JPH052631A - Picture network system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operation efficiency of a terminal-side and to constitute a picture network system even by means of a general-purpose terminal except for a private terminal by permitting a retrieval terminal to instruct retrieval to a picture server and converting transmitted picture data so that it matches with the output system of an output means. CONSTITUTION:A retrieval terminal mainbody part 4 is started by CPU 5 and a keyword equivalent to desired picture data is transmitted to a picture server mainbody part 1 through LAN 18. The picture server mainbody part 1 receiving the keyword retrieves picture data under the control of CPU 2, and having read picture data is transmitted to the retrieval terminal mainbody part 4. Picture data received in the retrieval terminal mainbody part 4 is subjected to a minuteness degree transformation for adjusting it to the extension of a code and the resolution of a display and a printer. Picture data whose minuteness degree is transformed matches with the resolution of the display 7 and therefore it is displayed in the display 7. Then, a printer 8 prints it on paper if need.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image network system, and more particularly to an image server for filing image data, a registration terminal for registering the image data, and a search terminal provided with an output device having an output format different from that of the image data. The present invention relates to an image network system configured with.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a fourth OA (Office Automation, Office A) has been adopted as an image file system following a word processor, a personal computer and a facsimile.
Appeared as a device, it is used as a means to promote the paperless office and design department. This image file system stores a large amount of image information using an image server, and can be immediately taken out by the terminal side via a network as needed. Therefore, there is a remarkable penetration particularly to departments that generate a large amount of documents, and construction of a flexible image network file system that is easy to use and does not select the type of terminal is one of the major issues.

Therefore, in order to realize an effective image search through a network, communication between the same models is widely spread. That is, a network system is configured with an image server that stores only standardized image data and a group of dedicated terminals equipped with output devices conforming to this standard. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to build a network system without having to be aware of the output device of the terminal. However, there is a drawback that a dedicated terminal must be used and the types of terminals that can be used are limited.

As a device for solving these disadvantages, there is a device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-203472.

In this conventional technique, the image server is provided with a linear density conversion means to achieve connection of various terminals. That is, the search terminal transmits the linear density of its output device to the image server. The image server converts the retrieved image in accordance with the received linear density information and transmits it to the retrieval terminal. Then, the search terminal displays or prints the received image on the output device.

In the image network system having such a configuration, it has become possible to transmit an image in conformity with the output format of the output device of the terminal from the image server. Therefore, various types of terminals can be connected to the network without defining image standards, and flexible system construction is possible.

As described above, in the system using the conventional technique, the linear density conversion can be performed on the image server side according to the output device of the terminal. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to connect a dedicated terminal to the system, and many types of terminals can be connected to the image network system.

[0008]

As described above, according to the above conventional technique, the image server has the linear density conversion function,
Since it is possible to perform linear density conversion according to the output device of the terminal and then transmit to each terminal, it is not necessary to configure the system with a dedicated terminal.

However, in the prior art, the linear density conversion is performed on the image server side and the result is transmitted to the terminal side. Therefore, if you try to enlarge or reduce the image when editing or gazing at the terminal, you must always send it back to the image server side and then perform the linear density conversion, which significantly reduces the operation efficiency. The drawback of doing so remained.

Further, in order to improve the storage efficiency of the image data on the optical disc, the image data is stored in a coded state. Similarly, on the network, in order to increase the transfer rate, the data is transmitted in an encoded state. For this reason, in order to perform linear density conversion on the image server side, the code data read from the optical disk must be returned to image data and further encoded for transmission after linear density conversion. It has the drawback of becoming longer.

Furthermore, the line density on the terminal side must be notified to the image server side during communication, and the work remains complicated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible image network system which can improve the operation efficiency on the search terminal side and which does not select the type of the search terminal in the image network system in which a large amount of document images are accumulated. Especially.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image network system capable of shortening the processing time required for retrieval.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a drawing management network system which has a high operation efficiency at a search terminal and can reduce the processing time required for the search.

[0015]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an image server for storing image data, a registration terminal for registering the image data in the image server, and the image stored in the image server. In an image network system in which a search terminal for searching data is connected via a network, an output means for outputting an image corresponding to the image data in a predetermined output format to the search terminal, and the search terminal for instructing the image server to search. Then, the image server searches
In addition, the image data sent through the network is converted so as to match the output format of the output means.

Here, the conversion means converts the image data so as to match the output format of the output means, for example,
When the output device is a display device such as a display, it is necessary to perform linear density conversion on the image data according to the resolution of the display device or to convert the number of planes of the image data according to the monochrome or color display device. means. Further, when the image data is expressed in binary, it also means that the image data is converted so as to have gradation.

Further, in the present invention, in addition to the conversion of the image data, the index portion of the image data can be converted according to the code system of each search terminal.

The above-mentioned output means may be a printing device such as a printer in addition to a display device such as a display.

