JPS63314953A - Picture processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate adjustment by providing a means which alters an optical path length and a means which detects positional information obtaining a most suitable picture based on a picture signal obtained by forming the picture of a reference original disposed at about the same position as the original on a light receiving surface. CONSTITUTION:The assembling adjustment of an optical system is supported by disposing the reference originals 53 and 54 at about the same position as the original on a original platen 2 and providing the operation mode which automatically detects the positional information of an image-forming means and an optical path length alteration means 12 obtaining the most suitable picture based on the picture signal obtained by forming the of picture the reference originals 53 and 54 on the light receiving surface of a photoelectric conversion means. Thus the assembling adjustment of the optical system can be executed in a short time and the adjustment can be easily and precisely executed by even an inexpert.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Objective of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is directed to, for example, converting an image of a document into an electrical signal by photoelectric conversion, and then performing predetermined processing on the electrical signal.
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus suitable for use in a so-called digital copying machine, which forms and outputs an image corresponding to the image of the document on paper in response to the signal.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, in a copying machine, etc., in order to assemble and adjust the optical system for forming an image of an original onto a photoreceptor, it was necessary to actually make a copy using a test chart as an original, and then make adjustments from the obtained image. The method used was for humans to determine the correct location, make adjustments, and then confirm by taking another trap shot. However, with this method, it is necessary to judge items that need adjustment and the amount of change in adjustment values from the output copy image, which requires a lot of time for adjustment and requires a lot of skill on the part of the adjuster. there was. Furthermore, the cost of copying necessary for adjustment also poses a problem.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems that it takes time to assemble and adjust the optical system and requires skill on the part of the adjuster. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing device whose system can be assembled and adjusted in a short time, and which can be easily and accurately adjusted even without the use of an expert.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The image processing device of the present invention includes a photoelectric conversion means for converting an image of a document into an electrical signal, and a light receiving section of the photoelectric conversion means that receives the image of the document. an imaging means for forming an image; an optical path length changing means for changing the optical path length between the imaging means and the original; and between the imaging means and the photoelectric conversion means; a reference document to be placed; and an image forming means for forming an image of the reference document on a light receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion means by the image forming means to obtain an optimal image based on the obtained image signal; and means for detecting position information of the optical path length changing means.

(Function) Imaging means that sets a reference original at almost the same position as the original, forms an image of this reference original on the light receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion means, and obtains an optimal image based on the obtained image signal. By providing an operation mode that automatically detects the position information of the optical path length changing means and supporting the assembly and adjustment of the optical system, the assembly and adjustment of the optical system can be performed in a short time and does not require the help of an expert. Adjustments can be made easily and accurately.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 5 shows a thermal transfer type digital copying machine to which an image processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

That is, 1 is a main body of a copying machine, and an operation panel (not shown) is provided at the front of the upper surface of the main body 1. The upper part of the main body 1 is a document scanning section (optical system) 3 that scans and reads the document set on the document table 2, and the lower part of the main body 1 is an image forming section 4. Note that 5 is an automatic document feeder provided on the document table 2 so as to be openable and closable. Also,
The document table 2 is made of transparent glass, for example, and the main body 1
Fixed.

The document scanning section 3 is configured as follows, for example.

That is, an illumination lamp (for example, a halogen lamp) 6 serves as a light source for illuminating the original on the original platen 2, a glue reflector 7 serves as a reflector that collects the light from the illumination lamp 6 onto the original surface, and a glue reflector 7 receives the reflected light from the original. A first mirror 8 that reflects the light in a predetermined direction, and a second mirror that receives the light from the first mirror 8 and reflects it in a predetermined direction. Third mirror 9, 10. This second. A lens unit 11 that allows the light from the m3 mirrors 9 and 1o to pass through, a mirror unit 12 that reflects the light from the lens unit 11 in a predetermined direction and corrects the optical path length when changing the magnification, and a mirror unit 12 that allows the light from the mirror unit 12 to pass through. It is composed of a photoelectric converter 13 that receives light and the like.

The illumination lamp 6 is fixed to the first carriage 14 together with the reflector 7 and the first mirror 8 . Second. Third
Mirrors 9 and 1o are fixed to a second carriage 15. The first carriage 14 and the second carriage 15 are supported by a sliding guide (not shown) so that they can linearly reciprocate in the direction of the arrow in the drawing parallel to the document table 2.

