DE102016005694A1 - A method of rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image and computer program product - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of rendering a set of positionally ordered output pixels of a 2D pixel image is described. Foil images of pixels are provided in a storage unit, wherein each pixel of a foil image is associated with a position in the 2D pixel image. The 2D pixel image is calculated in a computation unit by adding together at each position in the 2D pixel image in each case all pixels assigned to one of the positions in the 2D pixel image from the film images to a respective output pixel of the 2D pixel image. Output pixels at successive positions are calculated in groups by adding together for each output pixel in the group all the pixels from the film images associated with the position of the output pixel in the 2D pixel image, after the output pixels have been positioned at all positions preceding the positions in the group in the 2D position. Pixel image have been calculated. The 2D pixel image is output on an output device. With a computer program product, the process can be performed on a computer.

Description

The invention relates to a method for rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image having the features according to the preamble of claim 1. The invention further relates to a computer program product according to claim 10.

The processing of two-dimensional images of pixels (2D pixel images) is widespread in many technical fields of application. Often, in the context of a technical process, such as the communication of two inter-computer linked computers, medical imaging or pre-press imaging, a 2D pixel image is to be generated and displayed on an output device. In the course of the currently steadily increasing amounts of data, for example due to the increasingly higher quality of representation or increasing in quadratic dependence resolution on the output devices, it is obvious that due to lack of memory availability, the 2D pixel images can not always be stored as target images, but only as needed from source images.

In the context of groups of 2D pixel images, the contents of which differ only in a few properties, the so-called layer technique is of particular importance: a target image from output pixels is composed of a plurality of individual layers. The layers can be visualized as slides with partly completely transparent, semi-transparent and opaque image contents, which superimpose the target image. In addition, each pixel in a layer can be assigned a depth value. The layers are referred to below as foil images. A decomposition into a plurality of foil images makes it possible to calculate a large number of target images from a combination of a few retained foil images as needed. The reduction of the necessary storage space is significant: from only (n ₁ + ... + n _i ) stored foil images, where n _{i is} the number of foil images in the j th group of the i groups of foil images with i varying properties or attributes, For example, application, texture and color - means, (n ₁ · ... · n _i ) target images can be calculated. For example, with 3 applications, 6 textures and 4 colors (3 × 6 × 4) = 72 target images are available, but only (3 + 6 + 4) = 13 slide images are needed. In other words, the amount of memory required increases only as an additive and not as a multiplier as the number of properties increases.

Against the background of the necessary creation of the target image as needed, it is of great importance that the slide images are added together as quickly as possible. It is therefore an object of the present invention to effect a fast output of a 2D pixel image on an output device.

This object is achieved by a method for rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image with the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims. Individual features or feature combinations which may be realized in the invention are illustrated in this description and / or the attached figures. The features listed individually in the claims can be combined with each other in a technologically meaningful manner and can be supplemented by explanatory facts from the description and by details from the figures, wherein further embodiments of the invention are shown.

According to the invention, a method is provided for rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image, in particular by means of a computer or computer, in particular in a 2D computer graphics system. The output pixels of the 2D pixel image are ordered at positions in the set, in particular formatted. The order relates in particular to the coordinates or the (x, y) position in the 2D pixel image with dimensions x and y.

The pixels preferably contain color values from a device-independent color space, in particular from a three-dimensional color space, for example the Lab space or preferably the RGB space.

In the method according to the invention, more than two film images of pixels are provided in a memory unit, wherein each pixel of a film image of the more than two film images is assigned to a position in the 2D pixel image. Starting from the film images in a computing unit, the 2D pixel image is calculated by adding together all the pixels of the film images assigned to one of the positions in the 2D pixel image to one output pixel of the 2D pixel image at all positions in the 2D pixel image. According to the invention, output pixels in the 2D pixel image are calculated in groups. In this case, a group of output pixels is calculated at successive positions in the 2D pixel image by adding together for each output pixel in the group all pixels of the film images associated with the position of the output pixel in the 2D pixel image. This is done after the output pixels have been calculated at all positions preceding the positions of the output pixels in the group in the 2D pixel image, in particular by for each output pixel at one of the positions of the output pixels in the group previous positions all associated pixels from the slide images have been added together. The 2D pixel image is then output on an output device, in particular a device for visual output.