The converting means can be provided as an option board of the general-purpose terminal so that the general-purpose terminal can be used as the search terminal, in addition to being installed in the search terminal in advance. Furthermore, in the invention, according to another aspect,
In the image network system, the image data searched by the image server is directly transmitted to each search terminal and converted by the conversion means on each received search terminal.

Finally, the present invention is preferably used in a drawing management network system. First, each search terminal instructs a drawing server as an image server to search for desired drawing data, and each search terminal has a drawing server. The converted drawing data is converted so as to match the output format of the output means of the search terminal, and the converted drawing data is output to the output means.

[0021]

In general, the image network system executes two kinds of processing, that is, search and registration of image data.

First, the search processing in the image network system of the present invention is performed by the image data search processing in the image server according to the instruction of the search terminal via the network and the search terminal of the image data received via the network. The conversion processing by the conversion means can be roughly divided into the conversion processing so as to match the output format of the output means. Hereinafter, a case will be described as an example in which the conversion process for converting the image data into the output format of the output unit is performed on the image data according to the resolution of the display of the search terminal.

First, the search terminal sends a keyword of image data to be searched to the image server. The image server that receives the keyword uses the OLU (Optical Library Unit, Optical Librar) based on the keyword.
y Unit) reads the image data stored in it. The read image data is directly transmitted to the search terminal via a LAN (Local Area Network) as a network. Of course, the data conversion related to communication is not limited to this as it is. For example, a data conversion process such as dividing the image data into packets for sending on the network can be cited.

In the received search terminal, the conversion means subjects the image data to code expansion and linear density conversion. That is,
In order to compress the data amount, the image data encoded by the MH (Modified Huffman) or MMR (Modified Modified READ) method is expanded and restored to binary image data. Next, in order to display the image easily, the image data is subjected to linear density conversion in accordance with the resolution of the display. If the image data resolution is 200 DPI (Dot Per Inch) and the display resolution is 150 DPI, the binary image data is reduced to 3/4. Furthermore, the image data that has undergone linear density conversion is
Since it matches the display resolution, display it on the display.

Further, when it is desired to pay attention to the details of the displayed image data, a desired portion is designated by a mouse or the like and enlarged. That is, a part of the image data to be watched is surrounded by a mouse, and the surrounded part is enlarged to fill the screen. Finally, it is confirmed on the display that the image data is the desired image data, and if necessary, it is printed by the printer.

As is clear from the above description, in the retrieval processing, the decompression and compression processing required by the linear density conversion in the image server, which has been conventionally required, can be deleted. Further, since the search terminal is provided with the linear density conversion function, the linear density can be freely converted on the search terminal side without returning to the image server.
Therefore, the search time can be shortened, and the response time for editing and gaze can be greatly improved.

Next, in the registration processing, registration is performed in the same procedure as in the current image network system. That is, the document is input from the scanner of the registration terminal and stored in the image server via the network. The image data input from the scanner is binarized by the registration terminal and displayed on the display to confirm the contents. Next, in order to store in the image server, encoding processing is performed at the registration terminal.
That is, in order to compress the data amount, binary image data is encoded by the MH or MMR method.

The encoded image data is arranged in a format for directly writing on the optical disc. That is, the image data is stored in the image data section, and the index section is provided with a keyword. The image data whose data format has been adjusted is transmitted from the registration terminal to the image server via the LAN. The image server that has received the image data registers the image data on the optical disc. That is, since the data format is prepared on the registration terminal side, the data is written as it is at a predetermined position on the optical disk of the OLU. By repeating such a series of operations, a large amount of image data is accumulated on the OLU optical disk.

As is clear from the above description, it is not necessary to standardize the image data with the same linear density when registering in the image server. Therefore, the operator can register on the optical disc of the image server without being aware of the linear density.

In accordance with the processing procedure described above, the search and registration on the optical disk are executed.

Here, the method using the linear density conversion as the conversion means has been described. However, as detailed later,
The converting means may convert and output the number of planes of the retrieved image data according to the type of the output means. Furthermore, the code of the index part may be converted into the code system of the search terminal. Note that the search terminal in the above description is a terminal having a search function, and the registration terminal means a terminal having a registration function.

Thus, according to the present invention, since the line density conversion can be executed on the side of the search terminal, the response time of search and edit can be greatly reduced, and the image network system with dramatically improved usability compared with the conventional one. Can be provided.

[0033]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment according to the present invention. Reference numeral 1 is an image server main body that manages image data stored on an optical disc, and 2 is a control C that controls the entire image server.
PU (Central Processing Unit), 3
Is an OLU that stores image data, 4 is a search terminal body that searches the image data stored in the image server, 5 is a CPU that controls the entire search terminal, and 6 is conversion that performs cotton density conversion and compression / expansion of image data A unit, 7 is a display for displaying the searched image data, 8 is a printer for printing the searched image data, 9 is a registration search terminal body for registering the image data in the image server and searching the image data,
Reference numeral 10 is a CPU that controls the entire registration search terminal, 11 is a conversion unit that performs cotton density conversion and compression / expansion of image data, 12 is a display that displays the searched or input image data, and 13 is input the image data to be registered. A scanner, 14 is a general-purpose terminal body for searching the image data stored in the image server, and 15 is a C for controlling the general-purpose terminal as a whole.
PU, 16 are conversion units for performing linear density conversion and compression / expansion of image data, 17 is a display for displaying retrieved image data, and 18 is a LAN for communicating image data between the image server and each terminal group. The search terminal 4 and the registered search terminal 16 are search terminals in the present invention.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described separately for searching and registration.