The mirror unit 12 is composed of a fourth mirror 16 and a fifth mirror 17, and its position is changed according to a change in the optical path length caused by the selected copying magnification. The light is reflected by the fourth mirror 16 and the fifth mirror 17, and the reflected light is guided to the photoelectric converter 13.

The photoelectric converter 13 converts the image of the original into an electrical signal by photoelectrically converting the light reflected from the original, and is configured, for example, as a CCDCD pillar sensor body, and is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the original. It is set up.

FIG. 6 shows the carriage moving mechanism.

That is, one end of the timing belt 18 is fixed to the main body 1 by a fixing member 19, and the timing belt 18 is fixed to the main body 1 by a fixing member 19.
The other end is fixed to the main body 1 by a fixing member 24 via a pulley 20, a pulley 21, a drive pulley 22, and a pulley 23 attached to one end of the second carriage 15, which are attached to one end.

The first carriage 14 is secured to the timing belt 18 by a drive member 25 attached to one end thereof.

Although not shown, the opposite side of FIG. 6 has a similar configuration. As a result, by rotating the drive pulley 22 with a carriage motor (not shown), the timing belt 18 rotates the first carriage 14 and the second carriage 1.
5 is configured to reciprocate in parallel with the document table 2.

At this time, the second carriage 15 moves in the same direction at half the speed of the first carriage 14, so that the optical path length between the document surface and the photoelectric converter 13 is kept constant.

FIG. 7 shows the lens unit moving mechanism. That is, the lens unit 11 is fixed on the support stand 26. The support stand 26 is configured to slide on a surface parallel to the optical axis of the lens unit 11 at one end, and the screw shaft 2 parallel to the optical axis of the lens unit 11 at the other end.
It is held by a member (not shown) that meshes with 7. The screw shaft 27 is rotationally driven by a lens motor 28. Note that 29 is a lens switch for detecting the position of the lens unit 11.

FIG. 8 shows a mirror unit moving mechanism. That is, the mirror unit 12 is configured to slide on one end or on a plane parallel to the optical axis of the lens unit 11.
The other end is held by a member (not shown) that meshes with a screw shaft 30 parallel to the optical axis of the lens unit 11. The screw shaft 30 is a mirror motor 31
Rotationally driven by. Note that 32 is a mirror switch for detecting the position of the mirror unit 12.

The carriage motor, lens motor 28 and mirror motor 31 are stepping motors, and the first carriage 14, lens unit 11 and mirror unit 1
Position 2 is data register CR in the main control section, which will be described later.
The registers are stored as data in PO3, LNPO8° and MRPO3, and the data in these registers is updated each time each motor is driven.

The image forming section 4 is configured as follows, for example.

That is, a cylindrical paper holding drum 33 is disposed approximately at the center of the image forming section 4 . This drum 33
The peripheral surface thereof is coated with an elastic material such as rubber, and functions as a platen roller of a thermal head 35, which will be described later. The drum 33 rotates clockwise to hold the paper while wrapping it around its circumferential surface. Around the drum 33, the paper is
3 is pressed to prevent it from floating up from the circumferential surface of roller 34. ... are provided at predetermined intervals. In addition,
The circumference of the drum 33 is slightly longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of the maximum paper size.

A thermal head 35 is disposed below the drum 33. The thermal head 35 is pressed against the surface of the drum 33 by a pressure cam 36. An ink ribbon 37 as an image forming medium is interposed between the drum 33 and the thermal head 35 . Both ends of the ink ribbon 37 are wound around winding cores 38 and 39, and these winding cores 38 and 39 are connected to a drive shaft of a motor via a drive force transmission mechanism (not shown), and are rotated as necessary. It is now possible to do so.

A paper feed cassette 40 storing paper as an image forming medium is removably provided in the lower part of the main body 1 on the right side in the drawing. The sheets in the paper feed cassette 40 are taken out one by one by an automatic paper feed roller 41 and a pair of separation rollers 42, guided by a guide 43, and sent toward the drum 33. Guide 43 of drum 33
A gripper 44 is provided at a position opposite to the leading edge of the paper, and by gripping the leading edge of the paper guided by the guide 43 with the gripper 44, the paper is wound around the circumferential surface of the drum 33. It is designed to be held while Note that 45 is a manual paper feed table for manually feeding paper, etc., and the paper fed from this manual paper feed table 45 is transferred to a separation roller pair 4 by a manual paper feed roller 46.
It is now sent to 2.

