit 11s before a paper jam is detected (a paper jam occurs) on the front surface and the back surface of at least one sheet of the document. Holds image feature information of an image. For example, an image memory is used for the image holding unit 14.

Based on the control of the control unit 10, the image comparison unit 15 sets the image of the original set on the platen before the paper jam (before the interruption of scanning) after the paper jam is cleared, and during the re-reading operation (reading). The images of the originals read after the interruption) are compared, and the comparison result is output to the original determination unit 16. After the paper jam is cleared, the image comparison unit 15 includes image feature information of the front and back images of one sheet of the original held in the image holding unit 14, and a plurality of originals placed on the platen again. Is compared with the image feature information of the image obtained by reading the image by the image reading unit 12. Then, if there are images having the same image feature information as the image feature information of the image to be compared, the image comparison unit 15 determines that they are the same image. In the first embodiment, the image holding unit 14 holds the image feature information of the front and back images of the last document read before the paper jam occurs. The image comparison unit 15 may compare the image read before the paper jam with the image at the time of re-reading based on the image feature information of the image read before the paper jam.

Based on the comparison result by the image comparison unit 15, the document determination unit 16 stacks the document placed on the document table during the re-reading operation in the same manner as the document placed on the document table before the paper jam. Whether or not it is determined, and the determination result is output to the control unit 10. More specifically, the manuscript determination unit 16 determines whether the following conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied. The condition (1) is that the image data generated after the interruption includes image data that matches the first image feature information and the second image feature information. The condition (2) is that the order in which the image reading unit 12 reads the surface of the document corresponding to the image data generated after the interruption that matches the first image feature information and the second image feature information is the first image feature. The order in which the first surface in which the image data including the information is read and the second surface in which the image data including the second image feature information is read is different from the reading order. Then, when the conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied, the document determination unit 16 has the same placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption. Judge that it is not.

The control unit 10 controls the order in which the images of the document read during the re-reading operation are saved or output based on the determination result by the document determination unit 16. More specifically, when it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the control unit 10 is generated before the interruption. A process of modifying the order of saving or outputting the images generated after the interruption is performed so that the order of the images and the order of the images generated after the interruption match.

As will be described in detail later, in the first embodiment, the document determination unit 16 displays an image having the same image feature information as the image feature information of the front and back images of the last document read before the paper jam. If the images of multiple originals scanned during the re-reading operation are present in the images of multiple originals read during the re-reading operation, the originals placed on the platen during the re-reading operation will be placed on the platen before the paper jam. It is determined that the stacking method is opposite to that of the placed document.

The image forming unit 17 forms a process (also referred to as "printing" or "output") of forming an image read from a plurality of original sheets including an image whose order has been corrected by the control unit 10 on paper according to the control of the control unit 10. )I do.

The operation display unit 18 displays the results of processing and calculations of the control unit 10, a screen prompting the user to reset the original when a paper jam occurs, and gives instructions and edits to the user to start a re-reading operation. It provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface).

The image editing unit 19 executes editing such as deleting the image data of the original read by the image reading unit 12 or the image feature information thereof based on the user's instruction via the operation display unit 18 or the instruction of the control unit 10. do. The control unit 10 may also serve as a part or all of the image editing unit 19, the feature extraction unit 13, the image comparison unit 15, and the manuscript determination unit 16.

[Hardware configuration of image forming apparatus]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the image forming apparatus 1.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33, an image holding unit 14, a non-volatile storage 34, and a network interface 35 connected to the bus 36. To be equipped. Further, a document reading detection unit 11s, a front surface scanner 12a, a back surface scanner 12b, an image forming unit 17, a display unit 18a, and an operation unit 18b are connected to the bus 36.

The CPU 31 is an example of a control unit, and reads a program code of software that realizes each function according to the present embodiment from the ROM 32 and executes the program code. By collaborating with these hardware and software, the functions of each part of the image forming apparatus 1 (image reading apparatus) shown in FIG. 4 are realized. The image forming apparatus 1 may be provided with a processing apparatus such as an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) instead of the CPU 31. Variables, parameters, etc. generated during the arithmetic processing are temporarily written in the RAM 33.

As the image memory applied to the image holding unit 14, for example, a semiconductor memory such as a DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module) is used. In DIMM, a plurality of DRAM (Dynamic RAM) chips are mounted on one side or both sides of a plastic substrate. The RAM 33 may be used as the image holding unit 14.

Examples of the non-volatile storage 34 include HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), flexible disk, optical disk, optical magnetic disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card and the like. Used. In this non-volatile storage 34, in addition to the OS (Operating System) and various parameters, a program for operating the image forming apparatus 1 may be recorded. For example, the non-volatile storage 34 stores an image read from a document by the image reading unit 12.

For the network interface 35, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) or the like is used, and various data such as jobs can be transmitted and received to and from an external device via a network such as a LAN.

The document scanning detection unit 11s, the front surface scanner 12a, the back surface scanner 12b, and the image forming unit 17 operate under the control of the CPU 31.

The display unit 18a is, for example, a liquid crystal display monitor, and displays the result of processing executed by the CPU 31 or the like. For example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, or the like is used for the operation unit 18b, and the user can perform predetermined operation input and instruction.

[Procedure for image reading process]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for reading a document in the image forming apparatus 1. When the CPU 31 executes the program recorded in the ROM 32 or the non-volatile storage 34, the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is realized.

In FIG. 7, first, the image reading unit 12 (see FIG. 4) reads a plurality of double-sided originals placed on the platen of the automatic document feeder 11 and conveyed according to the command of the control unit 10 (S1). .. Next, the control unit 10 determines whether or not there is a paper jam in the document based on the detection signal output from the document reading detection unit 11s (S2), and if no paper jam has occurred (NO in S2), The processing of this flowchart ends. On the other hand, if a paper jam occurs during reading (YES in S2), the control unit 10 interrupts the reading operation and displays a message notifying the occurrence of the paper jam on the display unit 18a (S3).

Next, the user confirms the paper jam message displayed on the display unit 18a, and temporarily removes the document that stays in the automatic document feeder 11 due to the paper jam. Then, after the paper jam is cleared, the user resets all the originals placed on the platen before the paper jam, including the removed original. At this time, when the control unit 10 detects that the stagnant document has been removed, the control unit 10 displays a message requesting the user to place the document on the platen again on the display unit 18a of the operation display unit 18. good. Next, when the control unit 10 detects that the document has been placed on the platen again based on the detection signal of the paper detection switch (not shown) (S4), the control unit 10 controls the automatic document feeder 11 and the image reading unit 12. Then, the original is read again (S5).