The output device may be a monitor, a printer, a display of a handset, such as a smartphone or a tablet, or the like. A 2D pixel image may also be referred to as a 2D pixel graphic, or abbreviated as a 2D image or a 2D graphic. Pixels may include one or more color values and / or a transparency value. The slide images can also be called layers. Pixels can also be referred to as pixels. A computer can also be called a computer.

Generally, in 2D computer graphics systems, images are sequentially displayed as a sequence of color information. The 2D image begins in a corner, for example, at the top left, and spreads line by line to the opposite corner, for example, bottom right. In a 2D image to be output, the output pixels are arranged in the manner of image formation at output. In other words, to represent a 2D image, data formats or data orders whose structure corresponds to the output method are used. A 2D image can therefore be stored linearly in a memory, in particular by the individual lines being stored linearly adjacent to one another. This makes it technically easy to read and display the 2D images directly from the memory.

Thanks to the processing according to the invention of the pixels from the film images into a 2D pixel image from output pixels, rapid calculation and thus rapid representation on an output device are possible. This advantage is particularly significant in the context of program applications in which, upon request, a 2D pixel image is calculated and output situationally since, when using the method according to the invention, the response times are short.

For the method according to the invention, it is particularly preferred and contributes to a further acceleration if, in addition, the film images are provided in a data format with reduced storage space requirement, in particular under lossless compression, and / or are organized with an arrangement of the pixels in the film images for parallel processing , For this purpose, two-dimensional images and film images in said data format can be converted without loss into each other / converted. During transfer / conversion and / or lossless compression, the geometry of the images, ie the height and width of the images, and their content are not changed.

Preferably, in advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention for rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image, groups of pixels of the more than two film images are processed line by line and / or parallel in the arithmetic unit. On the basis of line-oriented / line-wise and / or parallelized processing, a plurality of output pixels, in particular all output pixels of a line of the 2D pixel image, can be calculated simultaneously. In a line-oriented processing, a parallel processing of a plurality of lines can be carried out in particular. A parallelized processing may be a parallel processing on several computer cores or preferably a concurrent processing - advantageous among other things because of the scalability. This procedure causes a further reduction of the time required for the calculation.

It is particularly advantageous with regard to the smallest possible storage space requirement and / or to as few computation steps as possible if in the method according to the invention for rendering the more than two film images are provided only with pixels having opacity, only with pixels which are not completely transparent. Pixels with opacity - partially transparent or opaque - are also referred to as relevant pixels, while pixels without opacity are irrelevant pixels. Opacity-free pixels are transparent and therefore non-contributory in summing the pixels from the slide images to the output pixel. In these embodiments according to the invention, pixels without opacity are not used for the calculation.

In an advantageous particularly preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention for rendering, the more than two foil images are provided with pixels which-in addition to that-comprise a depth value. The depth value is a measure of the distance of the pixel from the reference point, for example, to the observer position or the shooting camera position, of the 2D image. It is also called Z-value. In the said embodiment, in particular, a concrete output pixel of the 2D pixel image can be calculated from the pixels of the more than two film images by adding up the pixels of the film images in order of their depth values. Preferably, the depth values are aggregated from a large to a small distance to the viewer of the 2D image. In this way, for an output pixel, one pixel of a low depth film image may partially or completely cover a pixel of another high depth image film according to its opacity.

Alternatively, or in addition, in embodiments of the inventive method for rendering in a working format, pixels in contiguous pixel areas of the film images in pixel groups. In this case, it is particularly preferable if, in particular for a pixel group, color values of the pixels in a first memory area and depth values in a second memory area are provided.

In an advantageous further development of these embodiments of the inventive method for rendering, the more than two foil images are provided in a losslessly compressed data format and decompressed to calculate the output pixels in the working format. The lossless compressed data format may be a known compression data format, such as a ZIP format or by compress or deflat compression. Deflat compression is particularly preferred because of its streaming capability.