First, in the search process, the CPU 5 activates the search terminal body 4 and sends a keyword corresponding to desired image data to the image server body 1 via the LAN 18.

Image server body 1 that receives the keyword
Searches for image data under the control of the CPU 2. That is, the image data to which the same keyword of OLU3 is added is read according to the keyword. The read image data is sent to the search terminal main unit 4 via the LAN 18.
Send to.

The image data received by the search terminal body 4 is subjected to code expansion and linear density conversion. That is, C
The PU 5 activates the conversion unit 6, and the MH or M
Image data encoded by the MR method or the like is expanded.

Next, the expanded image data is subjected to linear density conversion as necessary in order to match the resolution of the display or printer. That is, the CPU 5 similarly activates the conversion unit 6 to enlarge or reduce the expanded image data. For example, the resolution of the image data stored in the OLU 3 is generally 200 DPI, and the resolution of the display 7 of the search terminal is often 200 DPI.
However, the display 17 of the general-purpose terminal has various types from 100 DPI to 150 DPI. Therefore, when it is displayed on the display 17 of the general-purpose terminal, it is reduced by 1/2 to 3/4. Since the image data subjected to the linear density conversion matches the resolution of the display 7, it is displayed on the display 7.

If it is desired to display the details of the image data, the desired portion is enlarged. That is, the CPU 5 similarly activates the conversion unit 6 to enlarge a part of the designated image data. A mouse, a keyboard, or the like may be used as the means for designating.

Finally, when it is confirmed on the display 7 that the image data is the desired image data, the printer 8 prints on the paper surface as necessary.

By the above operation, the image data of the image server can be searched by the search terminal.

On the other hand, in the registration process, the image data input from the registration search terminal is registered in the image server.

First, the CPU 10 activates the scanner 13 via the registration search terminal body 9. The activated scanner 13 optically scans the paper surface and inputs image data. The input image data is displayed on the display 12
Is displayed and the contents are confirmed. Once the content is confirmed,
Since the image is stored in the image server, it is encoded. That is, the CPU 10 activates the conversion unit 11,
The confirmed image data is encoded by the MH or MMR method or the like. Next, a keyword is added to the index part to prepare a data format that can be stored in the optical disc. Finally, the image data is transmitted to the image server via the LAN 18.

Image server main body 1 that receives the image data
Registers image data under the control of the CPU 2. That is, the image data is written as it is at a predetermined position of the OLU 3.

By repeating the series of registration operations each time image data is input, a large number of images are stored on the optical disk of the OLU3.

Next, the operation of the search process and the registration process will be described.

FIG. 3 is a PAD showing a specific processing procedure for retrieval.
(Problem Analysis Diagram, Problem An
alysis Diagram). FIG. 8 is a diagram logically showing the data structure of the image data stored on the optical disc.

In FIG. 3, in S31, the keyword of the image data is searched for in the search terminal body 4 or the general-purpose terminal body 14
To the image server main body 1 via the LAN 18. The image data stored in the OLU3 has the data structure shown in FIG. That is, each image data is composed of an index part 83 and an image data part 84, and these addresses are stored in the directory 85. The index portion 83 stored in the position indicated by the directory 85 is the same as the index portion 83 of FIG.
As shown in No. 7, code information such as keywords and cotton density information is stored. Similarly, the image data section 84
Stores the main body of encoded image data and this data amount.

In S32, the image server main body 1 receives the transmitted keyword. In S33, under the control of the CPU 2, the index part 83 of the OLU 3 is searched using the keyword, and the image data in which the same keyword is stored is identified. CPU identified by the index unit 83
2 recognizes the address of the image data portion 84 by referring to the directory 85. Finally, the desired image data stored in the image data section 84 is read out.

At S34, the desired code information of the index portion 83 and the encoded image data of the image data portion 84 are transmitted from the image server main body 1 to the search terminal main body 4 or the general-purpose terminal main body 14 via the LAN 18. To do.

In S35, the search terminal body 4, the registered search terminal body 9, or the general-purpose terminal body 14 receives the transmitted image data and code information.

In S36, the CPU5, CPU10,
Alternatively, under the control of the CPU 15, the index unit 83
Read out the encoding method stored in the conversion unit 6,
The conversion mode of the conversion unit 11 or the conversion unit 16 is set to this method. The conversion unit 6, 11 or 16 in which the mode is set expands the received code data into image data.