Next, the control unit 10 controls the feature extraction unit 13, the image holding unit 14, and the image comparison unit 15 to perform a process of comparing the image before the paper jam with the image after the paper jam (S6). Then, the control unit 10 saves or prints the images of all the originals including the originals that could not be read due to the paper jam (S7). After the process of step S7 is completed, the control unit 10 ends the process of this flowchart.

The subroutine of the image comparison process in step S6 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 17 described later.

The order of the scanned originals differs depending on how the originals are placed on the platen before and after the paper jam, but a method for saving or outputting the images read from the originals in the correct order will be described below.

[How to determine the image of interest]
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of determining an image of interest with respect to a read image of a document first placed on a platen according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 8, similarly to the example of FIG. 1, four double-sided originals are read in order from the first sheet, and scanning is interrupted because a paper jam occurs while reading the third double-sided original. This is an example in which four double-sided originals are set on the platen again and read. The images on the front and back surfaces of the first and second sheets are stored in the image holding unit 14 because the reading is normally completed before the paper jam occurs.

Of the images of the original that have been read before the paper jam occurs, the image corresponding to any page (original) can be the image of interest. In the present embodiment, as an example, when the original is first read, the front and back images of the original on the page immediately before the paper jam occurs are set as the attention image NA, and the attention image NA is cleared from the paper jam. After that, it is used as an image to be compared. The feature extraction unit 13 extracts the features of the image set in the attention image NA, and stores the image feature information together with the corresponding image in the image holding unit 14. In the example of FIG. 8, the front surface image M2a and the back surface image M2b of the second sheet (second page) shown by the broken lines are set as the attention image NA2 and the attention image NA1, respectively. The feature extraction unit 13 stores the image feature information of the front surface image M2a and the image feature information of the back surface image M2b on the second page in the image holding unit 14.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a difference in the attention image (front image, back surface image) appearing in the read image due to the difference in how the document is placed on the platen according to the first embodiment. When the original is placed upside down on the platen during the re-reading operation with respect to the original placed on the platen first, the images obtained by the front side scanner 12a and the back side scanner 12b before and after the re-reading operation are used. The resulting images are swapped. That is, in the first scanning, the front surface scanner 12a obtained the front surface image M2a of the original document, but after re-scanning, the front surface scanner 12a obtained the back surface image M2b of the original document. Similarly, the back surface image M2b of the original document was obtained by the first scanning with the back surface scanner 12b, but the front surface image M2a of the original document was obtained by the back surface scanner 12b after re-scanning.

In the state shown in FIG. 9, the document determination unit 16 confirms that the scanned images of the front side scanner 12a and the back side scanner 12b are reversed before and after the rereading operation, and places the document on the platen of the rereading operation. It is determined that the one is upside down.

The image comparison unit 15 images the image feature information of the front side image M2a and the back side image M2b of the last original document read before the paper jam occurs, and a plurality of original documents re-placed on the platen by the re-reading operation. The image obtained by reading with the reading unit 12 is compared. Then, when the image feature information of the front side image M2a and the back side image M2b of the last document exists in the images of the plurality of documents read during the re-reading operation, the image comparison unit 15 displays the corresponding image. Reread Set to the image of interest. As described above, when the same image as the attention image exists in the image at the time of the reread operation, the corresponding image at the time of the reread operation is set as the reread attention image. As a comparison method, for example, there is also a method of comparing the image feature information of the images to be compared with each other.

In the case of the example shown in FIG. 10, the third (second page) image (back surface image M2b and front surface image M2a) read during the re-reading operation is the same as the attention images NA1 and NA2. The image comparison unit 15 sets the back surface image M2b and the front surface image M2a of the third (second page) document during this rereading operation as the reread attention image NB1 and the reread attention image NB2, respectively. At the time of the re-reading operation, the third sheet (second page) document is the document next to the second sheet (third page) document corresponding to the document at the time of the paper jam.

The document determination unit 16 determines whether or not the stacking of the documents is the same before and after the occurrence of the paper jam, based on the comparison result by the image comparison unit 15. In the case of FIGS. 8 to 10, although the attention image NA2 (front surface image M2a) appears before the attention image NA1 (back surface image M2b) at the time of initial reading, the reread attention image NB2 (front surface) at the time of rereading. Since the image M2a) appears after the re-reading attention image NB1 (back side image M2b), the document determination unit 16 determines that the back side image M2b and the front side image M2a during the rereading operation are the first read front side image M2a and the back side. Confirm that the order is changed with the image M2b. Then, the document determination unit 16 determines that the document placed on the document table during the re-reading operation is overlapped upside down with the document placed on the document table before the paper jam. Then, when the document determination unit 16 determines that the method of placing the document on the platen during the re-reading operation is upside down, among the images of the document read during the re-reading operation, as shown in FIG. Read from the image of the last manuscript. In the example of FIG. 10, the front image M1a of the fourth (first page) document, the back image M1b, the front image M2a of the third (second page) document during the re-reading operation, and so on. I will read it.

[Image memory address map and image reading direction]
When the scanned image at the time of reading the original is assigned to the image memory in the reading order, the address map of the image memory is represented as shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a difference in the address map of the image memory for storing the read image due to the difference in how the original is placed on the platen. The address map 40A at the time of initial reading is shown on the left side of FIG. 11, and the address map 40B at the time of re-reading (when the document is placed upside down on the platen) is shown on the right side of FIG. The address of the address increases from the top to the bottom in the figure, and the read images are sequentially saved from the upper area.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the reading order of the read images stored in the image memory when the method of placing the original on the platen in the first embodiment is upside down. When the document is placed upside down, the first (fourth page) back image M4b is stored in the area where the address address is the smallest in the address map 40B, as in the case of the right side of FIG. Finally, the fourth (first page) surface image M1a is stored in the area having the largest address. In order to correct the reading order of the original images after the paper jam has occurred, it is necessary to sequentially read the front and back images of the third page and the front and back images of the fourth page where the paper jam has occurred. Therefore, as shown in the address map 40B of FIG. 12, the control unit 10 displays the images in the reverse order of reading the images from the document during the re-reading operation, that is, in the direction from the large address to the small address (upward arrow). Is read.

In the example of FIG. 12, the images are read in the order opposite to the order in which the images were read from the document during the re-reading operation. However, when the document is upside down, the control unit 10 performs the re-reading operation. The images read from the original may be saved in the reverse order of the reading order. That is, when the original is upside down, the control unit 10 stores the read images in the order in which the images are read, from the address with the largest address in the image memory to the address with the smallest address.