The method according to the invention for rendering is not limited to embodiments with locally limited computing means and presentation means, in particular with exactly one computer, but can also be present in a network of computers, for example in a LAN, WLAN or over the Internet, distributed on a plurality of computers will be realized. The method according to the invention can be carried out in a group of embodiments partly on a first computer and partly on a second computer which is not identical to the first computer. In other words, in the method according to the invention for rendering, the calculations can be carried out on a first computer and the 2D pixel image can be output on an output device of a second computer, which is different from the first computer.

Particularly in applications, in particular application computer programs in which a 2D pixel image is calculated on a first computer, transmitted via the Internet to a remote second computer and displayed on an output device of the remote second computer, rapid image construction is important to allow the viewer of the image , the user of the second computer, does not prematurely terminate the connection without completed image construction. With the procedure according to the invention, an immediate image structure is possible since calculation times for the 2D pixel image are kept as low as possible, preferably optimally low. In this way, an undesirable interruption of the transmission from the point of view of the image provider, in particular because the image builds up too slowly, can be avoided. For example, if a 2D pixel image is from a catalog of products, avoiding crashes will increase the likelihood of an accelerated and / or positive purchase decision by the viewer.

In the context of the inventive idea is also running on a computer computer program. The computer program may be embodied in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product according to the invention can be loaded directly into the internal memory of a computer and comprises software code sections with which a method with the features or feature combinations according to this representation is executed when the computer program product is running on the computer.

The invention and the technical environment will be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. Further advantages and advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention will be described with reference to the following description with reference to the figures. The figures show particularly preferred embodiments, to which the invention is not limited. In particular, it should be noted that the figures and in particular the illustrated proportions are only schematic. Like reference numerals designate like objects.

It shows in detail:

1 1 is a schematic representation of the sequence of a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention for rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image;

2 a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment of the invention used data format of a film image,

3 a sketch for calculating a group of output pixels in a preferred embodiment of the inventive method, and

4 a topology of an embodiment of an arrangement with a first and a second computer, which are separated from each other and connected to each other via a network, for carrying out the method according to the invention.

The 1 schematically shows the flow of a preferred embodiment of the inventive method for rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image.

A plurality of slide images are provided in a memory of a computer in a lossless compressed data format from the preferred working format (step 10 ). When requesting the display or output of a 2D Pixel image with certain attributes (step 12 ), in particular with attributes determined by a requestor, the film images associated with the particular attributes are selected for calculation. The selected slide images are decompressed (step 14 ) in the working format according to the invention, which is particularly optimized for the calculation of the 2D pixel image. The 2D pixel image to be output is now calculated according to the invention by adding the output pixels from the film images line by line into groups of pixels (step 16 ). In a preferred embodiment, the calculation is carried out in parallel processing (step 18 ) of the individual output pixels in the group of pixels. In this case, the assigned pixels from the film images are ordered according to their depth values for each output pixel (step 20 ). The output pixels are calculated from the pixels of the slide images according to their color values and opacity (step 22 ). The output pixels are output line by line on the output advisor (step 24 ) so that the 2D pixel image is displayed.

The 2 is a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention used data format, the working format, a film image. The film image extends in an X direction 26 and a Y direction 28 and has a set of ordered pixels arranged at (x, y) positions. The slide image is decomposed into lines, which are also called scan lines. In each line only relevant pixels, ie pixels with opacity, are taken into account for the working format. It then aggregates the range of relevant pixels into groups of pixels, also referred to as chunks. A chunk contains the start information of the group of pixels in the scan line, for example the X position, and the length of the group. The chunk is then followed by a first area in which the color values and the cover values of the pixels of the chunk are stored. In a second area, the depth values of the pixels of the chunk are successively stored if the slide image has depth information. In a first group of embodiments, first and second portions of the same chunk may be consecutively dropped. In a second group of embodiments, the first portions of the chunks are sequentially stored and the second portions of the chunks are sequentially stored. This type of data storage makes it possible to store images as well as images without depth values in a uniform working format.

Empty scanlines do not contain relevant pixels and, as a result, chunks are not formed for the working format. In a further development of the data format, empty scan lines are stored as empty elements in the working format.

It should be emphasized at this point that the data format described is advantageously streamable.

