Designating means for an image processing apparatus

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus having means for designating an area of a document image and means for carrying out a predetermined process to the designated area when the document image is input, the document image area designation means has a document table (12) at an image input unit, made of transparent and vibration-transmitting plate, and coordinate input means (34, 36, 37) for detecting coordinates of a vibration input point by detecting vibration applied by a vibration source (13, 35) to the document table, by vibration sensors (31a, 31b) arranged in the document table.

Description: The present invention relates to an image reproduction system having a transparent document table and reading means for reading an image from the underside of said document table. An image processing apparatus having an edit function providing partial reproduction, by designating a reproduction area, comprising the combination of a copying machine and coordinate input means such as a digitizer pad, is known. Fig. 4 shows a known apparatus of this type, in which numeral 22 denotes a digitizer pad for designating an area on a document image. It is arranged on a pressure plate 21 for pressing the document sheet at a document read station on a main body 24 of the apparatus. Data to the digitizer pad 22 is input by an input pen 23. The apparatus reads the document image set by the image reader, using a digital reading system in the form of an electrographic system or CCD sensor system and reproduces the read image onto a copy sheet. In order to designate an area of the reproduced image to be edited, an edit mode is selected by actuating a switch on a console panel and the document sheet is placed face-up at a predetermined position on the digitizer pad 22. The area of the document sheet to be edited is designated by the input pen 23 and coodinates thereof are input to the pad 22. Then, the pressure plate 21 is turned upward, the document sheet is placed face-down at the reader and reproduction is initiated. In this manner, page editing may be performed by combining a number of partially reproduced images. However, since the designation of the area of the document sheet and the subsequent reproduction operation requires the pressure plate 21 to be turned into position and then returned, the operation is very troublesome. In many cases, the digitizer is available only as a separate optional unit, therefore the cost of the image processing facility is very high. All alternative method for defining a portion of an image for reproduction in shown in United States patent no. US-A-4256400, assigned to the present applicant. A copying machine capable of making a copy of a selected area of a document is shown. Mechanical indicators slideable along notionally X and Y directions define the area to be copied. However, a problem with this approach is that, when a large number of copies are required, the resetting of the indicators becomes timeconsuming. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved image reproduction system with means for defining a reproduction area. A device for logging the coordinates of a curve on a sheet using a stylus is shown in United Kingdom patent publication no. GB-A-2042726. The stylus incorporates an ultrasonic transmitter along with fixed transducers arranged on the surface of the sheet. Thus, the transducers are capable of detecing the position of the stylus to a high degree of accuracy, allowing the coordinates of a curve to be recorded. The present invention is as specified in claims 1 and 10. According to the present invention, there is an image reproduction system having a transparent document table and reading means for reading an image of a document from the underside of said document table, characterised by a hand-held stylus having a vibrator for generating a vibration wave form and arranged to be manually contactable with said document table through said document so as to set up vibrations in said table at chosen contact positions to define an area to be reproduced; a vibration detector arranged on said document table for detecting a peak of said vibration wave form being transmitted and modulated through the document table and for generating signals representing coordinates of said contact positions; operation means receiving said signals for calculating the positions of contacts of the stylus, and reproduction control means for controlling the reading means in response to said operation means so that said cover of said image defined by said points of contact is reproduced. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the position of the stylus or pen is not merely logged, as shown in the aforesaid United Kingdom patent publication, but said coordinates are used to identify the portion of an image to be reproduced. Thus, the invention provides the advantage of allowing desired reproduction areas to be identified very quickly thereby significantly increasing the rate at which the apparatus may be used. Furthermore, the apparatus is relatively inexpensive and is not troublesome to use. In addition, the apparatus does not restrict normal operation of the reproduction equipment. The invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings: in which, Fig. 1 shown an image input unit of an image processing apparatus of the present invention, Fig. 2 shows a coordinate input unit used with the unit of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows waveforms for explaining an operation of the unit of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 shown a prior art copying machine as an image processing apparatus, Fig. 5 shows a flow chart of an image processing procedure, and Fig. 6 shown