Next, in order to match the resolution of the expanded image data with that of the display 7, the display 12, or the display 17, the conversion units 6, 11,
Alternatively, 16 is used to perform linear density conversion.

That is, the CPU 5, the CPU 10, or the CPU 15 reads out the received linear density information stored in the index section 83 in order to obtain the linear density of the image data. Further, in order to obtain the ratio of the linear density conversion, the read linear density information is compared with the resolution of the display 7, 11 or 17. Then, the linear density conversion ratio is determined so that the resolution of the received image data matches the resolution of the display 7, 12 or 17.
The ratio of this linear density conversion is set in the conversion unit 6, 11 or 16, and the image data is subjected to linear density conversion.

Finally, the desired image data is displayed on the display 7, 12 or 17.

The above processing is executed, and the search processing ends.

FIG. 4 is a PAD showing a concrete processing procedure of registration.
Is. In FIG. 4, in S41, the scanner 13 is activated, and the image data is input to the registered search terminal body 9. In S42, the conversion unit 11 performs an encoding process in order to reduce the capacity of the input image data. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the data amount is added to this encoded data to create the image data portion 84.

Next, the index portion 83 which is the attribute information of this image data is created. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the number of keywords, the keywords, the encoding method, the image size, and the linear density are added, and the index unit 83
Create as.

The image data and the index thus created are transmitted to the image server main body 1 via the LAN 18.

In S43, these pieces of information are received from the registration / retrieval terminal body 9.

In S44, the received encoded image data and index are written as they are in the image data section 84 and the index section 83 of the OLU3. At this time, the written address is registered in the directory 85 of the optical disk of the OLU3.

A large number of images are accumulated on the optical disk of the OLU 3 by repeating the series of registration operations each time image data is input.

The above processing is executed, and the registration processing ends.

Next, the conversion units 6, 11 or 1
The linear density conversion procedure executed in 6 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the process of linear density conversion, where N ′ / N times with respect to the X axis and M ′ / M with respect to the Y axis.
The double linear density conversion will be described. The pixels of the digitized original image are displayed in an appropriate coordinate system (X,
When Y) is set, it exists on the lattice point (N, M).

On the other hand, when the linear density conversion is performed, the pixel position after conversion exists at a position on another coordinate system (X ', Y') as shown in the upper right diagram. Therefore, when the pixel position after conversion is mapped to the original coordinate system, the pixel position is not located on the grid point (N, M) as shown in the lower left diagram, but is located at an arbitrary position.

Therefore, in the linear density conversion processing, a method of determining the converted pixel value becomes important. This decision includes
(1) Logical sum method, (2) Nearest neighbor method, (3) Nine division method,
(4) The projection method, which is four, is known, and each of them has advantages and disadvantages. Among these, the logical sum method is that in at least one pixel among the four original image pixels around the converted pixel, if at least one pixel is "1", the area is surrounded by these four original pixels. This is a method of setting the value of a certain pixel to "1". This method is used in many devices because it is simple in processing and realizes high-quality image quality for reduction processing. Although the logical sum method is used in this description, the present invention is not limited to this method.

According to the above procedure, the linear density conversion is performed on the original image.

Further, a specific configuration of the terminal of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a registration search terminal as an example of the terminal of the present invention.

The configuration of FIG. 2 is basically the same as part of FIG. 1, but is disclosed in more detail. Reference numeral 21 is a CPU that controls the entire apparatus, 22 is a main memory that stores programs and tables that control the CPU 21, 23 is a communication control circuit that communicates with an image server via a LAN, and 24 is linear density conversion or compression. A conversion unit for decompressing, 25 a bus adapter for electrically connecting the host device and the conversion unit 24, and 26 a DMA (Direct Memory Access, Dire) for transferring image data at high speed.
ct Memory Acces), 27 is an image memory for storing image data and the like, 28 is an image processor for performing processing such as linear density conversion or compression / expansion, 29 is a display for displaying image data, 30 is a synchronizing signal for generating image data. Together with a display control circuit for transferring to the display 29, 31 is a printer for printing image data on paper,
32 is a printer control circuit that generates a drive signal for the printer 31 and transfers the image data; 33 is a scanner that converts the paper surface into electrical image data; and 34 is a scanner control that generates a drive signal for the scanner 33 and transfers the image data. Circuit, 3
Reference numeral 5 is a system bus for transferring data.

First, in the search process, the CPU 21 activates the communication control circuit 23 based on the program stored in the main memory 22, and the keyword representing the desired image data is sent to the image server body 1 via the LAN 18. Sent.

The image server which has received the keyword searches the image data using the keyword. That is,
The image data to which the same keyword of OLU is added is read according to the keyword. The read image data is transmitted to the communication control circuit 23 via the LAN.