The paper whose leading end is fixed by the gripper 44 is wound and held around the circumferential surface of the drum 33 by the clockwise rotation of the drum 33, and after the leading end passes through the image forming area,
Image formation is performed by applying pressure to the thermal head 35 or the drum 33. When image formation is completed, the drum 33 is supposed to rotate approximately once. At this point, the pressure applied to the drum 33 by the thermal head 35 is released, and the paper is ejected.

That is, the drum 33 rotates clockwise until the trailing edge of the paper reaches the paper ejection guide 47, and then the drum 33 rotates clockwise.
By rotating counterclockwise, the trailing edge of the paper is separated from the surface of the drum 33 by a separation claw (not shown) and guided to the guide 47, and the paper is removed from the paper output tray 4 by the paper output roller 48.
It is designed to be discharged to 9. At this time, the gripper 44 is released from gripping the paper at an appropriate timing.

At both ends of the document table 2 in the direction of carriage movement, there are document table pressing members 51 that press the document table 2, as shown in FIG.
．． 52 are provided, and these document table holding members 51.
52 is the first one for adjustment. Second reference documents 53 and 54 are attached. The first reference original 53 is formed by forming a white reference area 55 and a lens correction area 56 on a transparent glass plate, as shown in FIG. 10, for example. White reference area 5
5 is made by applying white paint on a transparent glass plate. The lens correction area 56 has a pattern as shown in the transparent glass plate-A, that is, a focus adjustment mark (thin line) 57.
．． 58, magnification adjustment marks 59, 60, 61 and position detection marks 62, 63 are printed in black. The second reference original 54 has a similar configuration to the lens correction area 56 of the first reference original 53, for example.

FIG. 11 shows the configuration of the control circuit.

That is, 71 is a main control unit mainly composed of a CPU that controls the overall control, and this main control unit 71 includes an operation panel control unit 73 that controls an operation panel 72, and a lamp control unit that controls the illumination lamp 6. section 74, a carriage switch 75 for detecting the position of the carriage, a lens switch 29,
A motor drive unit 77 that drives the mirror switch 32, the carriage motor 76, a motor drive unit 78 that drives the lens motor 28, a motor drive unit 79 that drives the mirror motor 31, a motor that drives the drum motor 80 that drives the drum 33, etc. a motor drive unit 83 that drives a paper feed motor 82 that drives the drive unit 81, paper feed rollers 41, 46, etc.;
Non-volatile memory 84 for storing data, photoelectric converter 13
a photoelectric converter driving section 85 that drives the image processing section 8;
6 are connected to each other. The image processing section 86 processes the output signal of the photoelectric converter 13 to control the thermal head 35, and includes an A/D conversion section 91, a shading correction section 92, a resolution conversion section 93, an image quality improvement section 94, and a gamma correction section. 95, a gradation converting section 96, and a thermal head driving section 97.

Next, a copying operation in the above configuration will be explained.

First, a document is set on the document table 2, and the copy start key on the operation panel 72 is pressed. Then, the main control unit 71
1st. Return the second carriage 14°15 to the home position, turn off the lighting lamp 6, and turn off the photoelectric transformer PA device 1.
Dark data for shading correction is taken into the shading correction unit 92 for all pixels of No. 3. After that, the main control unit 71 turns on the illumination lamp 6, and after the light intensity becomes stable, moves the first carriage 14 to a position where it can read the white reference area 55 of the first reference document 53, and turns on the photoelectric converter. 1
3 photoelectrically converts the reflected light from the white reference area 55, thereby inputting white data for shading correction into the shading correction section 92.

Next, the main control unit 71 rotates the drum 33 until the gripper 44 comes to the paper grip position, rotates the paper feed roller 41 and the separation roller 42, and takes out the paper from the paper feed cassette 40.

Of the sheets taken out, only the top one is separated by a separation roller 42 and sent to a sheet grip position, where a gripper 44 grips the leading edge of the sheet.

When the leading edge of the paper is gripped in this way, the main control unit 71
rotates the drum 33 clockwise, temporarily stops the rotation of the drum 33 when the gripper 44 passes the position of the thermal head 35, and presses the thermal head 35 against the drum 33 by rotating the pressure cam 36. next,
The main control unit 71 rotates the carriage motor 76 and
Scanning of the original is started by moving the carriage 14 and the second carriage 15.