[Modified example of the first embodiment]
Depending on the reading method, the orientation of the front image and the back image read from the document may differ by 180 degrees. For example, in the first embodiment, a double-sided simultaneous scanning scanner is used as the image reading unit 12, but when a single-sided scanning scanner that reads both sides of the document in two steps and reads one side at a time is used as the image reading unit 12, both sides of the image are displayed. The orientations of the images may differ from each other by 180 degrees. In this case, an inverted transport path (not shown) that branches on the downstream side of the single-sided scanning scanner and joins the transport path on the upstream side of the single-sided scanning scanner is connected to the transport path. The reversing transport path is provided with a reversing section (not shown) for reversing the paper, and the original whose front and back sides are reversed by the reversing section returns to the transport path on the upstream side of the single-sided scanning scanner through the reversing transport path.

Therefore, when a single-sided scanning scanner is used, the front-back orientation of the document with respect to the transport direction is opposite in the process of inverting the front and back of the document. Therefore, after the single-sided scanning scanner reads the image of the surface of the document from the upper side of the image (upright), the document is turned over and the front-back orientation of the document is reversed. After that, the single-sided scanning scanner reads the image on the back side of the original from the lower side of the image. Therefore, even if the images on both sides of the document are "upright", in the case of a single-sided scanning scanner, the image data in the upright state is generated from the front surface of the document, and the image data in the inverted state is generated from the back surface of the document. Will be done. As this single-sided scanning scanner, for example, the surface scanner 12a of the image reading unit 12 arranged below the transport path can be used. In the following, the measures to be taken when the orientations of the images obtained by the single-sided scanning scanner differ by 180 degrees will be described.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a scanned image of a single-sided scanning scanner for a document first placed on a platen according to a modified example of the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 13, similarly to the example of FIG. 8, four double-sided originals are read in order from the first sheet, and scanning is interrupted because a paper jam occurs while reading the third double-sided original. This is an example in which four double-sided originals are set on the platen again and read.

In the example shown in FIG. 13, the surface image M1a of the first (first page) document is first read by scanning the first side of the single-sided scanning scanner, and then 180 degrees with respect to the surface image M1a by scanning the second side. The rotated back surface image M1b'is read. In the same manner thereafter, the surface images M2a, M3a, M4a of the second to fourth sheets (pages 2 to 4) of the original by the first scan of the single-sided scanning scanner, and the surface images by scanning the second side. Backside images M2b', M3b', and M4b' rotated 180 degrees with respect to M2a, M3a, and M4a are read, respectively. The attention image NA is a front image M2a (attention image NA2) and a back image M2b'(attention image NA1) of the second (second page) original immediately before the paper jam.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a scanned image of a single-sided scanning scanner for a document placed upside down on a document table according to a modified example of the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the back side images M4b to M1b of the original document are sequentially read from the first sheet (fourth page) to the fourth sheet (first page) by the single-sided scanning scanner. On the other hand, the back surface images M4b to M1b and the front surface images M4a'to M1a' rotated by 180 degrees are sequentially read from the fourth page to the first page by the single-sided scanning scanner. In this case, the re-reading attention image NB is the back surface image M2b (re-reading attention image NB1) and the front surface image M2a'(re-reading) of the third (second page) document corresponding to the document in which the paper jam has occurred. Attention image NB2).

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a difference in the attention image (front image, back surface image) appearing in the read image due to the difference in how the document is placed on the platen according to the modified example of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, when the original is placed upside down on the platen during the re-reading operation with respect to the original placed on the platen first, the original is placed upside down on the platen before and after the re-reading operation as in FIG. The image obtained by scanning the first side of the single-sided scanning scanner and the image obtained by scanning the second side of the single-sided scanning scanner are interchanged. In addition to this, the surface image M2a of the document obtained by the single-sided scanning scanner during the first scanning and the surface image M2a'of the document obtained by the single-sided scanning scanner during the re-reading operation are relatively rotated 180 degrees. There is. Similarly, the back side image M2b'of the original obtained by the single-sided scanning scanner at the first scanning and the backside image M2b of the original obtained by the single-sided scanning scanner during the re-reading operation are also relatively rotated 180 degrees.

In the case of the situation shown in FIG. 15, even if the two corresponding images of interest are compared as they are, it cannot be determined that they are the same image. Therefore, by rotating both the back image M2b and the front image M2a'during the rereading operation by 180 degrees and comparing the image before the paper jam with the image during the rereading operation, it is determined that they are the same image. can do.

It can be said that the difference in orientation between the image generated before the paper jam and the image generated during the re-reading operation is relative. Therefore, the image comparison unit 15 rotates one of the images generated before the paper jam and the image generated during the re-reading operation by 180 degrees, and then rotates the image by 180 degrees. It may be compared with the other image that is not rotated 180 degrees.

[Outline of image comparison processing of the first embodiment (and its modification)]
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an address map of an image memory at the time of first reading a document and at the time of reading a re-document for explaining the image comparison process according to the first embodiment and its modified example. The address map 40A on the left side and the address map 40B on the right side of FIG. 16 have the same configuration as the address map 40A and the address map 40B of FIG. 11, respectively.

In the example of FIG. 16, in the address map 40A at the time of reading the first document, the back image (corresponding to the back image M2b of FIG. 8) of the last (second page) normally read before the paper jam is the image of interest. NA1 is used, and the surface image of the same page (corresponding to the surface image M2a in FIG. 8) is designated as the attention image NA2. In this case, as a result, in the address map 40B during the reread operation, the back surface image of the second page (corresponding to the back surface image M2b in FIG. 10) that matches the attention image NA1 is specified as the reread attention image NB1. Further, as a result, the surface image (corresponding to the surface image M2a in FIG. 10) immediately after the reread attention image NB1 (second page) is specified as the reread attention image NB2 because it matches the attention image NA2. ..

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for image comparison processing according to the first embodiment and a modified example thereof. This flowchart is premised on the address map of the image memory shown in FIG. When the CPU 31 executes the program recorded in the ROM 32 or the non-volatile storage 34, the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 17 is realized.

[Procedure of image comparison processing]
In FIG. 17, when the image comparison unit 15 (see FIG. 4) starts the image comparison process in accordance with the command of the control unit 10, the image comparison unit 15 first reads normally before the occurrence of a paper jam as shown in FIG. 16 (page 2). The back image of the original of the eye) is set to the attention image NA1, and the front image of the original of the same second page is set to the attention image NA2 (S11).

Next, the image comparison unit 15 determines whether or not the same image as the attention image NA1 of the last document normally read before the occurrence of the paper jam exists in the image read during the re-reading operation (S12). .. Whether or not there is the same image as the attention image NA1 is determined based on, for example, the image feature information of the attention image NA1.

Next, when the same image as the attention image NA1 is not found, the image comparison unit 15 determines that the same image does not exist (NO in S12), and subsequently rotates the image read during the re-reading operation by 180 degrees (S13). ). Then, the image comparison unit 15 again determines whether or not the same image as the attention image NA1 exists in the image read during the re-reading operation (S14). Then, when the same image as the attention image NA1 is not found, the image comparison unit 15 determines that the same image does not exist (NO in S14), and proceeds to the process of step S19.

On the other hand, when the image comparison unit 15 finds the same image as the attention image NA1 from the reread images in the determination process of step S12 or step S14 (YES in S12, YES in S14), the image comparison unit 15 rereads the corresponding image. It is set to NB1 and the process proceeds to the determination process in step S15. Next, the image comparison unit 15 investigates whether or not the stacking of the documents placed on the platen is upside down, so that the image comparison unit 15 is on the page immediately before the same image as the attention image NA1 (reread attention image NB1). The image is compared with the attention image NA2 on the page immediately before the attention image NA1 (S15). The document determination unit 16 can determine in two steps, step S12 and step S15, that the document is properly placed on the document table during the re-reading operation.

Here, when the image on the page immediately before the reread attention image NB1 and the attention image NA2 are the same (YES in S15), the document determination unit 16 is placed on the document table during the reread operation. It is determined that the manuscript is not upside down (S16), and the processing of this flowchart is terminated. At this time, the manuscript determination unit 16 compares the relationship between the attention image NA1 and the attention image NA2 on the address map 40A and the relationship between the reread attention image NB1 and the image on the previous page on the address map 40B. Since the relationship between the addresses of each attention image is (attention image NA1)> (attention image NA2), (reread attention image NB1)> (image of the previous page), the reading during the reread operation Recognize that the order is normal. Therefore, the document determination unit 16 determines that the method of stacking the documents on the platen during the re-reading operation is not upside down. In this case, since the image read from the original is normally held in the image memory as in the address map 40A of FIG. 16, the control unit 10 normally holds the images in ascending order of addresses (downward in FIG. 16). Read the image.

On the other hand, in step S15, when the image on the page immediately before the reread attention image NB1 and the attention image NA2 are different (NO in S15), the image comparison unit 15 is the same image as the attention image NA1 (reread attention). The image on the page immediately after the image NB1) is compared with the attention image NA2 (S17). In the case of the example of FIG. 16, the attention image NA2 (the surface image of the second page) and the image of the page immediately after the reread attention image NB1 (the surface image of the second page) are the same.

Although not shown, when the scanned image on the front surface and the scanned image on the back surface of the original are rotated by 180 degrees (when scanned by a single-sided scanner), the image comparison unit 15 steps. After rotating the rescanned image by 180 degrees in the same manner as in S13, the images in steps S15 and S17 are compared.

If the image on the page immediately after the reread attention image NB1 and the attention image NA2 are the same in step S17 (YES in S17), the image comparison unit 15 sets the corresponding image as the reread attention image NB2. .. Then, the document determination unit 16 determines that the document placed on the document table is upside down during the re-reading operation (S18), and ends the process of this flowchart. At this time, in the document determination unit 16, the relationship between the addresses of the respective attention images is as follows: (attention image NA1)> (attention image NA2), (reread attention image NB1) <(image of the next page (reread)). Since it is the attention image NB2)), it is recognized that the reading order at the time of the rereading operation is reversed. Therefore, the document determination unit 16 determines that the method of stacking the document on the platen during the re-reading operation is upside down. In this case, since the images read from the original are stored in the image memory in a different order from that before the paper jam as in the address map 40B of FIG. 16, the control unit 10 is in the order of the largest address (FIG. 16). The image is read out in the upward direction).

In the case of NO in step S14, or in the case of NO in step S17, the same image as the attention image read before the paper jam does not exist in the image of the original read during the re-reading operation, or the attention image. There is no image paired with. Therefore, the document determination unit 16 determines that the document set on the platen during the re-reading operation is different from the document set on the platen before the paper jam (S19). Then, the control unit 10 displays a message indicating that the documents set on the platen are different during the re-reading operation and a message prompting the confirmation of the documents on the display unit 18a of the operation display unit 18 (S20). For example, as an example, "Please check if the re-read manuscript contains the manuscript immediately before the jam manuscript and the manuscript after that (unread), or reset all the manuscripts." It may be a content message. The control unit 10 ends the process of this flowchart after the process of step S20 is completed.

In the above image comparison process, at least one original image (or feature image information) read before the reading of the original is stopped in the middle is compared with the image (or feature image information) of the read original. Then, the original was placed upside down on the platen during the re-reading operation based on the fact that the images on the front and back surfaces of one scanned sheet are the same and the images on the front and back surfaces are interchanged. Is judged, and the page order is rearranged when saving or printing the image of the original scanned during the re-reading operation.

The order of processing in step S15 and step 17 may be changed. That is, after confirming that the image read during the reread operation in step S12 has an image to be the reread attention image NB1, the image comparison unit 15 is one after the reread attention image NB1 in step S17. The image on the page is compared with the attention image NA2. Here, when the image on the page immediately after the re-reading attention image NB1 and the attention image NA2 are the same, the document determination unit 16 puts the document on the platen during the re-reading operation in the two steps of step S12 and step S17. It is possible to determine that it has been placed upside down. Therefore, the document determination unit 16 can suppress a delay in the determination process when the method of stacking the documents on the platen is abnormal (upside down) during the re-reading operation. In general, it is unlikely that you make a mistake in stacking documents on the platen, but this processing procedure is effective when you want to quickly detect mistakes and take appropriate measures when you make a mistake in stacking documents on the platen. Is.

In steps S15 and S17, the image of the previous page or the subsequent page of the same reread image as the attention image NA1 is specified as the image of the reread original to be compared with the attention image NA2 (reread image). Not limited to. It is also possible to compare a plurality of images of the re-read document in order with the attention image NA2 and search for the existence of the same image as the attention image NA2 one by one.

[Effect of the first embodiment]
According to the first embodiment described above, if a paper jam occurs during reading the original, there is an error in the arrangement (overlapping method) of the front and back surfaces of the original when the original is reloaded on the platen. However, by comparing the image of the original read before the paper jam and the image of the original read at the time of re-reading with the front side and the back side paired, it is possible to determine how to stack the originals. Then, the images of the original document read at the time of re-reading can be saved or printed in the correct order according to the determination result, and the burden on the user can be reduced.

Further, according to the first embodiment, since the front side image and the back side image of the original document immediately before the paper jam occurs are used for the comparison process with the image read during the re-reading operation, the images of all the original documents are used in the image memory. It is not necessary to save to, and new memory resources required can be saved. In other words, the originals to be reloaded on the platen during the re-reading operation may be at least the original immediately before the paper jam occurs and the originals after that (unread). By reducing the number of documents to be reset, the time until the re-reading operation is completed is shortened.