The image data received by the communication control circuit 23 is subjected to code expansion and linear density conversion. That is, the image data is transferred to the conversion unit 24 via the system bus 35.
Sent to. The conversion unit 24 uses the DMA 26 via the bus adapter 25 and uses the image memory 2 at high speed.
Stored in 7. The stored image data is transferred in a state of being encoded by the MH or MMR method, so it is expanded into binary image data by using the image processor 28.

Next, in order to match the expanded image data with the resolution of the display 29 or the printer 31, the linear density conversion is performed as necessary as described above. That is, the binary image data is input to the image processor 28 again and enlarged or reduced to a desired resolution. The image data matching the resolution of the display 29 is temporarily stored in the image memory 27 and then displayed on the display 29 via the bus adapter 25, the system bus 35 and the display control circuit 30 under the control of the CPU 21.

If it is desired to display the details of the image data, the desired portion is enlarged. That is, the CPU 5 similarly activates the conversion unit 24 to enlarge a part of the designated image data. A mouse, a keyboard, or the like may be used as the means for designating.

Finally, when it is confirmed that the desired image data is displayed on the display 29, the printer control circuit 32 is activated if necessary, and the printer 31 prints on the paper.

By the above operation, the image data of the image server can be searched by the terminal having the search function. On the other hand, in the registration process, the image data input from the registration search terminal is registered in the image server.

First, based on the program stored in the main memory 22, the CPU 21 causes the scanner control circuit 34 to
Can be activated. The activated scanner control circuit 34
Drives the scanner 33 to input image data. The input image data is temporarily stored in the main memory 22. The stored image data is transferred to the display control circuit 30. The transferred image data is displayed on the display 29 via the display control circuit 30,
The operator confirms the contents.

When the contents are confirmed, encoding processing is performed for storing in the image server. That is, the image data is sent to the conversion unit 24 via the system bus 35. In the conversion unit 24, via the bus adapter 25,
It is stored in the image memory 27 at high speed using the DMA 26. The stored binary image data is encoded by the MH or MMR method using the image processor 28. The encoded image data is stored in the image data section 84 in the data format to be stored on the optical disc. Also,
Keywords are also assigned to the index part 83. The image data whose data format has been adjusted is temporarily stored in the image memory 27 and then output to the communication control circuit 23 via the bus adapter 25, the system bus 35 and the display control circuit 30 under the control of the CPU 21.

The image data output to the communication control circuit 23 is transmitted to the image server shown in FIG. 1, for example, via the LAN.

The image server that received the image data is CP
Image data is registered under the control of U. That is, O
The image data in the proper data format is written as it is at a predetermined position of LU3.

By repeating the series of registration operations each time image data is input, a large number of images are stored on the optical disk of the OLU3.

Next, detailed specifications of the conversion unit 24 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 9 is a list of specifications of the conversion unit 24 according to the present invention. In the explanation, the specific model name is disclosed, but if it has the same function,
Not limited to this.

The bus adapter 25 has a control function of the entire conversion unit 24 and a data transfer function between the upper main memory 22 and the image memory 27.

The control function of the entire conversion unit 24 is CP
It is realized by U and a dedicated memory.

The CPU uses an Intel 80286 that operates with a clock of 8 MHz. A program for controlling each device in the conversion unit 24 is stored in the dedicated memory.

The image processor 28 and the DMA 26 are controlled according to the instruction of the upper CPU 21 to process the image data. That is, the address of the image data to be processed and the processing method are specified to the image processor 28 and the image processor 28 is activated. When the processing is completed, accept the interrupt,
Issues a command to proceed to the next process.

Here, the IPLROM (initial program load read only memory, Initial
The Program Load Read Only Memory) stores a program for setting the initial value of the CPU. Therefore, when the power of the conversion unit 24 is turned on, the program is activated and the CPU is set to the initial value.

The data transfer function is performed by the upper main memory 2
2 and the DMA function between the image memory 27 in the conversion unit. This DMA uses a dedicated gate array because it is compatible with a plurality of standard buses and image buses and is aimed at downsizing.

Here, the specifications of the upper system bus 35 include MCA (Micro Channel Architecture), ISA (Industry Standard Architecture, Industry Stan).
dard Architecture), EISA (extended industry standard architecture, Extended Ind
It adopts three types (ustory Standard Architecture). MCA and ISA are compatible with IBM's personal computer PS / 2 and PC-AT series, and EI
SA corresponds to the AX personal computer which is the standard specification of each Japanese company. Therefore, the conversion unit 24 can be mounted and operated in the personal computer mentioned here.

The image bus has a special specification for transferring image data at high speed.
That is, the cycle time is 400 nSec, and the maximum transfer rate is 20 MByte / Sec.

The DMA function supports the byte / word transfer mode and the upper / lower byte swap mode, rather than the data transfer between the memories, and can finely support each model and transfer mode. The transfer speed between the main memory 22 and the image memory 27 is 2 MByte / Se.
c, and the number of continuous transfer bytes is 64 KBytes.
Furthermore, in order to transfer data while avoiding the refresh period of the main memory 22, a function of setting the number of continuous access clocks is also added.