With reference to the 2 the structure of the preferred work format is explained by way of example with reference to three chunks: the exemplary film image with depth information has ten lines, with a first sequence 30 with five relevant pixels in the first line, a second episode 32 with three relevant pixels in the fourth line and a third sequence 34 with six relevant pixels in the seventh line. The data is in working format 36 filed linearly. For the first episode 30 First, a start indication and a length specification 38 stored. It close the color values in one area 40 the first episode 30 at. In one area 42 be after a start indication and a length specification 38 the depth values of the pixels of the first sequence 30 stored. In this way, a first chunk of data in working format 36 educated. In the exemplary film image is the second consequence 32 the next group of relevant pixels. For the second episode 32 will be a start and a length 44 placed in the second chunk. Then the color values of the second sequence will become 32 in one area 46 arranged while the depth values of the second episode 32 in an area 48 - again after a start indication and length indication 44 - to be written. For the third episode 34 is proceeded analogously to the formation of a third chunk: First, for the third episode 34 a start indication and a length indication 50 stored. It close the color values of the third episode 34 in one area 52 at. In one to a start indication and a length indication 50 adjacent area 54 become the depth values of the pixels of the first sequence 34 written. Accordingly, for all chunks in a slide image for presentation in working format 36 proceed. In the manner described, the relevant pixels in the working format described are organized and provided for all the film images. By means of the described embodiment of the working format 36 an advantageous symmetrical distribution of the color values and the depth values is achieved.

In the 3 is schematically a calculation of a group of output pixels, here exemplarily four output pixels, out of a plurality of film images, here exemplified three film images, outlined in a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention. The 3 schematically represents the processing of film images when calculating to output pixels of a 2D image by the individual films are calculated with their pixel information on top of each other: To advantageously perform the required arithmetic operations as quickly as possible, the output pixels are calculated in parallel. To calculate Parallelize all slide images are divided into lines, so that always the same line from all slide images can be added together in one calculation step. Within this process step, all the pixels of the film images which are located at the same position, (x, y) position, coordinate, are sorted in the order of the depth value, in particular in ascending or preferably descending order. In other words, preferably, the calculation of the output pixel is made from all the pixels of the film images belonging to the same location from far to near. The calculated output pixel is written to the coordinate of the 2D image to be output.

In the 3 becomes a group 56 of four output pixels, which are calculated in parallel from the corresponding pixels of three slide images. Each of the four output pixels is towards 58 decreasing depth values of the corresponding pixels. For the output pixel at the output location 1, the pixels A1, B1 and C1 of the film images A, B and C are added together. For the issuing station 2, the pixels A2, B2 and C2 of the film images A, B and C are merged to the output pixel. At the output point 3, due to the depth values of the pixels A3, B3 and C3 of the film images A, B and C, the pixels are to be combined in the order A3-C3-B3.

Finally, it emerges at the output point 4 that, due to the depth values, the pixels of the film images A, B and C are included in the calculation of the output pixel in the order C4-A4-B4.

Due to the parallelization of the line-by-line processing, it is advantageously necessary to synchronize between the computing processes exclusively when allocating a work package to one of the computing processes. This means that no work package can be awarded to two processes simultaneously. Each work package is assigned a result row from the overall result. Overwriting can not take place. This way of working supports systems with several computer cores. The time-consuming synchronization between the cores can be avoided as best as possible. What is reflected in a significant increase in the processing speed or reduction of the term.

The 4 schematically illustrates a topology of an embodiment of an arrangement with a first computer 60 and a second computer 70 which are distant from each other and through a network 68 , Preferably, the Internet, are interconnected, for carrying out the method according to the invention. From the second computer 70 a 2D pixel image is requested, which by the first computer 60 is made available. Before the 2D pixel image from the first computer 60 on the second computer 70 can be transferred, the 2D pixel image according to the invention must be calculated from a plurality of film images. From the second computer 70 become attributes of the desired 2D pixel image on the first computer 60 transfer. A computer program product 62 , which is suitable for carrying out the method according to the invention, is located in a memory 64 of the first computer 60 , From the slide images of said transmitted attributes is in a computing unit 66 of the first computer 60 by means of the calculation steps of the method according to the invention, the set of output pixels of the 2D pixel image is rendered. The image generated in this way is line by line, in particular as a stream, on the remote second computer 70 transfer. The 2D pixel image is displayed on an output device 72 the second computer 70 , here a monitor, for example.