<2. Second embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the image of the original document immediately before the occurrence of the paper jam is used for the comparison process, but in the second embodiment, the image comparison process in the first embodiment is generalized and the image used for the comparison process is used. The configuration is not limited to the image immediately before the occurrence of a paper jam.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of determining an image of interest with respect to a read image of a document first placed on a platen according to the second embodiment. Further, FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing how to determine an image of interest with respect to a read image of a document placed upside down on the document table according to the second embodiment. In the examples shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the first sheet is read in order for a plurality of double-sided originals, and the scanning is interrupted because a paper jam occurs while reading the Nth (Nth page) double-sided original. This is an example in which a plurality of double-sided originals are set on a platen and scanned. The images on the front and back surfaces of the first to (N-1) sheets of the original are stored in the image holding unit 14 because the scanning is normally completed before the paper jam occurs.

In the example of FIG. 18, the front image and the back image of the (NK) page document, which is k pages before the N page document in which the paper jam has occurred, are set as the attention image NA. N and k are natural numbers. As shown in FIG. 19, the manuscript on the (Nk) page corresponding to the attention image NA read before the paper jam occurred k pages after the manuscript on the Nth page where the paper jam occurred was read. A reread attention image NB including a front surface image and a back surface image appears.

As an example, as in the first embodiment, the position of the attention image NA read before the paper jam occurs may be specified. In the first embodiment, the image obtained from the page (manuscript) immediately before the paper jam occurs is set as the attention image NA, but in the second embodiment, the manuscript read before the paper jam occurs. Of the images of, the image corresponding to any page (manuscript) can be designated as the attention image NA. For example, when the page in which the paper jam occurs is the 10th page, the image read from both sides of the document on the 6th page 4 pages before the page can be set as the attention image NA.

Further, in the present embodiment, as the position of the attention image NA read before the paper jam occurs, a setting such as designating a page (manuscript) corresponding to a specified page before the page where the paper jam has occurred is set. It is also possible to operate without it. In this case, the image comparison unit 15 compares the image feature information of an arbitrary image read before the paper jam occurs with the image feature information of the image read during the re-reading operation. When there is no matching image feature information, the position (page number, front or back) of the image as the attention image NA is sequentially changed in the image read before the paper jam occurs, and during the re-reading operation. Investigate what matches the scanned image. Then, when there is matching image feature information, both corresponding images are transferred to the attention image NA read before the paper jam occurs and the reread attention image NB read during the reread operation, respectively. Set. Then, the control unit 10 uses the front side image and the back side image of the same page read until the paper jam occurs as the attention image NA, performs a comparison process with the image read during the rereading operation, and re-reads. Determines how to stack the documents placed on the platen during the scanning operation.

Generally, when a paper jam occurs, it is not easy for the user to accurately determine how much of a plurality of original documents has been read by the image reading unit 12. According to the second embodiment described above, since the position of the attention image NA read before the paper jam occurs can be specified, the page with the paper jam can be read with a margin (reliably read). It is possible to specify a few pages ago as the attention image NA. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the attention image NA does not exist in the image read before the paper jam occurs.

Further, according to the second embodiment described above, it is possible to perform an operation in which the position of the attention image NA read before the paper jam occurs is not specified. Because it is configured to compare any image read before the paper jam occurs with the image read during the reread operation based on the image feature information of any image read before the paper jam occurs. The user does not have to think about how much the original should be returned to the platen during the re-reading operation. In addition, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the attention image NA does not exist in the image read before the paper jam occurs.

<3. Third Embodiment>
The third embodiment is an example in which a 2in1 imposition image is formed and printed using an image obtained by reading both sides of a document. In this embodiment, imposition is not limited to 2in1, and an editing function (N-up) for arranging images of two or more pages can be set.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing a printing example by 2in1 imposition according to the third embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 reads the front surface of the conveyed document with the front surface scanner 12a to acquire the front surface image M1a, and also reads the back surface of the document with the back surface scanner 12b to acquire the back surface image M1b, and the control unit 10 receives the back surface image M1b. Output as a 2in1 image 51A according to the job. In the 2in1 image specified by the job, the front side image is arranged on the left side and the back side image is arranged on the right side.

FIG. 21 shows the formation of a 2in1 image of the original placed on the platen and the original placed upside down by the 2in1 imposition according to the third embodiment (before the paper jam occurs). It is explanatory drawing. The difference between the two is that the front image is on the left and the back image is on the right, and the front image is on the right and the back image is on the left.

In the formation of the 2in1 image at the time of the first reading of the original, since the page order of the original is correct, an appropriate 2in1 image 51A in which the front surface image of the first page is arranged on the left and the back surface image is arranged on the right is formed. Similarly, the 2in1 image 52A consisting of the front surface image and the back surface image of the second page, the 2in1 image 53A consisting of the front surface image and the back surface image of the third page, and the 2in1 image 54A consisting of the front surface image and the back surface image of the fourth page are sequentially formed. Will be done.

On the other hand, in the formation of a 2in1 image based on a document placed upside down during the reread operation, an unexpected 2in1 image 54B is formed in which the back side image on the fourth page is placed on the left and the front side image is placed on the right. Will be done. Similarly, a 2in1 image 53B composed of the back surface image and the front surface image of the third page, a 2in1 image 52B composed of the back surface image and the front surface image of the second page, and a 2in1 image 51B composed of the back surface image and the front surface image of the first page are sequentially formed. Will be done.

When the control unit 10 is set to imposition an image of a plurality of pages on one side of the paper due to a job or the like, the control unit 10 reads the image during the re-reading operation in the imposition process based on the determination result by the document determination unit 16. Controls the order in which the images of the original document are arranged. That is, by controlling as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the control unit 10 arranges the front image on the left and the back image on the right even if the method of placing the document on the platen (vertical orientation) is changed. Can be maintained. If the job is set to arrange the front side image on the right and the back side image on the left, the control unit 10 impositions according to the set contents.

According to the third embodiment described above, even when the image is edited by imposition such as 2in1 after reading both sides of the original and saved or printed, the image arrangement expected by imposition can be saved or printed. can.

<4. Fourth Embodiment>
The fourth embodiment assumes that all the originals are reset to the platen during the re-reading operation, and delays the process of determining whether or not the originals are placed upside down on the platen during the re-reading operation. It is a configuration that suppresses. In the present embodiment, the feature extraction unit 13 and the image feature information (first image feature information) of the image corresponding to the first surface of at least the first original among the images generated before the paper jam. , Image feature information (second image feature information) of an image corresponding to an arbitrary surface of an arbitrary document different from the first surface of the first original is extracted and stored.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an address map of an image memory at the time of first reading a document and at the time of reading a re-document for explaining the image comparison process according to the fourth embodiment. The content of the address map of FIG. 22 is the same as that of FIG.