The image processor 28 has the functions of compression / expansion, enlargement / reduction, rotation in units of 90 °, and transfer.

Since these functions pursue high speed,
This is achieved using a dedicated gate array. But,
The same function can be realized by using a commercially available LSI. That is, compression / expansion can be realized by AM7970 of AMD (Advanced Micro Devices). Also, enlarging / reducing, rotating in 90 degree units, and transferring are MN861 of Matsushita Electronics Industrial Co., Ltd.
Can be achieved with 7.

The compression is a function of encoding a large amount of image data and compressing the data. The compression method is CCITT
The MH and MMR specified in the Red Book are used. Decompression is a function of restoring encoded data into an image. The decompression method follows the reverse process of compression,
It is called with the same name. This device is A4 / 200
Image data of DPI can be processed in 0.4 seconds.

The enlargement / reduction is used in the same meaning as the linear density conversion, and is a function of converting the image data restored to the linear density of the output device. The conversion ratio supports from 16/32 to 64/32, and 1 /
The processing of 2 can also be added by a pipeline. Further, it has a format conversion function for converting the reference coordinate system in order to correspond to the display coordinate system of various personal computers.
With this device, the image data of A4 / 200 DPI is 0.5
Can be processed in seconds.

Rotation in units of 90 degrees is a function used when displaying vertically long image data on a horizontally long display. On the contrary, it is also used when displaying a landscape display on a landscape display. This device has A4 / 200 DPI
Image data can be processed in 0.5 seconds.

Transfer is a function used for transfer of image data between memories, upside down or horizontal inversion. Further, the continuous transfer enables a sequential operation of transfer processing and other processing. That is, it is possible to automatically repeat transfer and other processing by issuing a command once. This device can process A4 / 200 DPI image data in 0.5 seconds.

The image memory 27 temporarily stores the image data and the encoded data. Usually, it is constructed with a low-priced dynamic RAM in pursuit of cost performance. In this device, the basic unit is 4 MByte,
It can be expanded by 4 MBytes as needed.

The DMA 26 transfers image data and encoded data at high speed on the image bus. Especially when an optical disk, scanner, or printer is attached as an option,
This is effective in data transfer between these and the image memory 27.

A method of mounting the conversion unit 24 as an option board in a general-purpose terminal will be described.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the procedure for setting the option board. In FIG. 6, 61 is a floppy disk in which initial values of option boards are stored, and 62
Is a main body of the general-purpose terminal, 63 is a memory for storing setting values of the option board in the general-purpose terminal, and 64 is an option board.

First, the option board 64 is inserted into the general-purpose terminal body 62.

Next, parameters are set so that the option board 64 can operate inside the general-purpose terminal body 62. That is, the floppy disk 63 is attached to the option board 64, and the initial setting is executed by using this floppy disk. This setting information is an interrupt level of the option board 64, an arbitration level, and other unique information. These setting information are stored in the memory 63 in the general-purpose terminal 62, and
Check for collisions with other boards.

The information set in the memory 63 by the above procedure is automatically set in the option board 64 each time the power is turned on. The option board 64 executes the linear density conversion function in the general-purpose terminal 62 using these pieces of information.

Further, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a multi-display capable of mutually converting the image data among monochrome, multi-color and full-color according to the type of display device according to the number of planes of the retrieved image data is displayed. The configuration of the mode search terminal will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the multimode search terminal of the present invention.

The configuration of FIG. 7 is basically the same as part of FIG. 2, but another embodiment of the display control circuit 30 is disclosed in detail. Reference numeral 70 is a CPU that controls the entire apparatus, 71 is a communication control circuit that communicates with an image server via a LAN, 72 is a conversion unit that performs linear density conversion or compression / expansion, and 73 is BMM (bits Bit map memory
), A BMM for temporarily storing the image data of the G (green, Green) plane, and a BMM for temporarily storing the image data of the R (red, Red) plane, 75. Is B (blue,
Blue) BM that temporarily stores the image data of the plane
M and 77 are monochrome-full-color conversion circuits that convert monochrome image data into full-color data format; 78 are multi-color-full-color conversion circuits that convert multi-color image data into full-color data format; 79 are monochrome and multi-color. , Selector for selecting which of full-color image data is displayed, reference numeral 80 is selector 7
A mode determining circuit for controlling 9 is a DAC (digital-to-analog converter, Digi) 81 for converting the image data of the digital amount selected by the selector 79 into an analog amount.
tal Analog Converter), 82 is a display for displaying image data.

First, the image data formats in monochrome, multi-color and full-color modes will be described. A schematic diagram of each mode is shown on the left side of FIG. 7. Monochrome is white and black 2
Since it is a value image, it can be expressed in the data format of one plane.
When this is displayed on the color CRT 82, the same data is simply stored in the 24-plane BMM. That is, if the image data is white, all 24 planes are
If it is black, on the other hand, set all to "0".