a configuration of a copying machine. Fig. 1 shows an image processing apparatus in accordance with the present invention. A document table (original set-up plate) 12 is arranged on an image input unit at a top of a main body 14. An image of a document sheet 16 is read through the transparent document table 12 by an image input unit of a predetermined type. The document sheet 16 is pressed to the document table 12 of the image input unit by a pressure plate 11 when the document image is read. The document table 12 functions not only as a document table of the image reader but also as a tablet for designating an image area on the document sheet by inputting coordinates of desired points on the document table 12 by an input pen 13. In the present embodiment, the coordinates of the area designated by the input pen 13 are detected by a configuration shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, numeral 12 denotes the document table which is made of transparent and vibration-transmitting material such as glass or acrylics. On the other hand, the input pen 13 has a vibrator such as a piezoelectric element therein, which is driven by a pen driver 35 in synchronism with coordinate detection to be described later. The vibration generated by the input pen 13 is input to a desired position on the document table 12 through a vibration amplifying horn at a tip end of the input pen 13. The direction of vibration of the vibrator of the input pen 13 is set such that it applies a vibration substantially perpendicularly to the text table 12 to generate an elastic plane wave in the document table 12. By transmitting the vibration by the plane wave, impedance of transmission of the vibration due to scratches of the document table 12 or the document sheet 16 is prevented. Three vibration sensors 31a - 31c made of piezoelectric elements are arranged at corners of the document table 12 to detect the input vibration. Output signals of the vibration sensors 31a - 31c are supplied to a detector 34. The detector 34 comprises a phase waveform processor and a clock circuit and it detects a vibration transmission time on the document table 12. As shown in Fig. 3, the vibrator of the input pen 13 is driven by a pulse 41 of a pen drive signal. The vibration changes to a waveform 42 of a detection signal while it is transmitted through the horn of the pen and the document table 12 and it is detected by the vibration sensors 31a - 31c. A vibration transmission time Δt is required depending on the distance between a vibration input point and the sensor. The detector 34 and driver 35 are synchronized by an operation control circuit 36 which may be a microcomputer. The operation control circuit 36 has a register 36a for storing coordinate data. The operation control circuit 36 determines a straight distance between the sensor and the vibration input point based on the vibration transmission time data supplied from the detector 34. The straight distance d between the sensor and the input point is given by d = Δt · v (1) where v is a velocity of the vibration on the document table 12. The operation control circuit 36 further detects the input point coordinates of the input pen 13 based on the straight distance data in accordance with a principle of triangulation. By setting the vibration sensor 31a as an origin point and setting X and Y axes as shown in Fig. 2, the input coordinate P(x,y) are represented by: x = X/2 + (d1 + d2) (d1 - d2) / 2X (2) y = Y/2 + (d1 + d3) (d1 - d3) / 2Y (3) where X and Y are distances between the sensor 31a and the sensors 31b and 31c, respectively, and d1 - d3 are distances between the input point and the vibration sensors 31a - 31c, respectively, determined by the formula (1). The operation control circuit 36 generates area designation data based on the coordinate data and supplies the data to a main control unit of the apparatus through an input/output port 37. The main control unit controls an image input condition in accordance with the input data. For example, it determines an area of the document sheet 16 to be copied. A configuration of the copying machine is explained. Numeral 24 denotes a main body. When a CPU 41 receives coordinate data from the input/output port 37 of the coordinate input unit, the CPU 41 sequentially stores the coordinate data into a RAM 42. Numeral 40 denotes a ROM which stores a control program shown in a flow chart of Fig. 5. The CPU 41 controls the copying machine 43 in accordance with the control program. The operation of the image processing to reproduce only the designated area by the copying machine is described. Fig. 5 shows processes of the operation control circuit 36 and main control unit. When an operator is to designate an area of the document sheet 16 to be reproduced, he/she inputs a command for area designation through the switch 15, turns up the pressure plate 11 as shown in Fig. 1, and places the document sheet 16 face-up at a predetermined position on the document table 12. Then, he/she points desired points on the document sheet 16 by the input pen 13 to designate the area. For example, the reproduction area may be designated by inputting coordinates of two diagonal points or four corner points of a rectangular area. The vibration of the input pen 13 is input to the document table 12 through the document sheet 16 and it is transmitted to the sensors 31a - 31c of the document table 12. Since the document table 12 is designed to transmit a plane wave, the transmission of the vibration is not impeded by the placement of the document sheet, and the vibration having sufficient intensity for coordinate detection is transmitted to the vibration sensors 31a - 31c. The operation control circuit 36 stores the coordinate data read in the step S1 of Fig. 5 into