That is, the light from the illumination lamp 6 is irradiated onto the document, and the reflected light is reflected from the first mirror 8, the second mirror 9, and the third mirror 1.
0, the document is guided to the photoelectric converter 13 via the lens unit 11, the fourth mirror 16, and the fifth mirror 17 in this order, and an image of the document is formed on the light receiving surface of the photoelectric converter 13. Photoelectric converter 1
3 converts this formed image into an electrical signal by photoelectric conversion, and sends the output signal to the A/D converter 91 . A/D
The converter 91 converts the output signal of the photoelectric converter 13 into a digital signal and sends it to the shading corrector 92 . The shading correction section 92 corrects the light intensity variation and sensitivity variation on the digital signal from the A/D conversion section 91 based on the previously captured dark data and white data, and sends the digital signal to the resolution conversion section 93 . The resolution conversion section 93 corrects the signal from the shading correction section 92 so that it becomes a signal with a resolution corresponding to the selected magnification, and sends the signal to the image quality improvement section 94 . The image quality improvement section 94 improves the image quality of the signal from the resolution conversion section 93 by averaging or the like, and sends the signal to the gamma correction section 95 . Gamma correction section 95
performs gamma correction on the signal from the image quality improvement section 94 and sends it to the gradation conversion section 96. The gradation conversion unit 96 generates a binary signal for image formation by performing gradation conversion on the signal from the gamma correction unit 95 using, for example, a dithering method, and generates a binary signal for image formation. Send to 97. The thermal head driving section 97 controls on/off of each dot of the thermal head 35 based on the binary signal from the gradation converting section 96 so as to faithfully reproduce the image of the original.

In this way, the image of the original image formed on the photoelectric converter 13 is converted into an electrical signal by photoelectric conversion, the output signal is processed by the image processing section 86, and the thermal head 35 is driven based on the processed signal. Ru. At this time, the main control unit 71 rotates the drum 33 clockwise again at a timing such that the position of the image formed on the paper coincides with the original. As the drum 33 rotates, the ink ribbon 37
is heated by a thermal head 35, thereby transferring the molten ink onto the paper to form an image. Thereafter, when scanning of the original is completed, the main control unit 71 turns off the illumination lamp 6, and the first carriage 14 and the second
Return the carriage 15 to the initial position, and then press the pressurizing cam 36.
The pressure on the thermal head 35 is released. and,
The main controller 71 rotates the drum 33 until the trailing edge of the paper reaches the guide 47, and then rotates the drum 33 counterclockwise. As a result, the rear end of the paper is separated from the surface of the drum 33 by a separation claw (not shown), and is ejected to a paper ejection tray 49 by a paper ejection roller 48 via a guide 47. At this time, the main control section 71 causes the gripper 44 to release the grip on the paper at an appropriate timing, and then stops the rotation of the drum 33 when the gripper 44 returns to the paper grip position. This completes the copying operation.

Next, a second explanation will be given of the initialization operations for each position of the first carriage 14, mirror unit 12, and lens unit 11.
This will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in the figure. The positions of the first carriage 14, mirror unit 12, and lens unit 11 are determined by the data registers CRPO3, MRPOS, and LNPO3 in the main control section 71, as described above.
These data registers CRPO3 and MRPOS are stored as numerical values in the memory or immediately after the power is turned on.

An initialization operation is performed to set the January period value of LNPO3.

First, the main control unit 71 uses assembly variation correction data CRGP stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 84.
OS, MRRPOS.

Read LNSPO3. Then, first carry the first carriage 1.
4 position initialization is performed. The first step is to
After rotating the carriage motor 76 in the reverse direction until the positioning switch (carriage switch 75) of the carriage 14 is turned on, the carriage motor 76 is rotated in the iE direction until the carriage switch 75 switches from on to off.
Move the carriage 14. In this state, the value of the first carriage position register CRPO5 is stored in the non-volatile memory 84.
Set to the value of assembly variation correction data CRGPO3 read from . With this, the initialization of the position of the first carriage 14 is completed. Below, use the same method to install mirror unit 1.
2 and each position of the lens unit 11 is initialized. Note that the mirror unit 12 and the lens unit 11
When the copying operation is started, the copying machine immediately moves to the same magnification position after setting the position limit, and then stops each motor to prepare for the start of the copying operation.

Next, the operation when the copy magnification is changed will be explained. In this embodiment, the copy magnification can be set in 1% increments in the range from 35% to 560%, for example. In this case, the thermal head 35 forms an image at a constant speed regardless of the copying magnification. Regarding the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the photoelectric converter 13, magnification is changed by making the moving speed (scanning speed) of the first carriage 14 proportional to the reciprocal of the copying magnification. Regarding the longitudinal direction of the photoelectric converter 13, magnification is changed by combining an optical method and a method using electrical signal processing.

First, the optical magnification varying method will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Optically, magnification is changed by moving the lens unit 11 and mirror unit 12. That is, the main control unit 71 reads data LNSL and MRRL corresponding to the focal length of the lens unit 11 stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 84, and first, based on the following equation (1),
Calculate the position LPOS of .

Here, MO is the optical magnification, and LPAS is the position of the lens unit 11 at the same magnification. After calculating the position LPO5 of the lens unit 11 in this manner, the main control section 71 moves the lens unit 11 to the calculated position. That is, regarding the lens unit 11, from the same magnification position [
The lens unit 11 is set to a position moved by a distance of (1/MO)-1xLNsLl. Next, the main control section 71 controls the mirror unit 1 based on the following equation (2).
Calculate the position M P OS of 2.

Here, MRAS is the position of the mirror unit 12 at the same magnification. In this way, the position MPOS of the mirror unit 12
After calculating, the main control section 71 moves the mirror unit 12 to the calculated position.

That is, regarding the mirror unit 12, from the same magnification position [(1/2M0)+(MO/2)-1xMRRL]
The mirror unit 12 is set to a position moved by a distance of . With the above steps, magnification can be changed.

Note that the data LNSL and MRRL are stored as different numerical values because the moving distance for one step of the stepping motor is different between the lens unit 11 and the mirror unit 12 due to the drive mechanism.

Next, a magnification changing method using signal processing will be explained. If it is attempted to perform zooming over a wide range by optical zooming, the moving distance of the lens unit 11 and mirror unit 12 becomes long, and the size of the aircraft increases.

Furthermore, since the amount of light incident on the photoelectric converter 13 also varies greatly, the correction range needs to be widened, which makes the circuit configuration extremely complicated. In this embodiment, the magnification in the longitudinal direction of the photoelectric converter 13 is set to 1/2, 1,
2.4, one type can be set from among the four types, and in combination with an optical method, it is possible to change the magnification from 35% to 560%. In terms of signal processing, in the case of reduction (1/2), the signal is thinned out, and in the case of enlargement (2, 4), the same signal is scaled by using the same number of stages. For example 60
%, the magnification is set to 120% optically and 50% in terms of signal processing. Further, for example, in the case of a copying magnification of 300%, the magnification is set to 75% optically and 400% in terms of signal processing.

Now, the assembly variation correction data CRGPO8 mentioned above.
, MRRPO3, LNSPO8° A method of setting MRRL and LNSL will be explained.

In this embodiment, a program for setting the above data is built into the main control unit 71, and by executing this program, the above data is stored in the nonvolatile memory 84.

Hereinafter, the operation in the data setting mode will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This mode is performed in the following steps.

(1) Second carriage tilt correction (2) Photoelectric converter left/right tilt correction (3) Photoelectric converter left/right depth correction (4) Optimum imaging position detection (5) Reading position error detection (6) Lens focal length variation correction ( In 1) to (3), the amount of correction is displayed on the status display section of the operation panel 72, for example, to support manual adjustment. (4)～
In (6), the correction amount is automatically calculated and the non-volatile memory 8
Make corrections by saving to 4.

First, the second carriage inclination correction (1) is performed.

This is an operation to correct the parallelism of the second carriage 15 with respect to the first carriage 14. The main controller 71 first moves the lens unit 11 and the mirror unit 12 to the standard position, turns on the illumination lamp 6, and after the amount of light becomes stable, moves the first carriage 14 to the lens correction area of the first reference document 53. 56 (Luns correction area)
is moved to a position where it can be read, and the reflected light from the lens correction area 56 is photoelectrically converted by the photoelectric converter 13, thereby capturing image data of the lens correction area 56 via the A/D converter 91. Next, the main control unit 71 controls the first
The carriage 14 is moved to a position where the second reference original 54 (second lens correction area) can be read, and the reflected light from the second reference original 54 is photoelectrically converted by the photoelectric converter 13. image data is taken in via the A/D converter 91.