Since multi-color is image data in which red and blue are added to monochrome black and white, it can be expressed in a 3-plane data format. When displaying white and black on the color CRT 82, the same processing as in monochrome is performed, and in the case of red and blue, the following processing is performed. That is, if the image data is red, the 8 planes of the R BMM 75 are set to "1", and the other 16 planes are set to "0". Similarly, if it is blue, set 8 planes of BMM76 of B to "1",
All other 16 planes are set to "0".

Since full color is image data capable of expressing a natural image, it is expressed in a 24-plane data format. When this is displayed on the color CRT 82, it is stored in the BMM as it is because it has the same data format as the BMM.

Next, the operation of the search process of the multimode search terminal will be described.

First, the CPU 70 activates the communication circuit 71, and a keyword representing desired image data is transmitted to the image server via the LAN.

The image server that has received the keyword searches the image data using the keyword. That is,
The image data to which the same keyword of OLU is added is read according to the keyword. The read image data is transmitted to the communication circuit 71 via the LAN.

The image data received by the communication circuit 71 is subjected to code expansion and linear density conversion. That is, the image data is sent to the conversion unit 72. Since the image data is transferred in a state of being encoded by the MH or MMR system, the conversion unit 72 expands the image data.

Next, in order to match the expanded image data with the resolution of the display 82, linear density conversion is performed as necessary. That is, the conversion unit 72 enlarges or reduces to a desired resolution. The image data matching the resolution of the display 72 is stored in each BMM 74, 75, 76 via the writing circuit 73.

The writing circuit 73 also notifies the mode determining circuit 80 of the number of planes of image data. That is,
The mode determination circuit 80 is notified of 1 when monochrome image data is written, 3 when multi-colored, and 24 when full-colored.

The display procedure will be described below in the order of monochrome, multicolor and full color.

The monochrome image data is written in the writing circuit 7
3 is stored in the lowest plane of the G BMM 74. The stored monochrome image data is
The data is transferred to the full-color conversion circuit 77 and is expanded into a full-color image data format here. That is, if the image data is white, all 24 planes are set to "1". On the contrary, if it is black, all are set to "0".

Next, the image data developed on the 24th plane is transferred to the selector 79, controlled by the mode determination circuit 80, and the output of the monochrome-full color conversion circuit 77 is selected. The digital amount of image data converted into the full color data format is sent to the DAC 81.

The input DAC 81 converts the digital amount of image data into an analog amount. The converted image data is sent to the color CRT 82 to display a monochrome image. Finally, it is confirmed on the color CRT 82 whether the image data is the desired image data.

Similarly, multi-color image data is sent to the BMM 74 of G and the BMM of R via the writing circuit 73.
It is stored in the lowest plane of each BMM of the BMM 76 of 75 and B.

The stored multicolor image data is
The data is transferred to the multi-color / full-color conversion circuit 78, and is expanded into a full-color image data format here. That is, white and black are processed in the same manner as monochrome, and if the image data is red, set the 8 planes of the R BMM75 to "1",
All other 16 planes are set to "0". Similarly, if it is blue, the 8 planes of the BMM 76 of B are set to "1", and the other 16 planes are set to "0".

Next, the image data developed on the 24th plane is transferred to the selector 79, controlled by the mode determination circuit 80, and the output of the multicolor-full color conversion circuit 78 is selected. The digital amount of image data converted into the full color data format is sent to the DAC 81.

The input DAC 81 converts the digital amount of image data into an analog amount. The converted image data is sent to the color CRT 82 to display a multi-color image. Finally, it is confirmed on the color CRT 82 whether the image data is the desired image data.

Further, the full-color image data is transferred to the G BMM 74 and the R BMM 7 via the writing circuit 73.
It is stored as it is in all the planes of the BMM 76 of 5 and B.

Next, the stored image data is transferred to the selector 79 and under the control of the mode determination circuit 80, the output from each BMM is selected. The image data of the selected digital amount is sent to the DAC 81.

The input DAC 81 converts the digital image data into an analog image data. The converted image data is sent to the color CRT 82 to display a full-color image. Finally, it is confirmed on the color CRT 82 whether the image data is the desired image data.

By the above operation, even if the image data in any of monochrome, multi-color and full-color data formats is received, it can be automatically displayed on the multi-mode retrieval terminal.

In the above embodiment, the image data is converted. However, in addition to this, the code of the index part may be converted according to the code system of the searched terminal.

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present embodiment, the desired image is retrieved from the image server and the cotton density conversion is performed so that the image can be easily displayed on the terminal side. Therefore, since the expansion and compression processes can be omitted on the image server side, the search time can be shortened, and the image can be freely enlarged or reduced on the terminal side, and the man-machine interface for terminal operation can be greatly improved.

[0131]

As described above, according to the present invention, the image data conversion function such as the linear density conversion is arranged not on the image server side but on the search terminal side. For this reason, the search terminal side can enlarge or reduce the image without returning the image to the image server one by one, and the work efficiency of editing or gazing the image can be improved. Therefore, there is an effect that the man-machine interface in operating the search terminal can be greatly improved.