In the present embodiment, the first image of the document normally read before the occurrence of the paper jam (first image 1A) is compared with the first image of the document read during the re-reading operation (first image 1B). Here, since the first image 1A is the front surface image of the first page and the first image 1B is the back image of the fourth page, the image comparison unit 15 determines that the first image 1A and the first image 1B are different. Next, the image comparison unit 15 investigates the presence or absence of the same image among the images read during the re-reading operation with respect to the attention image NA1 which is the last image of the normally read document, and finds the same image. In this case, the corresponding image is re-read and designated as the attention image NB1.

In the document determination unit 16, the re-reading attention image NB1 that matches the attention image NA1 read before the occurrence of the paper jam exists in the image read during the re-reading operation, and the first image 1A and the first image Since 1B is different, it is determined that the method of stacking the originals on the platen during the re-reading operation is upside down.

When the front image obtained from the front surface scanner 12a and the back surface image obtained from the back surface scanner 12b are rotated by 180 degrees, the method in the third embodiment is applied during the rereading operation (or The image (before the occurrence of a paper jam) is rotated 180 degrees so that the images can be compared.

According to the fourth embodiment described above, the image comparison process in step S6 of FIG. 7 can be a two-step comparison process including the first comparison process and the second comparison process. The first comparison process is a process of comparing the first image of the document read before the paper jam occurs with the first image of the document read during the re-reading operation. The second comparison process is a process of comparing the last image of the document read before the paper jam occurs with the image of the document read during the re-reading operation. With such a configuration, the image comparison process is completed in two steps, and it can be determined in a shorter time whether or not the original is placed upside down on the platen during the re-reading operation.

<5. Others>
In the image forming apparatus according to the first to fourth embodiments described above, a function may be provided in which a user can operate the operation unit 18b to request re-reading of a document after the paper jam is cleared. When a paper jam occurs, the automatic document feeder 11 repositions the original on the platen after the user places the original on the platen, and then re-reads the original from the operation unit 18b. The image reading unit 12 may be configured to read both sides of the conveyed original. With such a configuration, the user can actively perform the re-reading operation even if the image forming apparatus does not request the re-reading of the original.

Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the first to fourth embodiments described above, after the series of processes defined in FIG. 17 is completed, the image editing unit 19 determines the image feature information or the image data of the read image data. It may be deleted automatically. For example, the image editing unit 19 has image data corresponding to the first surface of the document read by the image reading unit 12, which overlaps before and after the occurrence of a paper jam after the re-reading of the document by the image reading unit 12 is completed. The image feature information (first image feature information), the image data corresponding to the second surface paired with the first surface of the manuscript, and the image feature information (second image feature information) are automatically deleted. do. If all the originals are reset on the platen during the re-reading operation and all the originals are read again, the image feature information of all the image data read before the paper jam or all the image data itself is displayed. You may delete it. The image editing unit 19 can also delete only one or two of the specified image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information that are duplicated before and after the occurrence of the paper jam. be.

When the original is re-read and the comparison process by the image comparison unit 15 or the storage or output of the image data by the control unit 10 is completed, the order of saving or outputting the image data is correctly performed, and a plurality of images to be read are stored. Accurate image data of the manuscript is generated. Therefore, it is not necessary to retain the image data read before the paper jam or the image feature information thereof. Therefore, from the viewpoint of saving memory resources, the image feature information or the image duplicated before and after the paper jam is generated. It is desirable to delete the data (these information and data are referred to as "duplicate data").

Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the first to fourth embodiments described above, when a paper jam occurs, a message requesting the user to place the original on the platen again is displayed on the display unit 18a. However, if the original is not read again (the user resets the original) even after the predetermined time has elapsed, the display of the message may be stopped. The control unit 10 has a function of enabling or disabling the setting according to a user's instruction input from the operation unit 18b. The method of determining whether or not the re-reading has been performed includes an automatic pattern in which the document is automatically read when the document is placed on the platen again and whether or not the user has instructed the re-reading as described above. There is a manual pattern.

For example, when another user wants to prepare a manuscript and read the manuscript, if the manuscript is not reloaded (the user resets or rereads the manuscript) for a long time, the operating rate of the image forming apparatus becomes high. Go down. Therefore, the control unit 10 requests that the original be placed on the platen again when the original is not reread for a certain period of time when the setting that the original is not reread for a certain period of time is effective. To prepare for the manuscript reading work by a new job.

When a paper jam occurs, in a configuration that displays a message requesting the user to place the original on the platen again, duplicate data will be collected after the comparison process by the image comparison unit 15 after re-reading the original is completed. If at least one of them is deleted, the display of this message may be stopped.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to each of the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various other application examples and modifications can be taken as long as the gist of the present invention described in the claims is not deviated. be.

For example, the above-described embodiment describes in detail and concretely the configurations of the apparatus and the system in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to those including all the described configurations. .. Further, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment. It is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is also possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

Further, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, processing means and the like may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them by, for example, an integrated circuit. In addition, the control lines and information lines indicate those that are considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily indicate all the control lines and information lines in the product. In practice, it can be considered that almost all configurations are interconnected.

1 ... image forming device, 10 ... control unit, 11 ... automatic document feeder, 11s ... document reading detection unit, 12 ... image reading unit, 12a ... front surface scanner, 12b ... back surface scanner, 13 ... feature extraction unit, 14 ... image Holding unit, 15 ... Image comparison unit, 16 ... Original determination unit, 17 ... Image forming unit, M1a to M4a ... Surface image, M1b to M4b ... Surface image, NA, NA1, NA2 ... Attention image, NB, NB1, NB2 ... Reread featured image

Claims (20)