the registor 36a. The coordinate data is sent to the main control unit through the register 36a and input/output port 37, and the area to be reproduced is recognized by the main control unit in a step S2. Thereafter, the document sheet is placed face-down on the document table 12, pressed by the presure plate 11, a start command is issued by the switch 15 and the reproduction operation is started. In a step S3, the main control unit controls the known copying machine to reproduce the designated area. When an electrographic system is used, unnecessary image area may be exposed so that the reproduction is made only in the designated area. In accordance with the present embodiment, the coordinates for designating the image area can be input by merely turning over the document sheet. Since the area can be designated on the document table 12, a possibility of positional offset of the document sheet when the area is designated and when the image is input is low and an area designation error is small. Accordingly, correct image processing is attained. In accordance with the present embodiment, a separate digitizer need not be provided and the area designation member is shared by the document table of the image input unit so that the number of parts is reduced. Accordingly, a manufacturing cost of the apparatus is saved. The present invention is applicable to any image processing apparatus such as copying machine, facsimile machine and image data processing machine. In accordance with the present invention, in the image processing apparatus which has means for designating the area of document image and carries out the predetermined process to the area designated by the designation means when the document image is input, the document area designation means comprises the document table at the image input unit made of a transparent and vibration-transmitting plate and the coordinate input means for detecting the coordinates of the vibration input point by detecting the vibration input to the document table by the vibration sensors arranged in the document table. Since the document table is shared by the coordinate input means, the operation to process the image is significantly simplified and the manufacturing cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

Claims: All image reproduction system having a transparent document table (12) and reading means for reading an image of a document from the underside of said document table, characterised by a hand-held stylus (13) having a vibrator for generating a vibration wave form and arranged to be manually contactable with said document table through said document so as to set up vibrations in said table at chosen contact positions to define an area to be reproduced; a vibration detector (31A, 31B, 31C) arranged on said document table for detecting a peak of said vibration wave form being transmitted and modulated through the document table and for generating signals representing coordinates of said contact positions; operation means (36) receiving said signals for calculating the positions of contacts of the stylus, and reproduction control means (43) for controlling the reading means in response to said operation means so that said area of said image defined by said points of contact is reproduced. A reproduction system according to claim 1, characterised in that said operation means (36) calculates the position of the contact positions on the basis of the arrival time of wave generated by the vibration means at the vibration detector. A system according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the reproduction control means controls the reading means so that said reproduced portion corresponds to the calculated position of the vibration generation means. A system according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the vibration generation means applies a plurality of drive pulses to said vibrator. A system according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said document table is an acrylic plate. A system according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that said document table is a glass plate. An image processing apparatus according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said vibration generation means is substantially pen-like in shape. A system according to any preceding claim, characterised by memory means for storing the calculated position of the vibration generation means. A system according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said operation means calculates data related to a contact position of said vibration generation means on the basis of an arrival time of the greatest peak of the vibration wave detected by said vibration detection means. A method of reproducing a portion of an image comprising: a. Placing a document with the image face up on a transparent document table (12); b. Contacting said image at contact positions defining the chosen area of the image to be reproduced by pressing a hand-held stylus (13) having a vibrator for generating a vibration wave, against said document. c. Detecting the peaks of said vibration waveform modulated through said table, at predetermined positions on said table, and generating signals representing coordinates of said contact positions; d. Effecting a calculation of the contact positions by operation upon said signals; e. Placing said document face down on said document table; and f. Controlling a reading mechanism in response to the calculated position of said contact positions.

Inventors: KANEKO KIYOSHI, TANAKA ATSUSHI, YOSHIMURA YUICHIRO, KANEKO, KIYOSHI, TANAKA, ATSUSHI, YOSHIMURA, YUICHIRO
Applicants: CANON KK, CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1987
Main classification: G06K11
IPC codes: G06F3, G06T1, H04N1