The inventive method, in particular in the context of in the 4 shown topology, can also be applied to individual 2D pixel images of a sequence of 2D pixel images, the image content of which differ only slightly from each other. In other words, individual 2D pixel images in the form of a stream, a flipbook or a cartoon can be rendered or generated in accordance with the invention. If the 2D pixel images are displayed alternately in the sequence for a short time, the viewer is given an impression of an animation or movement of the image content. For such applications, the fast calculation of the output 2D pixel images is particularly significant.

The method according to the invention is used particularly advantageously in product presentation programs, for example in catalog programs or order programs, or programs for medical imaging, for example CT image display programs. In these applications, fast image creation is important to the user.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

Providing slide images

12

Request for a 2D pixel image

14

Decompress the slide images in working format

16

Line by line calculation of groups of pixels

18

parallel processing

20

Sort by depth values

22

Calculate the output pixels

24

Output to output device

26

X axis

28

Y-axis

30

first sequence of pixels

32

second sequence of pixels

34

third episode of pixels

36

Data in working format

38

Start specification and length specification of the first sequence

40

Color values of the first episode

42

Depth values of the first episode

44

Start specification and length specification of the second sequence

46

Color values of the second episode

48

Depth values of the second episode

50

Start specification and length specification of the third sequence

52

Color values of the third episode

54

Depth values of the third episode

56

Group of output pixels

58

Direction of decreasing depth values

A1

Pixel of the film image A at issuing office 1

B1

Pixel of the film image B at issuing office 1

C1

Pixel of the film image C at issuing office 1

A2

Pixel of the film image A at issuing office 2

B2

Pixel of the film image B at issuing office 2

C2

Pixel of the film image C at issuing office 2

A3

Pixel of the film image A at issuing office 3

B3

Pixel of the film image B at issuing office 3

C3

Pixel of the film image C at issuing office 3

A4

Pixel of the film image A at issuing office 4

B4

Pixels of the film image B at issue point 4

C4

Pixel of the film image C at issuing office 4

60

first computer

62

A computer program product

64

Storage

66

computer unit

68

Network Connection

70

second computer

72

Output device of the second computer

Claims (10)

A method of rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image, wherein the output pixels of the 2D pixel image are ordered at positions in the set in which more than two slide images of pixels are provided in a memory unit, each pixel of a slide image being greater than two Foil images is associated with a position in the 2D pixel image, the 2D pixel image is calculated from the film images in a computing unit by each of all positions in the 2D pixel image each assigned to one of the positions in the 2D pixel image pixels from the film images to one output pixel of the 2D pixel image and outputting the 2D pixel image on an output device, characterized in that output pixels in the 2D pixel image are calculated in groups, whereby a group of output pixels is calculated at successive positions in the 2D pixel image, for each Output pixels in the group all of the position of the output pixel in the 2D pixel image associated pixels from the film images are aggregated after the output pixels have been calculated at all preceding to the positions of the output pixels in the group positions in the 2D pixel image. A method for rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image according to claim 1, characterized in that groups of pixels of the more than two film images are processed line by line and / or parallel in the arithmetic unit. A method of rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the more than two film images are provided only with pixels having opacity. Method for rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the more than two film images are provided with pixels which comprise a depth value. A method of rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image according to claim 4, characterized in that a concrete output pixel of the 2D pixel image is calculated from the pixels of the more than two film images by summing the pixels of the film images in order of their depth values. Method for rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that pixels are provided in contiguous pixel regions of the film images in pixel groups in a working format. Method for rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image according to claim 6, characterized in that color values of the pixels in a first memory area and depth values in a second memory area are provided for a pixel group. A method of rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the more than two foil images are provided in a lossless compressed data format and decompressed to calculate the output pixels in the working format. Method for rendering a set of output pixels of a 2D pixel image according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the calculations are performed on a first computer and the 2D pixel image an output device of a second computer, which is different from the first computer, is output. A computer program product that can be loaded directly into the internal memory of a computer and includes software code portions that perform a method according to any one of the preceding claims when the computer program product is run on the computer.

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