Further, it is constructed such that it can be transmitted without enlarging or reducing on the image server side. For this reason, compression and decompression are not required due to the conventional enlargement and reduction on the image server side, and the response time at the time of retrieval can be greatly reduced. Therefore, there is an effect that the response time in the search can be significantly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a registration search terminal according to the present invention.

[Figure 3] PAD (Problem Analysis) showing the search procedure
Diagram) Diagram.

[Figure 4] PAD (Problem Analysis) showing the registration procedure
Diagram) Diagram.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of linear density conversion used in the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an option board setting procedure according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a multi-mode search terminal according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a data structure of image data according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a list of specifications of a conversion unit according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Image server main unit, 2 ... CPU, 3 ... OLU, 4 ... Search terminal body, 5 ... CPU, 6 ... conversion unit, 7 ... Display, 8 ... Printer, 9 ... Registration search terminal body, 10 ... CPU, 11 ... conversion unit, 12 ... Display, 13 ... Scanner, 14 ... General-purpose terminal body, 15 ... CPU, 16 ... conversion unit, 17 ... Display, 18 ... LAN, 21 ... CPU, 22 ... Main memory, 23 ... communication control circuit, 24 ... conversion unit, 25 ... Bus adapter, 26 ... DMA, 27 ... Image memory, 28 ... Image processor, 29 ... Display, 30 ... Display control circuit, 31 ... Printer, 32 ... Printer control circuit, 33 ... Scanner, 34 ... Scanner control circuit, 35 ... system bus, 61 ... floppy disk, 62 ... Main body of general-purpose terminal, 63 ... memory, 64 ... Option board, 70 ... CPU, 71 ... communication circuit, 72 ... conversion unit, 73 ... Writing circuit, 74 ... BMM, 75 ... BMM, 76 ... BMM, 77 ... Monochrome-full color conversion circuit, 78 ... Multicolor-full color conversion circuit, 79 ... selector, 80 ... Mode determination circuit, 81 ... DAC, 82 ... Color CRT.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Internal reference number FI Technical indication location // H04N 1/21 8839-5C (72) Inventor Satoshi Ito 2880 Kozu, Odawara-shi, Kanagawa Co., Ltd. Hitachi Odawara Factory

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. An image server that stores image data, a registration terminal that registers the image data in the image server, and a search terminal that searches the image data stored in the image server are connected via a network. In the image network system described above, an output unit that outputs an image corresponding to the image data in a predetermined output format to the search terminal, the search terminal instructs the image server to search, and the image server searches, An image network system, further comprising: a conversion unit that converts the image data sent via the network so as to match the output format of the output unit. 2. The image network system according to claim 1, wherein the linear density of the image data retrieved by the converting means is matched with the linear density of the output means. 3. The image network system according to claim 1, wherein the number of planes of the image data retrieved by the conversion unit is converted according to the type of the output unit. 4. The image network system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the index portion of the image data searched by the converting means is converted according to the code system of the search terminal. 5. The image network system according to claim 2, wherein when the image data retrieved by the conversion means is expressed in binary, it is converted so as to have gradation. 6. The image network system according to claim 1, wherein said output means is a display device. 7. The image network system according to claim 1, wherein the output means is a printing device. 8. The image network system according to claim 1, wherein the converting means is provided as an option board of a general-purpose terminal connected to the network, and the general-purpose terminal is used as the search terminal. 9. An image network system in which an image server for storing image data and a search terminal for searching for the image data stored in the image server are connected via a network, wherein the search terminal is provided with the image. Output means for outputting an image corresponding to the data in a predetermined output format,
Conversion means for instructing the image server to perform a search, the image server performing a search, and converting the image data that has been transmitted as it is via the network so as to match the output format of the output means. An image network system comprising: 10. The image network system according to claim 9, wherein the linear density of the image data retrieved by the converting means is matched with the linear density of the output means. 11. The image network system according to claim 9, wherein the number of planes of the image data retrieved by the conversion unit is converted according to the type of the output unit. 12. The converting means for converting the index portion of the image data searched by the converting means according to the code system of the search terminal.
1. The image network system according to 1. 13. The image network system according to claim 10, wherein when the image data retrieved by the converting means is expressed in binary, the image data is converted to have gradation. 14. The image network system according to claim 9, 10 or 11, wherein said output means is a display device. 15. The image network system according to claim 9, wherein said output means is a printing device. 16. A drawing management network system in which a drawing server that stores drawing data and a search terminal that searches the drawing data stored in the drawing server are connected via a network, Output means for outputting an image corresponding to the drawing data in a predetermined output format, and the drawing terminal, the search terminal instructs the image server to search, the drawing server searches, and the drawing transmitted as it is via the network. A drawing management network system comprising: a conversion unit that converts data so as to match the output format of the output unit.