Next, the main control unit 71 determines the position of the mark 61 on the photoelectric converter 13 when reading the first lens correction area and the position of the mark 61 on the photoelectric converter 13 when reading the second lens correction area. and determines whether the difference is less than a preset specified value. As a result of this determination, if it is less than the specified value, the process proceeds to step (2) of correcting the horizontal inclination of the photoelectric converter.

If the deviation is not below the specified value, the main control unit 71 displays on the operation panel 72 the direction and amount of deviation. For example, if the second lens correction area is shifted toward the rear of the main body 1 by 5 mm than the second lens correction area, "AJl +5" is displayed. Here, rAJIJ indicates that the second carriage tilt correction is abnormal, and "+5
” indicates a shift of 5 vtx to the rear side. Main body 1
If it is shifted toward the front side, "-5" is displayed. After the first adjuster corrects the inclination of the second carriage 15 according to this instruction, the same operation as described above is performed again by pressing the copy start key to instruct restart of measurement.

When the difference becomes equal to or less than the specified value, the process proceeds to the next step (2) of correcting the horizontal inclination of the photoelectric converter.

Next, the left-right tilt of the photoelectric converter (2) is corrected.

If the longitudinal axis of the photoelectric converter 13 is tilted with respect to the slint axis for document scanning, as shown in FIG. 4(d), when the marks 62.63 are read, the marks 62. The distance to 63 becomes unbalanced. The main control unit 71 detects the tilt by detecting this.

Specifically, first, by moving the first carriage 14, a position where the mark 62 can be read is found in the center between the mark 61 and the mark 59. At that position, the amount of deviation between the midpoint of the marks 61 and 60 and the mark 63 is measured, and it is determined whether the amount of deviation is less than a predetermined value. As a result of this judgment, if it is less than the specified value (3
) Proceed to correct the left and right depth of the photoelectric converter. If it is not below the specified value, the amount of deviation is displayed on the operation panel 72 to prompt correction.

Next, the left and right depth of the photoelectric converter (3) is corrected.

This is done by checking how far the light receiving surface of the photoelectric converter 13 is shifted in the left and right direction with respect to the imaging plane of the original image. First, by moving the first carriage 14, the mark 58 on the right side is read. When the light-receiving surface of the photoelectric converter 13 is located at a location that coincides with the imaging surface of the original image, the mark 58 is reproduced relatively well, as shown in FIG. 4(a). However, if the light-receiving surface of the photoelectric converter 13 is far from the image-forming surface of the original image, the mark 58 will not appear at 11f, as shown in FIG. 4(b).
It will look like the unfocused image shown in . In this embodiment, by moving the mirror unit 12, the difference A between the brightest part and the darkest part at the mark 58 is detected, and the difference A
Find the position of mirror uni soto 12 where is the maximum. Thereafter, for the mark 57 on the left side, the position of the mirror uni-groove 12 where the difference A is maximum is similarly searched. Then, the main control unit 71 calculates the difference between the optimal imaging positions of the mark 57 and the mark 58, and determines whether the difference is equal to or less than a predetermined value. As a result of this determination, if it is less than the specified value, the process proceeds to (4) optimal imaging position detection. If it is not below the specified value, the difference is displayed on the operation panel 72 to prompt correction.

Next, the optimal imaging position detection (4) is performed. here,
Using the method used in (3) for correcting the left and right depth of the photoelectric converter, the optimal imaging positions of the marks 57 and 58 are detected,
The midpoint is defined as the optimum imaging position of the mirror unit 12.

Then, with the mirror unit 12 set at that position, the distance between the mark 59 and the mark 60 is measured, and the copying magnification is calculated based on the distance. The lens unit 11 is moved one step at a time until the error in the copying magnification becomes less than a preset value, and each time the optimum imaging position is determined and the copying magnification is calculated. When the magnification error becomes less than the specified value, the position LNSPOS of the lens unit 11 and the position MRRP of the mirror unit 12 at that time
Non-volatile memory 84 uses O3 as variation correction data.
Save to.

In this state, next (5) reading position error detection is performed. That is, the position of the first carriage 14 where the mark 62 can be read is found in the center between the mark 59 and the mark 61, the carriage reading position error is detected, and it is stored in the nonvolatile memory 84 as the variation correction data CRGPO8. Save.

