JP3080250B2 - Unified management processing method of image information - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a CG (Compute)
r Graphics, Computer Graphics)
Related to a method of managing spatial information of an image such as a shape model in an image processing system that performs image information processing using a computer. The present invention relates to a unified management processing method of image information suitable for extracting image information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In computer-based image processing represented by CG, an operator designates an arbitrary one of displayed images using a mouse or the like, and enlarges, reduces, rotates, and moves the image. Editing such as can be performed. As described above, in order to edit an image, information on the shape of the edited image, that is, spatial information of an object to be displayed as an image is stored as data, and the image is edited by processing the data. . However, image information is of a large volume, and in such an image editing, an efficient management processing method of the image information is important especially in a system for editing an image related to a three-dimensional (three-dimensional) shape. It has become a challenge. The prior art relating to the handling of such image information includes, for example, as shown in FIG.
There is one described in the specification and drawings of JP-A-142826. According to this technique, even if the number of images to be processed increases, it is possible to avoid an increase in the amount of spatial information relating to the target of the display image.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a system for performing image processing based on a conventional image information management processing method. In this figure, 1 is an image display device that displays a three-dimensional target image by raster scanning, 2 is a coordinate input device such as a mouse used by an operator to specify a target image,
Reference numeral 33 denotes a three-dimensional spatial information storage device that stores spatial information related to a target object of a display image, reference numeral 34 denotes an image storage device that stores image information that is an aggregate of scan-converted pixels, and
Is an image processing apparatus that performs image processing such as extraction of spatial information relating to an object of an image specified by the coordinate input device 2. The three-dimensional space information storage device 33 stores the object definition information 31b that defines the three-dimensional information (spatial information) of the object corresponding to all the image information stored in the three-dimensional space information storage device 33, A three-dimensional object storage table 31 stored in correspondence with an object identifier 31a, and an imaging information storage table 32 storing viewpoint / view information 32b corresponding to each display screen in correspondence with an image identification number 32a (frame number) of each display screen. It is composed of In the image processing system having such a configuration, for example, when an arbitrary image displayed on the image display device 1 is used in an application program, information accompanying the target image, that is, the object Extract spatial information of The user stores the image storage device 34 displayed on the image display device 1.
Is designated using the coordinate input device 2.
In response to the designation, the image processing device 35 makes an inquiry to the three-dimensional space information storage device 33 to identify the designated image, and extracts the spatial information related to the designated image. In the present image processing system, the image storage device 3
4, separately from the image information in the three-dimensional spatial information storage device 33.
In the three-dimensional object storage table 31 and the imaging information storage table 32, the association between the object group image and the information accompanying the object is prepared, and the number of images and the number of objects in the image storage device 34 increase. However, the amount of information stored in the three-dimensional object storage table 31 and the imaging information storage table 32 of the three-dimensional space information storage device 33 does not increase.

However, in this image processing system, it is necessary to store viewpoint / sight information for each image.
In the case of performing high-speed extraction processing of spatial information of a target in processing of a moving image, for example, the identification number of the image of the image storage device 34 currently displayed on the image display device 1 and the three-dimensional spatial information storage device 33 needs to be synchronized at high speed. That is, when displaying a three-dimensional object on a computer using a large number of images such as a moving image, a conventional method of preparing shape information on a three-dimensional object and imaging information on each image is used. In the technology, since image information and spatial information for a structure (three-dimensional object) are managed independently of each other, it is necessary to synchronize the image information and the spatial information in order to extract information accompanying the object. In this way, for example, when independent information is transmitted using, for example, a communication channel, synchronization management must be performed by a terminal, and a high load is applied to the terminal, and the coherence of the two information is maintained. Security is not guaranteed.

[0005]

The problem to be solved is that, in the prior art, image information and spatial information for an image of a three-dimensional object or the like are managed independently of each other. In order to perform the process of extracting the image information, it is necessary to synchronize the image information and the spatial information, and a high load is applied to the synchronization process, and the coherence of the two information is not guaranteed. It cannot be done. An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the related art, to unify management of image information and spatial information, and to extract spatial information of an object of a displayed image with high reliability and efficiency. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a unified management processing method for image information.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a method for unified management of image information according to the present invention comprises the following steps: (1) an image of an object displayed on an image display device by raster scanning Identifies the image of the target object based on the position information input via the designated input device, and extracts the spatial information of the identified target object from the spatial information storage device that previously stores the spatial information of each target object. In the unified management processing method of the image information of the image processing system, when generating the image of the object, the spatial information of the object is added to each of the pixel information constituting the image of the object displayed on the image display device. The image composed of the pixel information to which the spatial information is added is compressed by the provided image compression / decompression device, stored in the provided compressed image storage device, and the spatial information stored in the compressed image storage device is stored. The image composed of the pixel information added with is decompressed by the image compression / decompression device and displayed on the image display device. Based on the designation of the image displayed on the image display device by the designation input device of the operator, It is characterized in that spatial information of an object added to the pixel information is extracted from pixel information constituting an image.

