JP2001067469A - Method for image processing by computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing method which can easily adjust the outline of an image to be converted and the picture quality such as contrast by making necessary corrections in image processing for converting a high- resolution image into a low-resolution image. SOLUTION: This image processing method perform at least one of corrections of focus correction for adjusting the outline of an image to be converted, gamma correction for adjusting the contrast of the image to be converted, and filter correction for adjusting the range of the image to be converted in a process of converting image data such as bit map image data obtained by a computer 1 through a proper means into an n*m pixel matrix.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for processing an image while converting the image quality when the image is processed by a computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A technique for converting the image quality of a high-resolution image into a low-resolution image has been known. However, in the known image quality conversion, there is no element that can easily adjust the image quality in the course of the image processing, so that fine adjustment of the image quality to be converted cannot be performed.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is an image processing for converting a high-resolution image into a low-resolution image. The image processing such as contour and contrast of the converted image can be easily performed by making necessary and sufficient corrections. It is an object to provide an image processing method that can be adjusted.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, is to convert an image data such as bitmap image data acquired by a computer by an appropriate means into an n * m pixel matrix. In the conversion process, at least one of focus correction for adjusting the contour of the converted image, gamma correction for adjusting the contrast of the converted image, and filter correction for adjusting the range of the converted image is required. It is characterized in that one correction is performed.

That is, according to the present invention, an arbitrary character, graphic, symbol, or a combination thereof (hereinafter referred to as "pattern")
Image input means for inputting image data such as bitmap image data into a computer, environment setting means for setting an environment required for performing image processing, and image data for processing the image. Normalization means for normalizing the image, focus correction means for adjusting the degree of "blur" of the image, gamma correction means for converting the image quality of the image into a non-linear image, and filter correction means for masking image data Processing an image by a processing device having at least one of the focus correction, the gamma correction, and the filter correction in a process of converting the image data into an n * m pixel matrix. Processing method.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an example in which an embodiment of the method of the present invention is applied to the creation of an NC machining program for a turret punch press will be described.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a system for implementing the method of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an image processing apparatus that executes the method of the present invention is mainly configured by a microcomputer 1. The microcomputer 1 captures a high-resolution image to be processed from an external device 2 and processes the image into a low-resolution image, a memory 1b serving as a temporary image recording area, And an NC program generation circuit 1c for generating an NC program from the converted image data.

Here, an arbitrary high-resolution image from the scanner 2a is converted into bitmap image data by an image conversion circuit 1a.
Take in. The microcomputer 1 converts the image data into n * m pixel matrix data by a program stored in advance, and executes an image conversion operation and an NC program generation operation described below. In the present invention, the format of the image data will be described using a bitmap.
As image data, JPEG, GIF, T
A format such as IFF may be used.

The keyboard 2b transmits a user's operation command to the microcomputer 1. The mouse 2c transmits a user's operation command to the microcomputer 1 and is used as an input means at the time of image quality conversion. The disk 2d is a storage medium for storing images and NC programs in another location. The hard disk 2e stores a large amount of image data in addition to storing the correction program. The monitor 3 displays image information and the like.

Next, an example of the operation of the above system will be described.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart conceptually showing the operation procedure of the entire system. The microcomputer 1 operates as an image quality conversion apparatus according to the method of the present invention by starting up an image processing program stored in the hard disk 2e. That is, since the image quality conversion circuit 1a in the computer 1 displays a menu or the like on the monitor 3, the user sets a design to be subjected to image processing on the scanner 2a and designates image input from the menu screen of the monitor 3 (step S20: YES), the image quality conversion circuit 1a reads the design as image data (step S21).

The image file is a Windows standard BM
In the case of the P format 256 color format, the read image data is stored in the memory 1b of the computer 1 as bitmap image data. When processing the read image data (Step S24: YES), the user selects “Create processing pattern” from the menu screen of the monitor 3. As the processing mode of the image data, for example, enlargement, reduction, rotation,
In addition to arbitrarily performing processing such as inversion, movement, and copying, in the present invention, in order to perform fine adjustment of image quality, each processing function of focus correction, gamma correction, and filter correction is added to the image processing apparatus of FIG. Has been added. The processing of the read image data and the correction are executed in step 25. If characters are to be input into the image data during the above-mentioned processing (step S22: YES), the user operates the mouse 2c to select "environment setting" from the menu of the monitor 3, and the user selects the keyboard 2b. You can enter characters from.

Next, the user confirms the processing result of the image data executed in step S25 by the histogram display in step 26 and the simulation display in step S28. As a result of the confirmation, if it is determined that the processing content is insufficient, the process returns to the character input in step S22 and changes the “environment setting” to correct (change or correct) the image quality again.

In the present invention, the image processed by the image quality conversion circuit 1a is displayed as a histogram (step S27).
Also, when it is determined that the simulation display (step S28) is good (steps S27 and S2).
9: YES), an NC program is generated based on the processed image data (step S30). NC
When Generating a Program (Step S30: YES)
In the case of, the user uses the monitor 3 to perform “G code conversion”.
Is selected, the NC program generation circuit 1c
A program is created (Step S31).

Next, the details of the image data correcting operation according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, image data is read from, for example, a hard disk 2e of a personal computer to an image data buffer in a memory 1b of the computer 1 to form an n * m pixel matrix. Next, an image search range on the image data buffer is set according to a coefficient specified in the focus correction. When the search range is set, all data within the range is added. At this time, if the image data is color, this data is converted to monochrome data. N *
Execute m times, find the maximum value and the minimum value from the calculation result, and normalize them so that they become values from 0 to 100.

In the data normalized as described above, the data within the range specified by the filter correction is summed. In the example of the turret punch press working, the total number of data after the filter correction is divided by the number of molds used to obtain the number of data per mold. Here, when there is no gamma correction, data is allocated so that the number of data per mold approaches uniformly without being biased. If there is gamma correction,
A correction curve is calculated using the correction value as a coefficient of natural logarithm,
Each mold data is allocated according to the obtained correction curve.

The above-described focus correction is performed in the following procedure. 1. The input image is divided by a designated lattice shape (square lattice or zigzag lattice) and control points on the X and Y axes. 2. Find the distance between each control point in the image and calculate the relationship between the effective range and the image pixels. 3. For each control point of the image divided into a grid shape, the pallet information of each pixel within the effective range is summed, and this is set as the value of each control point. 4. Calculate the maximum and minimum values of each control point,
The value of each control point is normalized so that the maximum value is 100 and the minimum value is 0, and the density is determined.

The effective range in the above focus correction is, for example, 0 to 30 with the interval between control points as 100.
Set within the range of 0. If the original image is a realistic high-resolution image, the high-resolution pixel information is converted to low-resolution control point information, so the control points are not related to each other as they are and the control point information changes stepwise However, in the present invention, an effective range is provided between the control points so that the control points have an effect and the control point information that changes smoothly is provided. This is the focus correction in the present invention.

As described above, in the method of the present invention, by setting the effective range at each control point large in the focus correction, the relation between the control points becomes dense. Therefore, even if the original image has a realistic high-resolution However, the original image information can be converted into control point information having blurred contents. On the other hand, when the original image is formed of characters and patterns, the above-mentioned effective range is as small as possible because the interdependence between control points causes so-called blurring (unclear outline). Must be minimized.

The filter correction and the gamma correction are executed as follows. In the filter correction, only the information included in a certain range from all the image information is taken in, and the other information is invalidated, so that a minimum value and a maximum value that determine the predetermined range are set in advance. When performing gamma correction,
A correction value for that is set in advance. 1. Determine the number of density divisions. 2. Calculate the total number of control points within the concentration range (minimum to maximum). 3. If the correction value is 0, calculate the density range so that the number of control points is equal for each division number. 4. When the correction value is a positive value, the density range is calculated so that the control points included in each area below the division increase. 5. If the correction value is a negative value, calculate the density range so that the number of control points included in each division increases as it goes up. As the absolute value of the correction value increases, the difference between the control points increases.

[0021]

According to the present invention, when converting the image quality of a high-resolution image to a low-resolution image with a simple configuration, the correction can be performed, so that the fine adjustment of the converted image is possible. Become.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an image quality conversion process.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an image data processing operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Microcomputer 1a Image quality modification circuit 1b Memory 1c Program generation circuit 2 External device 2a Scanner 2b Keyboard 2c Mouse 2d Disk 2e Hard disk 3 Monitor

Claims (2)

[Claims] In the process of converting image data such as bitmap image data acquired by a computer by an appropriate means into an n * m pixel matrix, focus correction and conversion for adjusting the outline of the converted image are performed. A gamma correction for adjusting a contrast of an image to be converted and a filter correction for adjusting a range of an image to be converted. 2. A process for converting image data such as bitmap image data acquired by a computer into an n * m pixel matrix by an appropriate means, wherein focus correction and conversion are performed to adjust the outline of the converted image. The procedure for performing gamma correction for adjusting the contrast of the image to be converted and filter correction for adjusting the range of the image to be converted is stored in advance in a computer-readable recording medium as a correction program, and the program is stored in the storage medium. And correcting the pixel matrix by causing a computer to execute the image processing.