This completes the variation correction for obtaining a 100% magnification image.

Finally, the lens focal length variation correction (6) is performed. As described above, when optically changing the magnification, the lens unit 11 and mirror unit 12 must be moved a predetermined distance. This amount of movement is proportional to the focal length of the lens unit 11. Here, for example, 70%
When obtaining an image with a magnification of , the lens unit 11 is
Set it to the 0% position and set the signal processing to 50%. 71%
At the magnification of , the lens unit 11 is set at the 71% position and the signal processing is set at 100%. At this time, in order to reverse the size relationship between the 70% image and the 71% image, the positions of the lens unit 11 and mirror unit 12 according to the copying magnification are changed according to the focal length of the lens unit 11. There is a need to. In this embodiment, the optimal imaging position when obtaining an image with the maximum optical magnification, that is, 140%, is detected using the same procedure as the optimal imaging position detection in (4), and from the position data, the lens unit 11 and required movement amount data LNSL of the mirror unit 12.

Calculate MRRL and vary it! +Ili is saved in the nonvolatile memory 84 as primary data.

Through the procedure described above, it is possible to correct variations in the lens unit 11 and the like, and to make adjustments so that an optimal image can be formed.

In this way, by incorporating an adjustment mode that supports assembly and adjustment of optical systems such as lens units, mirror units for optical path length correction, and photoelectric converters, it is possible to actually perform copying operations using test charts, etc., as in the past. To assemble and adjust an optical system in a short time without having to carry out manual operations, and to perform the adjustment easily and accurately without requiring an expert.

In the above embodiment, the image of the original is converted into an electrical signal by photoelectric conversion, the electrical signal is subjected to predetermined processing, and then an image corresponding to the image of the original is formed and output on paper according to the signal. Although the present invention has been described with reference to a case where it is applied to a digital copying machine, the present invention is not limited thereto. It can also be applied to digital copying machines that form a corresponding electrostatic latent image, develop this electrostatic latent image, and then transfer it onto paper.

Furthermore, the method of outputting the image of the read document is not limited to forming and outputting on paper, but can also be applied to displaying and outputting on a CRT display device, for example.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image processing apparatus in which the assembly and adjustment of the optical system can be performed in a short time, and the adjustment can be performed easily and accurately without the need of an expert.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures are for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the data setting mode for variation correction, and Fig. 2 is a flow chart showing the respective positions of the first carriage, mirror unit, and lens unit. FIG. 3 is a flowchart explaining the initialization operation, FIG. 3 is a flowchart explaining optical magnification changing, FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram showing an example of the output signal of the photoelectric converter, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section showing the configuration of the digital copying machine. 6 is a front view, FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the carriage moving mechanism, FIG. 7 is a perspective view for explaining the lens unit moving mechanism, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining the lens unit moving mechanism.
The figure is a perspective view explaining the mirror unit moving mechanism, FIG. 9 is a figure explaining the installation state of the reference document, FIG. 10 is a figure explaining the reference document, and FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control circuit. be. 2... Original table, 3... Original scanning unit, 4... Image forming unit, 6... Illumination lamp, 8... First mirror, 9...
...Second mirror, 10...Third mirror, 11...Lens uni-soto, 12...Mirror unit for optical path length correction, 13...Photoelectric converter, 33...Drum, 35
...Thermal to Sodo, 37...Ink ribbon, 5
3.54... Reference original, 71... Main control unit, 84...
...Nonvolatile memory, 86...Image processing unit. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 3 Figure 6

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A photoelectric conversion means for converting an image of an original into an electrical signal; An imaging means for forming an image of the original on a light receiving section of the photoelectric conversion means; A space between the imaging means and the original; an optical path length changing means for changing the optical path length between the imaging means and the photoelectric conversion means; a reference original placed at approximately the same position as the original; an image of the reference original being converted to the photoelectric conversion means by the imaging means; It is characterized by comprising means for detecting positional information of the imaging means and the optical path length changing means, which form an image on the light-receiving surface of the conversion means and obtain an optimal image based on the obtained image signal. image processing device. (2) It has a storage means for storing the detected positional information, and when the image processing apparatus is powered on, the positions of the imaging means and the optical path length changing means are determined based on the positional information stored in the storage means. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: (3) The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging magnification of the imaging means is changeable. (4) The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the optimal image has the highest resolution and a magnification error that is less than or equal to a predetermined value.