[0007]

According to the present invention, when an image of an object to be displayed is generated, all the spatial information attached to the object is added to the pixel information constituting each image, and the image information is centrally managed. . Further, the storage capacity of the image information is reduced by compressing and expanding the pixel information to which the spatial information of the object is added and storing and outputting the image information. This eliminates the need for processing related to synchronization between image information and spatial information of an object, which has been required in the past, and enables high-speed extraction of spatial information of an object in a target display image. .

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a process according to the unified management processing method of image information of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a configuration of the image processing system used in the embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. In this figure, 1 is an image display device that displays a three-dimensional image or the like by raster scanning, 2 is a coordinate input device such as a mouse used by an operator to specify a target image, and 3 is related to the present invention. , An image compression / decompression device that comprises an image compression unit 3a and an image decompression unit 3b, and performs image compression and decompression.
A compressed image storage device for storing image information compressed by the image compression / decompression device 3; and 5, image processing such as extraction of spatial information relating to an object of an image specified by the coordinate input device 2 according to the present invention. Is an image processing apparatus that performs the following. The compressed image storage device 4 stores pixel information 4a of an image displayed and output on the image display device 1, and stores the pixel information 4a.
When generating an image of a target object, color information 4b which is conventional pixel information indicating the density and color of each pixel constituting the image of the target object is added to additional information 4c which is spatial information of the target object. Is added. Thus, in the image processing system of the present embodiment, the image information displayed on the image display device 1 is managed in a unified manner. Further, since the image information managed in this way is compressed by the image compression unit 3a of the image compression / decompression device 3, the amount of information stored in the compressed image storage device 4 can be reduced.

Hereinafter, the processing operation of the image processing system according to the present embodiment when a user obtains spatial information of an object will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The image processing device 5 shown in FIG. 2 is a compressed image stored in the compressed image storage device 4 shown in FIG. 2, for example, the pixel information 4a shown in FIG.
Is decompressed by the image decompression unit 3b of the image compression / decompression device 3 in FIG. 2 (steps 101 and 102), and read into a built-in storage unit (step 103). The portion obtained by removing the color information 4b from the pixel information 4a of FIG. 2 thus read out is the additional information 4c attached to the object. First, the color information is transferred to the image display device 1 of FIG. It is displayed (step 104) and presented to the user. Next, while viewing the image of the object presented on the image display device 1 of FIG. 2, the user uses the coordinate input device 2 of FIG. 2 to determine the area occupied by the image of the object. When arbitrary coordinates are input (step 105), the image processing apparatus 5 in FIG. 2 extracts additional information 4c of the target object from the pixel information read in step 103 (step 106). As described above, according to the unified management processing method of the image information of the present embodiment, since the pixel information of the image displayed on the image display device 1 of FIG. 2 has the spatial information attached to the object, the image and the spatial There is no need to use information in synchronization. As a result, the present invention can be effectively used for a system that performs processing on a structure including a group of objects that are spatially arranged, such as a building, an interior, and an automobile or an airplane.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the unified management processing method of image information according to the present embodiment, the spatial information of the object group is added to the image when the image is generated. , And centrally manages image information and spatial information of an object. Thus, unlike the related art, it is not necessary to manage the image information and the spatial information in synchronization, and the spatial information of the displayed target can be efficiently extracted.
In addition, since a general-purpose image compression / decompression device can be used and only one information storage medium is used, information is excellent in portability. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. For example, in an image processing system that handles moving image information, the spatial information It can be applied effectively to the process of passing to.

[0011]

According to the present invention, image information and spatial information of an object such as a three-dimensional object are managed in a unified manner, so that there is no need to synchronize the image information and the spatial information, and the coherence of both information is achieved. And the spatial information of the displayed object can be extracted with high reliability and high efficiency.

[0012]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a process according to a unified management processing method of image information according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a configuration according to the present invention of an image processing system used for implementing the unified management processing method of image information in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a system that performs image processing based on a conventional image information management processing method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 image display device 2 coordinate input device 3 image compression / decompression device 3a image compression unit 3b image decompression unit 4 compressed image storage device 4a pixel information 4b color information 4c additional information 5 image processing device 31 three-dimensional object storage table 31a object identifier 31b Object definition information 32 Imaging information storage table 32a Image identification number 32b Viewpoint / line-of-sight information 33 Three-dimensional spatial information storage device 34 Image storage device 35 Image processing device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Koji Miyata Inventor NTT Data Communication Co., Ltd. 1-26-5 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , (DB name) G06T 11/00-17/40

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An operator identifies an image of an object on an image of the object displayed on an image display means by raster scanning, based on position information input by an operator via a designation input means, and identifies the image of the object. In the unified management processing method of the image information of the image processing system, which extracts the spatial information of the object from the spatial information storage means in which the spatial information of each object is stored in advance, when the image of the object is generated, the image display is performed. The spatial information of the object is added to each of the pixel information constituting the image of the object displayed on the means, and an image composed of the pixel information with the spatial information added is compressed by the image compression / expansion means provided. Then, an image composed of pixel information to which the spatial information is added, which is stored in the compressed image storage means, and which is stored in the compressed image storage means, is expanded by the image compression / expansion means. The object displayed on the display means and added to the pixel information from the pixel information constituting the image being displayed based on the operator's designation of the image displayed on the image display means by the designation input means. Unified management processing method of image information characterized by extracting spatial information of the image.