An image reader that reads a plurality of placed originals in order and generates image data,
A storage unit that stores image data generated by the image reading unit, and a storage unit.
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. An image comparison unit that compares the image data with the image data generated after the scanning of the original is interrupted.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, a document determination unit that determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are the same. ,
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption It has a control unit that modifies the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
When the control unit is set to imposition an image of a plurality of pages on one side of the paper, the document is read after the interruption in the imposition process based on the determination result by the document determination unit. An image reading device that controls the order in which images are arranged. Of the image data generated before the interruption, with respect to the image data corresponding to at least one original, the first image feature information of the image corresponding to the first surface of the original and the first surface. Further has a feature extraction unit, which extracts and stores the second image feature information of the image corresponding to the second surface on the opposite side.
Before the interruption, the image comparison unit determines whether or not there is image data that matches the first image feature information or the second image feature information among the image data generated after the interruption. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the generated image data is compared with the image data generated after the interruption. The manuscript determination unit includes the first image feature information and image data matching the second image feature information in the image data generated after the interruption, and the first image feature information and the first image feature information. 2 The order in which the faces of the document corresponding to the image data generated after the interruption that match the image feature information are read is the first face on which the image data including the first image feature information is read and the first face. 2 When the second surface in which the image data including the image feature information is read is different from the reading order, the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement of the document read after the interruption. The image reading device according to claim 2, wherein it is determined that the placement direction is not the same. When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the control unit uses the image data generated after the interruption to display the image data. The image reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the originals corresponding to the respective image data are stored or output in the order opposite to the reading order. Of the image data generated before the interruption, the first image feature information of the image corresponding to the first surface of the first document and any image data different from the first surface of the first document. It also has a feature extraction unit that extracts and stores the second image feature information of the image corresponding to any surface of the manuscript.
Before the interruption, the image comparison unit determines whether or not there is image data that matches the first image feature information or the second image feature information among the image data generated after the interruption. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the generated image data is compared with the image data generated after the interruption. The image comparison unit rotates the image data of either one of the image data generated before the interruption and the image data generated after the interruption by 180 degrees, and then rotates the image by 180 degrees. The image reader according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which compares the data with the other image data that is not rotated 180 degrees. It further has an operation unit for receiving an instruction requesting that the document be read.
The image reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein when the operating unit receives the instruction after the interruption, the image reading unit reads the original again according to the instruction and generates image data. The image reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the control unit performs a process of requesting the user to place the original on the platen again when the reading of the original is interrupted. An image reader that reads a plurality of placed originals in order and generates image data,
A storage unit that stores image data generated by the image reading unit, and a storage unit.
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. An image comparison unit that compares the image data with the image data generated after the scanning of the original is interrupted.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, a document determination unit that determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are the same. ,
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption A control unit that modifies the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
Of the image data generated before the interruption, with respect to the image data corresponding to at least one original, the first image feature information of the image corresponding to the first surface of the original and the first surface. Is a feature extraction unit that extracts and stores the second image feature information of the image corresponding to the second surface on the opposite side, and
After the re-reading of the original document after the interruption is completed, the overlapping image data, the generated first image feature information, and the second image feature information can be deleted before and after the interruption. Has an image editorial department,
Before the interruption, the image comparison unit determines whether or not there is image data that matches the first image feature information or the second image feature information among the image data generated after the interruption. The generated image data is compared with the image data generated after the interruption,
When the reading of the original is interrupted, the control unit performs a process of requesting the user to place the original on the platen again.
When at least one of the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information that overlaps before and after the interruption is deleted by the image editing unit, the control unit causes the control unit to delete the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information. stop the process of requesting to re-placing the document on the document table to the user
Images reader. An image reader that reads a plurality of placed originals in order and generates image data,
A storage unit that stores image data generated by the image reading unit, and a storage unit.
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. An image comparison unit that compares the image data with the image data generated after the scanning of the original is interrupted.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, a document determination unit that determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are the same. ,
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption A control unit that modifies the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
Of the image data generated before the interruption, the first image feature information of the image corresponding to the first surface of the first document and any image data different from the first surface of the first document. A feature extraction unit that extracts and stores the second image feature information of an image corresponding to an arbitrary surface of a manuscript, and a feature extraction unit.
After the re-reading of the original document after the interruption is completed, the overlapping image data, the generated first image feature information, and the second image feature information can be deleted before and after the interruption. Has an image editorial department,
Before the interruption, the image comparison unit determines whether or not there is image data that matches the first image feature information or the second image feature information among the image data generated after the interruption. The generated image data is compared with the image data generated after the interruption,
When the reading of the original is interrupted, the control unit performs a process of requesting the user to place the original on the platen again.
When at least one of the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information that overlaps before and after the interruption is deleted by the image editing unit, the control unit causes the control unit to delete the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information. stop the process of requesting to re-placing the document on the document table to the user
Images reader. An image reader that reads a plurality of placed originals in order and generates image data,
A storage unit that stores image data generated by the image reading unit, and a storage unit.
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. An image comparison unit that compares the image data with the image data generated after the scanning of the original is interrupted.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, a document determination unit that determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are the same. ,
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption It has a control unit that modifies the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
When the reading of the original is interrupted, the control unit performs a process of requesting the user to re-place the original on the platen, and after the interruption, the original is not re-read for a certain period of time. the image reading apparatus having the setting function to stop the process of requesting to re-placing the document on the platen with respect to users. A document feeder that transports multiple documents placed on the platen, and
Further, it has a document reading detection unit that monitors the transport status of the document and detects a paper jam of the document.
Wherein, when a paper jam of the document by the document reading detection section is detected, the image reading unit the interrupt claims reading of the document 1 by, according to any of the 9, 10, 11 Image reader. An image reader that reads a plurality of placed originals in order and generates image data,
A storage unit that stores image data generated by the image reading unit, and a storage unit.
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. An image comparison unit that compares the image data with the image data generated after the scanning of the original is interrupted.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, a document determination unit that determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are the same. ,
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption A control unit that modifies the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
It has an image forming unit that forms image data of the plurality of originals on paper, including image data whose order has been corrected by the control unit.
When the control unit is set to imposition an image of a plurality of pages on one side of the paper, the document is read after the interruption in the imposition process based on the determination result by the document determination unit. An image forming device that controls the order in which images are arranged. An image reader that reads a plurality of placed originals in order and generates image data,
A storage unit that stores image data generated by the image reading unit, and a storage unit.
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. An image comparison unit that compares the image data with the image data generated after the scanning of the original is interrupted.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, a document determination unit that determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are the same. ,
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption A control unit that modifies the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
An image forming unit that forms image data of the plurality of originals including image data whose order has been corrected by the control unit on paper, and an image forming unit.
Of the image data generated before the interruption, with respect to the image data corresponding to at least one original, the first image feature information of the image corresponding to the first surface of the original and the first surface. Is a feature extraction unit that extracts and stores the second image feature information of the image corresponding to the second surface on the opposite side, and
After the re-reading of the original document after the interruption is completed, the overlapping image data, the generated first image feature information, and the second image feature information can be deleted before and after the interruption. Has an image editorial department,
Before the interruption, the image comparison unit determines whether or not there is image data that matches the first image feature information or the second image feature information among the image data generated after the interruption. The generated image data is compared with the image data generated after the interruption,
When the reading of the original is interrupted, the control unit performs a process of requesting the user to place the original on the platen again.
When at least one of the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information that overlaps before and after the interruption is deleted by the image editing unit, the control unit causes the control unit to delete the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information. Cancel the process of requesting the user to place the manuscript on the manuscript stand again.
Image forming device. An image reader that reads a plurality of placed originals in order and generates image data,
A storage unit that stores image data generated by the image reading unit, and a storage unit.
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. An image comparison unit that compares the image data with the image data generated after the scanning of the original is interrupted.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, a document determination unit that determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are the same. ,
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption A control unit that modifies the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
An image forming unit that forms image data of the plurality of originals including image data whose order has been corrected by the control unit on paper, and an image forming unit.
Of the image data generated before the interruption, the first image feature information of the image corresponding to the first surface of the first document and any image data different from the first surface of the first document. A feature extraction unit that extracts and stores the second image feature information of an image corresponding to an arbitrary surface of a manuscript, and a feature extraction unit.
After the re-reading of the original document after the interruption is completed, the overlapping image data, the generated first image feature information, and the second image feature information can be deleted before and after the interruption. Has an image editorial department,
Before the interruption, the image comparison unit determines whether or not there is image data that matches the first image feature information or the second image feature information among the image data generated after the interruption. The generated image data is compared with the image data generated after the interruption,
When the reading of the original is interrupted, the control unit performs a process of requesting the user to place the original on the platen again.
When at least one of the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information that overlaps before and after the interruption is deleted by the image editing unit, the control unit causes the control unit to delete the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information. Cancel the process of requesting the user to place the manuscript on the manuscript stand again.
Image forming device. An image reader that reads a plurality of placed originals in order and generates image data,
A storage unit that stores image data generated by the image reading unit, and a storage unit.
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. An image comparison unit that compares the image data with the image data generated after the scanning of the original is interrupted.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, a document determination unit that determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are the same. ,
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption A control unit that modifies the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
It has an image forming unit that forms image data of the plurality of originals on paper, including image data whose order has been corrected by the control unit.
When the reading of the original is interrupted, the control unit performs a process of requesting the user to re-place the original on the platen, and after the interruption, the re-reading of the original is not performed for a certain period of time. In addition, it has a setting function for canceling the process of requesting the user to place the document on the platen again.
Image forming device. A step of sequentially scanning a plurality of originals placed on the image scanning unit to generate image data, and
A step of storing the image data generated by the image reading unit in the storage unit, and
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. A step of comparing the image data obtained with the image data generated after the interruption of scanning of the original by the image comparison unit, and a step of comparing the image data.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, the document determination unit determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption is the same as the placement direction of the document read after the interruption. Steps and
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption It has a step of modifying the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption by the control unit so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
When the control unit is set to imposition an image of a plurality of pages on one side of the paper, the document is read after the interruption in the imposition process based on the determination result by the document determination unit. An image reading method that controls the order in which images are arranged. A step of sequentially scanning a plurality of originals placed on the image scanning unit to generate image data, and
A step of storing the image data generated by the image reading unit in the storage unit, and
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. A step of comparing the image data obtained with the image data generated after the interruption of scanning of the original by the image comparison unit, and a step of comparing the image data.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, the document determination unit determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption is the same as the placement direction of the document read after the interruption. Steps and
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption A step of modifying the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption by the control unit so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
Of the image data generated before the interruption, with respect to the image data corresponding to at least one original, the first image feature information of the image corresponding to the first surface of the original and the first surface. Is a step of extracting and storing the second image feature information of the image corresponding to the second surface on the opposite side by the feature extraction unit, and
After the re-reading of the original document after the interruption is completed, the image data, the generated first image feature information, and the second image feature information that overlap before and after the interruption are deleted by the image editing unit. Have steps to do,
Before the interruption, the image comparison unit determines whether or not there is image data that matches the first image feature information or the second image feature information among the image data generated after the interruption. The generated image data is compared with the image data generated after the interruption,
When the reading of the original is interrupted, the control unit performs a process of requesting the user to place the original on the platen again.
When at least one of the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information that overlaps before and after the interruption is deleted by the image editing unit, the control unit causes the control unit to delete the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information. Cancel the process of requesting the user to place the manuscript on the manuscript stand again.
Image reading method. A step of sequentially scanning a plurality of originals placed on the image scanning unit to generate image data, and
A step of storing the image data generated by the image reading unit in the storage unit, and
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. A step of comparing the image data obtained with the image data generated after the interruption of scanning of the original by the image comparison unit, and a step of comparing the image data.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, the document determination unit determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption is the same as the placement direction of the document read after the interruption. Steps and
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption A step of modifying the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption by the control unit so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
Of the image data generated before the interruption, the first image feature information of the image corresponding to the first surface of the first document and any image data different from the first surface of the first document. A step of extracting and storing the second image feature information of the image corresponding to an arbitrary surface of the manuscript by the feature extraction unit, and
After the re-reading of the original document after the interruption is completed, the image data, the generated first image feature information, and the second image feature information that overlap before and after the interruption are deleted by the image editing unit. Have steps to do,
Before the interruption, the image comparison unit determines whether or not there is image data that matches the first image feature information or the second image feature information among the image data generated after the interruption. The generated image data is compared with the image data generated after the interruption,
When the reading of the original is interrupted, the control unit performs a process of requesting the user to place the original on the platen again.
When at least one of the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information that overlaps before and after the interruption is deleted by the image editing unit, the control unit causes the control unit to delete the image data, the first image feature information, and the second image feature information. Cancel the process of requesting the user to place the manuscript on the manuscript stand again.
Image reading method. A step of sequentially scanning a plurality of originals placed on the image scanning unit to generate image data, and
A step of storing the image data generated by the image reading unit in the storage unit, and
When the scanning of the original by the image scanning unit is interrupted, and then all or part of the original is read again by the image scanning unit and the image data is regenerated, it is generated before the scanning of the original is interrupted. A step of comparing the image data obtained with the image data generated after the interruption of scanning of the original by the image comparison unit, and a step of comparing the image data.
Based on the result of comparison by the image comparison unit, the document determination unit determines whether the placement direction of the document read before the interruption is the same as the placement direction of the document read after the interruption. Steps and
When it is determined that the placement direction of the document read before the interruption and the placement direction of the document read after the interruption are not the same, the order of the image data generated before the interruption and the interruption A step of modifying the order of saving or outputting the image data generated after the interruption by the control unit so that the order of the image data generated later matches.
When the reading of the original is interrupted, the control unit performs a process of requesting the user to re-place the original on the platen, and after the interruption, the re-reading of the original is not performed for a certain period of time. In addition, it has a setting function for canceling the process of requesting the user to place the document on the platen again.
Image reading method.

Images