JP2641432B2 - Interface device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an interface device that connects an image input device that inputs image information and an image output device that outputs image information.

[Related Art] Generally, images are classified into binary images such as characters and line drawings, and multi-valued images having halftones such as photographs. Of these images, binary images require high resolution, whereas
Generally, a multi-valued image emphasizes gradation expression, and does not generally require a resolution as high as a binary image.

On the other hand, as described in, for example, JP-A-59-45765, a technique for independently storing a binary image and a multi-valued image has been known.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the related art, in an interface device that connects an image input / output device and a host computer, a technology that efficiently handles a binary image and a multivalued image has not been considered.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and has an interface device in which an image input device for inputting image information and an image output device for outputting image information are connected.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an interface device that allows a host computer to efficiently handle value image data and multi-value image data.

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve the above object, the interface device of the present invention has the following configuration. An image input device for inputting image information and an image output device for outputting image information, wherein the interface device is connected to a binary buffer for storing the image information as binary data; A multi-level image signal which is converted to binary data and stored in the binary buffer, and a multi-level binary conversion means for converting given binary data into multi-level data; A multi-level buffer for storing as value data, a resolution conversion unit for converting the resolution of the multi-level image signal and storing the converted value in the multi-level buffer, the multi-level data stored in the multi-level buffer and Reading means for reading out the binary data stored in the binary buffer in synchronism; readout from the multilevel buffer by the reading means; The multi-valued image obtained by combining the converted first multi-valued image data with the second multi-valued image data read from the binary buffer by the reading means and converted into multi-valued data by the multi-valued binary conversion means. Synthesizing means for outputting value image information; and the multi-level image signal and the multi-level image between the image input device, the image output device, the resolution converting means, the multi-level binary converting means, and the synthesizing means. A video bus for transmitting information; a system bus for connecting the binary buffer and the multi-level buffer to the host computer so as to access the binary buffer and the multi-level buffer from a host computer; It is characterized by having.

[Operation] In the above configuration, the multi-level image signal from the image input device is converted into binary data and stored in the binary buffer, and the resolution of the multi-level image signal is converted and stored in the multi-level buffer. A first multi-level data which is read synchronously with the multi-level data stored in the multi-level buffer and the binary data stored in the binary buffer, and read out from the multi-level buffer and subjected to resolution conversion by the resolution conversion means. The multi-valued image information is output by combining the image data with the second multi-valued image data read from the binary buffer and converted into the multi-valued data. The multi-valued image signal and the multi-valued image information are transmitted between the image input device and the image output device, the resolution converting means, the multi-valued binary converting means and the synthesizing means via a video bus. Through this, a binary buffer and a multi-level buffer can be accessed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Description of Image Processing System (FIG. 1)] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image processing system using an interface circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a CPU as a host computer, which has a main memory and the like which stores a control program and is used as a work area. Reference numeral 2 denotes a frame buffer which stores image data for at least one screen. 3
Is a CRT for displaying image data of the frame buffer 2 and displaying an instruction input from the keyboard 4 and the pointing device 5, and 4 is a keyboard for inputting various commands and control information. 5 is a pointing device (P
In D), an area designation or the like is performed on the image displayed on the CRT3. Reference numeral 6 denotes a disk device, which is an image scanner 7 described later.
The input image data and the like are stored. 7 is CP
The system bus connects U1 to various buffers and the like. The CPU 1 can access each buffer of the interface circuit 10 via the system bus 7. The above is the system configuration of the host computer.

Reference numeral 8 denotes an image scanner which reads image information by photoelectric conversion and inputs the image information as multi-valued image data, and 9 denotes a printer which performs printing using the multi-valued data.

10 is an interface circuit of the present embodiment,
11 is controlled. The multi-level image data from the image scanner 8 is supplied to a multi-level binary conversion circuit via a video bus 12.
13 and the resolution conversion circuit 14 are input in synchronization. The multi-level binary conversion circuit 13 binarizes the input multi-level data by threshold processing and stores it in a binary buffer 15. On the other hand, the resolution conversion circuit 14 converts the input multi-valued data to a low resolution by thinning or the like and stores it in the multi-valued buffer 16.

When the image data is output to the printer 9, the binary data of the binary buffer 15 is min / ma by the multi-level binary conversion circuit 13.
x density conversion, multi-value conversion and output. The multi-value data of the multi-value buffer 16 is subjected to interpolation or the like by the resolution conversion circuit 14 and the low-resolution data is expanded in accordance with the dot density of the multi-value data from the multi-value binary conversion circuit 13. You. 17
Is an address counter for instructing read / write to the binary buffer 15, the multi-value buffer 16 and the area control buffer 18. The synthesizing circuit 19 superimposes the output of the multi-level binary conversion circuit 13 and the output of the resolution conversion circuit 14 when outputting image data.

[Explanation of Image Editing Example (FIGS. 2 and 3)] FIG. 2 (A) shows image data input from the image scanner 8, 200 indicates a photograph portion, and 201 indicates a character portion. FIG. 2B shows image data for print output after the photograph portion 200 has been moved.

Hereinafter, the state of each buffer at the time of image input and image output and the operation at the time of image movement will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when multi-valued image data is inputted from the image scanner 8, the binary image data binarized by the multi-valued binary conversion circuit 13 is stored in the binary buffer 15. At the same time, the low-resolution multi-value image is stored in the multi-value buffer 16 by the resolution conversion circuit 14. This is shown in FIG. 3 (a). Here, 30 is a photograph part and 31 is a character part.

Next, in FIG. 3B, the CPU 1 reads the multi-value data of the multi-value buffer 16 via the system bus 7, stores it in the frame buffer 2, and monitors it on the CRT 3.

Next, in FIG. 3C, when the operator instructs the movement of the photograph part 30 on the CRT 3 by the PD5, the photograph area 30 is moved as shown in the frame buffer 2, and the photograph part on the CRT 3 is moved. The display moves accordingly. When the above editing operation is completed, the photographic area 30 is moved in the binary buffer 15 and the multi-valued buffer 16 according to the editing end instruction by the operator (FIG. 3 (d)).

This movement is performed, for example, as follows. First CPU1
Reads the binary image data of one pixel in the photographic area 30 of the binary buffer 15 and the binary image data of the pixel to which the pixel is moved via the system bus 7, exchanges the two, and executes
The value is stored in the value buffer 15. By performing this means for all the pixels in the photographic area 30, the binary image in the binary buffer 15 is in the state shown in FIG. The movement shown in FIG. 3D can be performed by moving the multi-value buffer 16 in the same manner as the binary buffer 15.

Next, the operator specifies the photo area on the CRT3 image,
Accordingly, the area 32 on the binary buffer shown in FIG.
Then, the area 33 on the multi-value buffer 16 is cleared. This is 2
This is to prevent the images from being double overlapped when two images are superimposed and combined.

This clearing is performed, for example, as follows. Based on the designation of the photograph area by the operator, the CPU 1 sequentially reads out the binary image data in the photograph area 32 on the binary buffer 15 via the system bus 7, replaces the binary image data with zero data, and stores the data in the area 32 of the binary buffer 15. Store again. The above-mentioned clearing becomes possible by performing the same processing for the multi-valued image data in the area 33 on the multi-valued buffer 16.

Finally, according to a print instruction from the keyboard 4 or the like,
The respective image data are read out from the two buffers 15 and 16 in synchronization with each other. The binary image data of the binary buffer 15 is converted into multivalued image data by a multilevel binary conversion circuit 13, and the low-resolution multivalued data on the multilevel buffer 16 is converted by a resolution conversion circuit 14. The image is expanded to match the resolution (dot density) of the binary image data. These two image data are superimposed by the synthesizing circuit 19 and output to the printer 9.

When this image data is stored in the disk device 6, each of the binary / multi-valued image data cut out according to the area information of the image is stored after performing the data compression suitable for each. Thus, data compression can be greatly performed.

In the present embodiment, the case of image editing has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to a wide range. Although the case of the binary image processing and the multi-value image processing has been described here, the same method can be applied to the area control of the constant threshold value processing and the dither processing even in the case of only the binary image.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a high-resolution binary image and a low-resolution multi-value image created based on the same high-resolution multi-value data are stored in independent binary or multi-value buffers. By simultaneously inputting and outputting data and making each buffer randomly accessible from the system bus of the host computer, the host computer can freely use each buffer and handle high-quality images with a small amount of data. is there.

[Effect of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, binary data is stored independently of the video bus connecting the image input / output device, the resolution converter, the multi-level binary converter, and the synthesizer. Since a system bus is provided for connecting a binary buffer, a multi-value buffer for storing multi-value data, and a host computer,
The host computer has the effect that random access can be made to the binary buffer and the multi-level buffer without passing through the video bus.

Further, the image information is stored as binary data.
Since the value data is converted into multi-valued data and then combined with the stored multi-valued data, the interface with the image output device can be limited to multi-valued data only, and the configuration can be simplified. There is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image processing system using the interface circuit of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 (A) is a diagram showing an example of image data input from an image scanner, and FIG. 2 (B) is FIG. 2 (A) is a diagram showing an example of image data for print output obtained by moving a photographic portion of the image data. FIG. 3 is a transition diagram showing the procedure of image editing and the state of each buffer accompanying the editing. It is. In the figure, 1 ... CPU, 2 ... Frame buffer, 3 ... CR
T, 4 ... keyboard, 5 ... pointing device (PD), 6 ... disk device, 7 ... system bus, 8
... Image scanner, 9 Printer, 10 Interface circuit, 11 Controller, 12 Video bus, 13 Multi-level binary conversion circuit, 14 Resolution conversion circuit,
15 ... binary buffer, 16 ... multi-value buffer, 17 ... address counter, 19 ... composite circuit, 30, 200 photograph part, 31,
201 ... This is the character part.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An interface device to which an image input device for inputting image information and an image output device for outputting image information are connected, a binary buffer for storing the image information as binary data, A multi-level binary conversion means for converting a multi-level image signal from an image input device into binary data and storing the binary data in the binary buffer, and converting given binary data into multi-level data; A multi-level buffer for storing information as multi-level data; a resolution converting unit for converting the resolution of the multi-level image signal and storing the information in the multi-level buffer; a multi-level buffer stored in the multi-level buffer Reading means for reading out the data and the binary data stored in the binary buffer in synchronization; and reading out from the multi-level buffer by the reading means and solving by the resolution converting means. The first multi-valued image data converted into degrees and the second multi-valued image data read from the binary buffer by the reading means and converted into multi-valued data by the multi-valued binary converting means are combined. Synthesizing means for outputting multi-valued image information; the image input device and the image output device; the resolution converting means; the multi-valued binary converting means and the synthesizing means; A video bus for transmitting image information; and a system bus for connecting the binary buffer and the multi-level buffer to the host computer so as to access the binary buffer and the multi-level buffer from a host computer. An interface device, comprising: