JP2000149002A - Medium with image processing program recorded therein, image processor and image processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce loads on a processing area management module and to obtain flexibility by successively preparing processing areas required for image processings for prestages in each image processing module. SOLUTION: A processed image is acquired at a processed image managing object P3, while executing management of divided object data at a divided image managing object P2 by a function managing object P1. A necessary area is requested for the processed image managing object P3, and divided image registration of the divided object data is executed beforehand as premises of the processing by the function managing object P1. Necessary pieces of registered divided object data are developed in a memory by the divided image managing object P2 with which information on an image area to be processed is received from the processed image managing object P3 via an magnification processing object P4, an enhancement processing object 5, and the image processing is executed by the enhancement processing object P5 and the magnification processing object P4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a medium on which an image processing program is recorded, an image processing apparatus and an image processing method, and in particular, at least two or more image processing modules are interconnected to execute each image processing. The present invention relates to a medium recording an image processing program, an image processing device, and an image processing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a computer or the like, an image is represented as image data composed of pixels arranged in a dot matrix, and predetermined image processing is executed on the image data. On the other hand, in recent years, a technique of appropriately arranging object images in a virtual dot matrix area to represent one image has been used. That is, an object image representing only a character or an object image representing an image is individually prepared, and the images are completed by overlapping in a predetermined order. When handling such images, one object image is often divided into a plurality of objects for the convenience of computer processing. This is because, for example, as the size of the object image increases, the amount of data becomes extremely large, and the processing resources are burdened to perform the processing as one. On the other hand, it is also possible for a computer to process images in a plurality of stages, and in addition to those that can be freely processed internally like applications, memory and other restrictions are imposed by drivers and modules that function as part of the operating system. Some things must be dealt with strongly. That is, when there is a restriction on a memory or the like, there is a case where image processing must be performed without connecting divided object data to generate an original object image. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a module that executes image processing requests a driver to access object data when executing processing of object data. Then, the driver that has received the request forms a predetermined processing area from the object data, and transfers this processing area to the module that has requested.

[0003]

In the prior art described above, there is only one module for executing image processing, and the driver simply forms and delivers an image area to be provided to this module. However, when there are a plurality of modules that execute different image processing, the driver has to form a predetermined processing area in accordance with a request of each module, so that the processing is complicated. The present invention
In view of the above-described problem, when each module is executed to generate predetermined image data, the processing load of the driver is reduced by preparing between the modules while notifying a processing area required for image processing. A medium, an image processing apparatus, and an image processing apparatus which record an image processing program capable of constructing a flexible image processing system by being able to appropriately reduce and increase the number of modules for executing image processing. The purpose is to provide a method.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, at least two or more image processing modules, each of which executes predetermined image processing, are connected to each other, and processing area management is performed. The module forms a predetermined processing area to be subjected to image processing from the original image data, transfers the processing area to the predetermined image processing module, executes image processing in each image processing module as appropriate, and generates modified image data by a computer. A medium in which a readable image processing program is recorded, wherein each of the image processing modules is based on an image processing area notification step of notifying a processing area required for its own image processing, and a notification in the image processing area notification step. Image processing execution processing for executing predetermined image processing on the transferred processing area and generating modified image data. And an image processing area transfer step of stacking the processing areas subjected to the image processing in the image processing execution step to form a processing area corresponding to the notification, and transferring the processing area to the image processing module receiving the notification. There is a configuration to have.

[0005] In the invention according to claim 1 configured as described above, the medium on which the image processing program is recorded is:
It comprises a processed image management module and at least two or more image processing modules. The processing image management module extracts and forms a processing area from the original image data when delivering the processing area to the image processing module while managing the original image data to be subjected to image processing. Therefore,
The image processing module may execute the image processing on the data formed by the processing area management module without knowing the data configuration of the original image data. Further, the image processing modules are connected to each other so that the processing areas subjected to the image processing can be exchanged with each other, and a predetermined response can be realized.

[0006] The above-mentioned original image data may constitute the entire image, or may comprise object images extracted from the image. Also,
The data format of the original image data may be bitmap data formed by dot matrix pixels, or vector data in which a drawn figure or the like is described by a predetermined drawing command. Yes, and can be changed as appropriate. Here, the processing area management module forms a processing area means, for example, that the original image data is for an object image included in the image and is formed by being randomly divided, An image processing module searches for a specific continuous area to be subjected to image processing from among the divided data, and connects them to form a processing area. Of course,
When the divided original image data is not randomly arranged, the above-described processing such as the search is not necessary, and the required area is divided from a predetermined position to form a processing area.

Each image processing module independently notifies a processing area management module of a processing area required for image processing, and receives a processing area formed by the processing area management module according to the notification, and receives a predetermined image processing. To generate modified image data. On the other hand, a plurality of image processing modules may be sequentially applied to a processing area formed by the processing area management module to generate modified image data. In such a case, an arbitrary image processing module executes its own image processing by appropriately using a processing area on which image processing has been performed by a plurality of image processing modules. Here, when the image processing module appropriately uses a processing area on which image processing has been performed by another image processing module, or when image processing is performed when there is no processing area to be processed between the image processing modules. Then, in the image processing area notifying step, the processing area necessary for its own image processing is notified to another image processing module or processing area management module. The image processing execution step includes:
Based on the notification in the above-described image processing area notification step, predetermined image processing is performed on the processing area transferred from another image processing module or the processing area management module to generate modified image data.

On the image processing module side receiving the notification,
The image processing area delivery step stacks the processing areas subjected to image processing in its own image processing execution step to form a processing area corresponding to the notification. Then, the processing area is delivered to the image processing module that has sent the notification. Therefore, the transferred image processing module accepts this processing area in the above-described image processing execution step and executes predetermined image processing. If this image processing module has also received a notification of a processing area from another image processing module, the image processing modules stack the processing areas subjected to image processing to form a processing area corresponding to the notification and deliver the processing area. That is, when each image processing module cannot have a processing area for performing its own image processing, the image processing module that performs the preceding image processing is notified of the necessary processing area, and the image processing module that has received the notification is notified. While executing its own image processing, the notified image processing module forms and delivers a required processing area. Of course, when none of the image processing modules can have a processing area, in the image processing of each of the image processing modules executed in a predetermined order, the last image processing module has its own processing area management module. The required processing area will be notified.

In the image processing area notifying step, it is sufficient that a notification indicating a necessary processing area can be performed to another image processing module or a processing area management module.
Various methods can be adopted as the notification method. For example,
Transmission and reception of predetermined data between the modules may be performed by inter-process communication that can be executed, or may be performed using a shared memory that can be used by each module to access the share. Of course, it is not limited to these,
What is necessary is just to implement using the resource which can be shared by each module, and can be employ | adopted suitably. The image processing execution step only needs to be able to execute predetermined image processing provided in each module on the transferred processing area, and the content of the image processing is not particularly limited. For example,
There are enhancement processing, enlargement processing, and color tone processing. Of course,
By changing parameters used for emphasis, parameters used for enlargement, and the like, each process may be plural. The image processing area delivery step is only required to be able to deliver the processing area required by the image processing module to the image processing module that has sent the notification, and the delivery method is not particularly limited,
A method of delivering the entity of the image data in the processing area may be used, or a method of delivering the image data by indirectly indicating the position where the entity is stored, instead of delivering the entity itself.

Here, the recording medium may be a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or any recording medium to be developed in the future. Also, the duplication stages of the primary duplicated product, the secondary duplicated product, and the like are equivalent without any question. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the case where the present invention is used even when the supply is performed using a communication line. further,
The concept of the present invention is not completely different even when part is software and part is realized by hardware, and part is stored on a recording medium and read as needed as needed. Such a form may be adopted.

The invention according to claim 2 is an example of a unit when the image processing area notifying step notifies another image processing module or a processing area management module of a necessary processing area. In the medium on which the program is recorded, the processing area management module includes:
When the original image data is composed of pixels arranged in a dot matrix, a processing region is formed in units of lines having a plurality of pixels, and the image processing region notification step includes a step of notifying a necessary processing region in units of the lines. It is configured to notify. In the invention according to claim 2 configured as described above, the processing area management module forms the processing area by a line unit having a plurality of pixels when the original image data is configured by pixels arranged in a dot matrix. In the image processing area notification step, a required processing area is notified on a line-by-line basis. For example, it is assumed that there are image processing modules A and B, and a notification of a processing area is sent from the image processing module A to the image processing module B and from the image processing module B to the processing area management module. In such a case, the image processing module A needs five lines of image data including the data to be referred to when generating the one-line modified image data by its own image processing. Accordingly, the image processing module B is notified to deliver a 5-line processing area. on the other hand,
If the image processing module B needs only one line of image data to generate one line of modified image data in its own image processing, the image processing module B
Notifies that the line processing area is to be delivered. Here, the processing area management module generates one line of image data from the original image data, and transfers it to the image processing module B.
Then, the image processing module B repeats the notification of the transfer of one line to the processing area management module and the image processing for five lines, and transfers the image processing to the image processing module A when the image processing for five lines is completed. As described above, the “notification” and “delivery” executed between each image processing module and the processing area management module are performed in line units.

Further, as another example of the unit in which the image processing area notifying step notifies another image processing module or a processing area management module of a necessary processing area, the invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2. 3. The medium in which the image processing program according to claim 2 is recorded, wherein the processing area management module uses a predetermined number of pixel units when the original image data is composed of pixels arranged in a dot matrix. A processing area is formed, and the image processing area notification step notifies a required processing area in the same pixel unit. In the invention according to claim 3 configured as described above, the processing area management module forms a processing area in a predetermined number of pixel units when the original image data is composed of pixels arranged in a dot matrix, The image processing area notification step notifies a required processing area in the same pixel unit. In such cases,
The above-described formation and delivery of the processing area in units of lines are performed in units of pixels. Therefore, a processing region can be formed in a smaller range.

The invention according to claim 4 is an example of a technique for expanding a processing area formed by the image processing module or the processing area management module and transferring the processing area to a partner image processing module. Wherein the processing area management module and each of the image processing modules individually form and form a processing area in a predetermined storage area. With reference to the processing area formed in the storage area of the processing module, image processing is executed in the individual storage area to generate modified image data. In the invention according to claim 4 configured as described above, the processing area management module and each image processing module develop and form a processing area individually in a predetermined storage area, and the image processing execution step includes the step of executing another image processing. Image processing is executed in the individual storage area while referring to the processing area formed in the storage area of the processing module to generate modified image data. That is, the image processing module
It suffices to secure a processing area that has been subjected to image processing by itself, and there is no need to import a processing area formed by another image processing module into its own storage area, so that the storage area can be used effectively. .

Each image processing module can independently generate modified image data. However, when performing image processing in a predetermined order and generating one modified image data, as described above, each of the image processing modules whose order is not the last, if its own image processing is completed, a processing area outside the processing target. Is no longer needed. It is preferable that the unnecessary processing areas can be sequentially released from the storage areas. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the medium storing the image processing program according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, each of the image processing modules includes a plurality of image processing modules arranged in a predetermined order. In the case where one modified image data is generated while performing sequential image processing while being connected, when its own image processing is not the last, processing areas unnecessary for image processing are sequentially released from individual storage areas. In the invention according to claim 5 configured as described above, when each image processing module connects a plurality of image processing modules and uses them in a predetermined order to generate one modified image data, each image processing module has its own image. If the processing is not the last, when the image processing is completed, the processing area outside the processing target is released from the individual storage area. As a result, the image processing module whose order is not the last does not need to expand all the processing areas in which the image processing has been completed in the storage area.
The minimum storage area required for image processing may be secured. Therefore, the storage area can be used effectively and efficiently.

The original image data managed by the processing area management module may be formed as it is, or the image may be divided at random, and the divided data may be randomly arranged to form the original image data. May be formed. The invention according to claim 6 is an example of a function of the processing area management module that is suitable when the original image data is formed by being randomly arranged as described above, according to any one of claims 1 to 5. In the medium in which the image processing program is recorded, the processing area management module is configured such that, when forming a processing area from the original image data, a processing area having a high use frequency is limited and can be used. In the invention according to claim 6 configured as described above, when forming a processing area from original image data, the processing area management module limits the frequently used ones to use. Conventionally, when a predetermined processing area is formed from randomly divided data, a processing area is formed by searching for all the divided data and extracting a portion corresponding to the processing area. Therefore, each time the processing area management module receives the notification of the processing area, it has to execute a search and form a corresponding processing area. However, after forming an arbitrary processing area, there is a high probability that the divided data including this processing area will be used for the formation of the next processing area. To The method for making this available may be realized by securing this divided data in another storage area and performing a search by searching only this storage area when searching. May be realized by holding a pointer indicating a position where the information exists.

In the case where the number of processing areas required for an arbitrary image processing module to execute its own image processing to form an area of one line is five, this image processing module still delivers the processing area. If not, the first notification requires five lines, but after performing image processing with these five lines to form one line, one line is sequentially set.
The transfer of the line is notified, and the first line is excluded from the processing target, and the image processing is executed with five new lines. In such a case, the process of notifying five lines and the process of notifying one line may be performed separately. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the medium storing the image processing program according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the image processing area notifying step notifies a processing area necessary for initial image processing. And a normal image processing area notifying step of notifying a processing area necessary at a normal time after the initial image processing. In the invention according to claim 7 configured as described above, the initial image processing area notification step notifies a processing area necessary for initial image processing. According to the above example, five lines are notified. In the normal image processing area notification step, a processing area required at normal times after the initial image processing is notified. According to the above example, one line is notified. Here, the time of the initial image processing refers to a case where the image processing module does not hold a processing area to be subjected to image processing at all, as described above.

By the way, the idea of the invention is not limited to a recording medium, but includes various aspects. For example, a medium in which such an image processing program is recorded may be used in a state of being incorporated in a certain device. . Therefore, it can be changed as appropriate, such as software or hardware. As an example of realizing the idea of the present invention, when image processing is executed by a computer or the like, predetermined image processing is executed by appropriately using software or hardware, and modified image data is converted from original image data. Is naturally present and used as an image processing apparatus for generating the image data. As an example, according to the invention according to claim 8, at least two or more image processing modules each executing predetermined image processing are connected to each other, and the processing area management module is subjected to image processing from original image data. While forming a predetermined processing area,
An image processing device that generates modified image data while transferring image data to a predetermined image processing module and appropriately performing image processing in each image processing module, wherein each of the image processing modules has a processing area required for its own image processing. Image processing area notification means for notifying the image processing area, image processing execution means for executing predetermined image processing on the processing area delivered based on the notification of the image processing area notification means, and generating modified image data, Image processing area transfer means for stacking the processing areas image-processed by the processing execution means to form a processing area corresponding to the notification, and transferring the processing area to the image processing module having received the notification. That is, the present invention is not necessarily limited to being embodied and provided in a medium in which the image processing program is recorded, and there is no difference that providing as an image processing apparatus is effective.

As described above, at least two or more image processing modules, each of which executes predetermined image processing, are connected to each other, and the processing area management module determines a predetermined processing area to be subjected to image processing from the original image data. The method of forming and transferring the image data to a predetermined image processing module, and generating the modified image data while executing the image processing in each image processing module as appropriate is not necessarily limited to a substantial device, and also functions as the method. It is easy to understand. Therefore, according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, at least two or more image processing modules each performing predetermined image processing are connected to each other, and the processing area management module is configured to execute a predetermined image processing target from the original image data. An image processing method for forming modified processing areas, transferring the image data to a predetermined image processing module, and appropriately executing image processing in each image processing module to generate modified image data. An image processing area notifying step for notifying a processing area required for image processing, and an image for performing predetermined image processing on the processing area delivered based on the notification in the image processing area notifying step to generate modified image data A processing execution step and a processing area subjected to the image processing in the image processing execution step are stacked to form a processing area corresponding to the notification. It is constituted comprising an image processing area delivery step to be passed to an image processing module receiving the same notification area. That is, there is no difference that the present invention is not necessarily limited to a substantial image processing apparatus but is also effective as an image processing method.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, when modified image data is generated by sequentially executing a plurality of image processing modules, the processing areas required for image processing in each image processing module are sequentially determined in the preceding stage. Since the image processing module is provided, the load on the processing area management module can be reduced, and there is no need to uniquely fix the order of image processing, and a computer capable of constructing a flexible image processing system can be provided. And a medium storing an image processing program which can be read. According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the processing area is specified in units of lines, the area for securing the processing area can be reduced. Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the processing area is specified in pixel units, the area for securing the processing area can be made smaller. Further, according to the invention of claim 4, since each image processing module saves the modified image data that has been subjected to the image processing in the individual storage area, it is possible to use the processing result of each image processing module. Become. Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the storage area for securing a processing area unnecessary for image processing in each image processing module is released, the storage area can be used effectively and efficiently. Become.

Further, according to the invention according to claim 6,
The processing area management module can form a processing area at high speed. Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 7, the notification function used at the time of the initial image processing and the notification function used at the time of the normal image processing are separated, so that the processing can be sped up. Further, according to the invention of claim 8, when the modified image data is generated by sequentially executing the plurality of image processing modules, the processing areas required for the image processing in each of the image processing modules are sequentially processed in the previous stage of the image processing. An image processing apparatus that can reduce the load on the processing area management module because it is prepared by the module, and does not need to unambiguously fix the order of image processing, and can construct a flexible image processing system. Can be provided. further,
According to the ninth aspect of the invention, when the modified image data is generated by sequentially executing the plurality of image processing modules, the processing areas necessary for the image processing in each image processing module are sequentially stored in the preceding image processing module. Because it is prepared, the load on the processing area management module can be reduced, and there is no need to uniquely fix the order of image processing.
An image processing method capable of constructing a flexible image processing system can be provided.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a computer system 10 as an example of hardware for realizing an image processing system to which an image processing program according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The computer system 10 includes a scanner 11a, a digital still camera 11b, and a video camera 11c as image input devices for directly inputting image data, and is connected to a computer main body 12. Each input device is capable of generating image data representing an image by dot matrix pixels and outputting the image data to the computer main unit 12. Here, the image data is displayed in 256 gradations in three primary colors of RGB. , About 167
It is possible to express 10,000 colors.

The computer main body 12 is connected to a floppy disk drive 13a, a hard disk 13b, and a CD-ROM drive 13c as external auxiliary storage devices. The hard disk 13b stores main system-related programs. Necessary programs and the like can be read from a floppy disk or a CD-ROM as needed. The computer body 1
A modem 14a is connected as a communication device for connecting the 2 to an external network or the like. The modem 14a is connected to the external network via the same public communication line, and software and data can be downloaded and introduced.
In this example, the modem 14a accesses the outside via a telephone line. However, a configuration in which a network is accessed via a LAN adapter is also possible.

Here, among the external auxiliary storage devices, the floppy disk drive 13a and the CD-ROM drive 1
Regarding 3c, the recording medium itself can be exchanged, and when supplied in a state where image data is recorded on this recording medium, it can also be a means of an image input device. Further, when accessing a network via the modem 14a or a LAN adapter, image data may be supplied from the network, and in such a case, the image data can be used as a means of an image input device. In addition, a keyboard 15a and a mouse 15b as a pointing device are connected to operate the computer main body 12, and a speaker 18a and a microphone 18b are used for multimedia.
It has. On the other hand, a display 17a and a color printer 17b are provided as image output devices.
The display 17a has a display area of 800 pixels in the horizontal direction and 600 pixels in the vertical direction, and can display the above-mentioned 16.7 million colors for each pixel. Of course, this resolution is only an example, 640 × 48
0 pixels or 1024 x 768 pixels
It can be changed as appropriate.

A color printer 1 as a printing device
Reference numeral 7b denotes an ink-jet printer which can print an image by adding dots to printing paper as a recording medium using four color inks of CMYK. Image density is 360
High-density printing such as × 360 dpi or 720 × 720 dpi is possible, but the gradation table has a two-gradation expression such as whether or not to apply color ink. The color ink is not limited to the four color inks, and it is also possible to reduce the conspicuousness of dots by using six colors including light cyan and light magenta, which are not limited to the ink jet method. It is also possible to adopt an electrophotographic method or the like. The computer main body 1 is used for displaying or outputting to an image output device while inputting an image using such an image input device.
2, a predetermined program is executed. Of these, an operating system (OS) 12a is operating as a basic program, and the operating system 12a has a display driver (DSPDRV) for displaying on the display 17a.
A printer driver (PRT DRV) 12c that causes the printer 12b and the color printer 17b to perform print output is incorporated. These drivers 12b and 12c depend on the models of the display 17a and the color printer 17b, and can be additionally changed to the operating system 12a according to each model. Further, depending on the model, additional functions beyond the standard processing can be realized. That is, it is possible to realize various additional processes within an allowable range while maintaining a common processing system on the standard system of the operating system 12a.

The application 12d is executed on the operating system 12a as the basic program. The processing contents of the application 12d are various, and include a keyboard 15a and a mouse 1 as operation devices.
5b is monitored, and when it is operated, various external devices are appropriately controlled to execute corresponding arithmetic processing and the like. Further, the processing result is displayed on the display 17a,
For example, the data is output to the color printer 17b. In such a computer system 10, image data can be acquired by reading a photograph or the like with a scanner 11a or the like, which is an image input device, and image data photographed by a digital still camera 11b or photographed by a video camera 11c can be acquired. Image data as a moving image can be obtained. Such image data is finally displayed on the display 17a as an image output device or printed by the color printer 17b. However, there are many problems such as poor image quality if the original image data is not used. In such cases, some modifications are made. This correction is generally performed by an application 12d such as photo retouching. However, in the present image processing system, the printer driver 12c performs the same processing on the object data output when the application 12d executes the printing process. Execute the correction process.

During the printing process, the application 12d outputs object data to the operating system 12a. FIG. 2 shows a change in the processing unit of a print image. I.
Are divided object data a (1) to a for convenience of processing.
(N), and is output as raster data b (1) to b (n) that can be processed by the color printer 17b through the processing of the printer driver 12c. FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of the system in a state where the printer driver 12c is incorporated in the operating system 12a. The function management object P1 provided by the printer driver 12c is accessed from the API layer. P1 acquires a processed image by the processed image management object P3 while managing the divided object data by the divided image management object P2. When acquiring this processed image, the function management object P1
A required area is requested for the divided object data, and a divided image registration process is executed in advance on the divided object data as a premise of the process. That is, in order for the processed image management object P3 to notify the divided image management object P2 of the image area to be processed via the enlargement processing object P4 and the enhancement processing object P5 for executing the actual image processing, the divided image management object P3 In P2, only necessary ones of the already registered divided object data are expanded on the memory to be usable, and the expanded processing object P5 and the enlarged processing object P4 execute image processing using the expanded result. Will do.

FIG. 4 shows input divided object data and acquired processed images. In the figure,
When the original image is called a source image and the image on which the enlargement processing and the enhancement processing are performed is called a destination image, the input divided object data is divided into nine S-Units. . a to i. Here, the destination image can be processed as one, but in this case as well, it is assumed that the destination image is divided and processed, and each divided image is referred to as D-Unit. Call them AC. D-Unit. AC
It is necessary that the image area before processing is available to obtain the image data, but what is input is S-Unit. a
To i, and it is not known whether all are available. Therefore, the corresponding S-U from the processed image management object P3 to the divided image management object P2
nit. a-i are requested to be made available, and the S-Area. a to c. However, this S-Area. a to c are D-Unit. It does not coincide with A to C but includes the peripheral region. The reason why the peripheral area is included is that the image cannot be processed only by the processing target pixel when performing the image processing by the enlargement processing object P4 and the enhancement processing object P5, and the surrounding pixels must be referred to. is there.

Next, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show the peripheral area referred to in each image processing. Although specific processing contents are not described in detail, in the enhancement processing shown in FIG. 5, it is necessary to refer to one pixel upward and left and two pixels right and downward with respect to the target pixel. In addition, in the enlargement processing shown in FIG. 6, it is necessary to refer to one pixel rightward and leftward and downward, and two pixels upward, based on the target pixel. As a specific example of a calculation that needs to refer to the peripheral region, a filtering process is given. Applying to the example of the enhancement process and the enlargement process in this case, a filter for 4 × 4 pixels is used in the enhancement process, and a filter for 3 × 4 pixels is used in the enlargement process.
It can be said that a peripheral area is required. FIG. 7 shows a process in which a required area is notified from the processed image management object P3 to the divided image management object P2. In the figure,
When the finally acquired area of the processed image is requested to the processed image management object P3 as the first required area S-Area ', the processed image management object P3 notifies the enlarged processing object P4 of the request. Then, in the enlargement processing object P4, when its own enlargement magnification is 2 times, the image area which is the source of the necessary area S-Area 'is 1/2 times. However, the pixel to refer to is above,
The emphasis processing object P5 is notified that the right, lower, and left pixels are 1, 2, 2, and 1 pixels, respectively. Since the enhancement processing object P5 does not perform enlargement, what is originally required is an image area required for the enlargement processing object P4.
a ′, and (1, 1)
2, 2, 1) pixels. However, it is necessary to refer to the peripheral region by itself, and (2,
(1,1,1) The divided image management object P by adding pixels
Notify 2. That is, the image area S-Area to which such correction has been made is an area obtained by adding a half area of the necessary area S-Area 'and (3,3,3,2) pixels of the peripheral area thereof. . Of course, the size of such a peripheral area is determined by the enlargement processing object P4 and the enhancement processing object P.
In the other calculation examples, two pixels are required for the upper, lower, left, and right in the enhancement processing, while one pixel is required for the upper and left sides and two pixels for the right and lower parts in the enlargement processing. Some do.

On the other hand, the divided image management object P2
Individual divided object data is input via the function management object P1, and while managing information as an area, the entity is stored in a spool file to register a divided image. Since the spool file is stored on the hard disk 13b, other processing objects cannot be directly referred to or used. However, the divided image management object P2 is developed on a memory so that the image area S-Area notified as described above can be used by another object. At this time, the required image area S-Area
Is not developed on the memory as it is, as shown in FIG. 8, S-Unit. Is sufficient to include the image area S-Area. a to i are checked, and all applicable S-Unit. a to i are expanded on the memory. Here, if the number of divided object data is small, S-Unit. That includes the image area S-Area. a
It is easy to determine which i is. Each S-
Unit. The entity data of a to i is stored in the hard disk 13
b, the header information on each area is stored in a table as shown in FIG. Each table has the following S-Unit. A pointer next_ptr indicating the information start position of a to i is provided. Originally, by following this pointer, all S
-Unit. a to i can be referred to, but each S-Unit. a to i are image areas S-Area
It is necessary to repeat some comparison operations to determine whether or not they overlap with a part of, and the number of operations becomes large. On the other hand, not all S-Unit. There is no need to compare with a to i, and in reality S-Uni to be referred to
t. a to i are limited. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9, when the S-Area is developed,
Unit. It is only necessary to refer to a to i, and the pointer next_pt in this table is temporarily
r is changed.

In this embodiment, the pointer next
_Ptr to refer to the S-Unit. a-i are transferred to form an S-Area indirectly. a
Ｉi is specified, and a configuration capable of generating an S-Area at a high speed is adopted. However, a method of generating an S-Area at a high speed is, of course, not limited. As shown in FIG. 21, the S-Unit. a ~
i may be stored in a memory such as a main memory or a cache memory that can be accessed relatively faster than a hard disk, and may be referred to when the S-Area is generated. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. Unit. a to i
D1 to D9, and the S-Units. It is also possible to form an ID table in which a to i are arranged in such an order that an original image of a source image can be formed, and refer to the ID table when generating an S-Area.

As described above, all the SUs including the image area S-Area when the divided image management object P2 includes the image area S-Area
nit. When a to i are expanded on the memory, the enhancement processing object P5 executes the enhancement processing, and then the enlargement processing object P4 executes the enlargement processing. In the enhancement processing, (2, 1, 1, 1) pixels are required as the peripheral area of the target pixel, and the image area generated as a result of the enhancement processing is shown in FIG.
As shown by 0, the peripheral area is an area within a broken line excluding (2, 1, 1, 1) pixels. Similarly, in the enlargement processing, (1, 2, 2, 1) pixels are required as the peripheral area of the target pixel, and the image area generated as a result of the enhancement processing is defined as the peripheral area as shown in FIG. 1,2,
(2, 1) This is the area within the broken line with the pixels omitted. Of course, since the enlargement process generates interpolation of grid points inside,
The obtained processed image is enlarged twice in length and width, and as a result, it coincides with the first necessary area S-Area '.

Next, another embodiment in which the divided image management object P2 develops the S-Area on the memory will be described. FIG. 23 shows a schematic configuration of the system in a state where the printer driver 12c in this embodiment is incorporated in the operating system 12a. In the figure,
The API management layer accesses the function management object P100 provided by the printer driver 12c from the API layer. The function management object P100 manages the divided object data by the divided image management object P200 and enlarges and adjusts the color tone from the processed image management object P300. Image data on which the image processing related to
The image data for each line is acquired, and the acquired image data for each line is stacked to generate image data for forming a destination image.

More specifically, in each module, the color tone processing object P500 is
A color tone process is performed on the predetermined line-unit image data transferred from the unit 200 to form predetermined line-unit image data and transferred to the enlargement processing object P400. Next, the enlargement processing object P400 performs enlargement processing on the image data on which the color tone processing has been performed,
One line of image data is formed and transferred to the processed image management object P400, and the function management object P100
Generates a destination image by acquiring and accumulating image data line by line from the processed image management object P300.

Here, in the present embodiment, the enlargement processing object P400 needs five lines of image data including the one line and the reference line in order to generate one line of image data after the enlargement processing. . Accordingly, the delivery of the five lines of image data is notified to the color tone processing object P500. In addition, since the tone processing object P500 generates image data of one line after the tone processing, only the image data of the one line may be used. Therefore, it is requested that the divided image management object P200 deliver one line of image data. Of course, the number of lines required in these processes is
It is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately changed according to the processing content of each object.

Next, FIG. 24 shows the input divided object data and the obtained processed image. In the figure, the original image is called a source image, and the processed image that has been subjected to the enlargement process and the color tone process is called a destination image. The input divided object data is divided into nine S-Units. A to I. here,
Although the destination image can be processed integrally, in the present embodiment, the destination image is divided into lines and generated for each line, and the images generated for each line are stacked to form the final destination image. Is generated. Also, each divided image in units of lines that divides the destination image is referred to as a D-line. 0-n
Call. Here, n is an integer and indicates the total number of lines of the generated destination image. First, D
-Line. In order to obtain 0, the processed image management object P300 sets 1
Notify the delivery of the line. Here, the enlargement processing object P400 needs the image data of five lines as described above to execute the enlargement processing of one line. Therefore, the transfer of the five lines is notified to the next color tone processing object P500. Since the color tone processing object P500 can process one line of image data when executing the color tone processing, it notifies the divided image management object P200 of the delivery of the one line of image data.

Then, the divided image management object P20
0 is the divided image data S-Unit. A predetermined image data of one line is formed from A to I and transferred to the color tone processing object P500. Color tone processing object P500
Performs color tone processing on the transferred one-line data, and when the color tone processing is completed, the enlargement processing object P4
Since five lines are requested from 00, the divided image management object P
Notifying 200 that one line has been delivered, the divided image management object sequentially generates one line in accordance with the request and delivers it to the color tone processing object. Then, the color tone processing object P500 sequentially executes color tone processing on the transferred one-line image data. Color tone processing object P500
Transfers the five lines to the enlargement processing object P400 when the color tone processing for the five lines is completed. The enlargement processing object P400 performs the emphasis processing of the first line with reference to the last four lines of the transferred five lines. Then, both the color tone processing and the emphasis processing were performed.
A destination image of the line is generated and transferred to the processed image management object P300.

When a destination image of the first one line is generated, a destination image is generated for each line up to n lines. In generating this one-line image, the processed image management object P300 notifies the enlargement processing object P400 of the delivery of one line. Here, the enlargement processing object P400 has already delivered the five lines for which the color tone processing has been completed. Therefore, in order to treat the first one of the five lines as unreferenced and to perform the enlarging process on the second line, the tone processing object P5
00 is notified of the delivery of one line. Upon receiving this notification, the color tone processing object P500 notifies the divided image management object P200 of the delivery of one line.
The divided image management object P200 includes the S-Unit.
A predetermined line is formed from A to I, and transferred to the tone processing object P500. Color tone processing object P50
0 performs the color tone processing on the transferred one line and transfers it to the enlargement processing object P400. The enlargement processing object P400 adds the transferred one line to the end of the already transferred four lines to form a processing area of five lines, and performs the enlargement processing on the second line described above. When the enlarging process is completed for the second one line, it is transferred to the processed image management object P300. Function management object P10
A value 0 indicates that the destination image is generated by sequentially stacking the line-by-line image data on which each process has been performed by each object acquired by the processed image management object P300.

As described above, first, the divided image management object P200 develops and transfers a one-line image area on the memory to the tone processing object P500, and the tone processing object P500 executes the tone processing, and When five lines of image data are generated in the processing object P500, the enlargement processing object P40
0 and execute the enlargement process. Then, one line of image data generated from five lines is delivered to the processed image management object P300. Thereafter, a one-line delivery notification and formation between the processed image management object P300, the enlargement processing object P400, the color processing object P500, and the divided image management object P200, or the one-line image data on which the image processing has been executed Are successively delivered in the reverse direction, and are stacked by the function management object P100 to generate a destination image. In the present embodiment, one line of image data transferred from the divided image management object P200 to the color processing object P500 and five lines or one line of image data transferred from the color processing object P500 to the enlargement processing object P400 are S-Area. Needless to say, it constitutes. Further, in the present embodiment, the order in which the image processing is executed is set as the color processing object P500 → the enlargement processing object P400. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, only one of the enlargement processing object P400 and the color tone processing object P500 may be executed by a predetermined setting.

FIG. 12 shows the printer driver 12c.
Shows the flow of the procedure in. Although FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of the printer driver 12c in a state where the printer driver 12c is incorporated in the operating system 12a, FIG. The process is divided into a process close to the function of the driver and a process close to the additional function, and the driver function is summarized in the left column, and the module function is summarized in the right column. That is, in procedure 1, there is a source image acquisition process as a driver function, which can be said to be a function of the function management object P1 and the divided image management object P2. Next, the procedure 2 includes a photo instance acquisition process, which is for confirming a current execution target to be processed separately and in parallel for each object image.

The above corresponds to the pre-processing, and the processing flow is as follows. In step 3, the processing image area is notified from the module side to the driver side as described above. The driver registers the source images (S-Unit. A to i) including
Subsequently, in procedure 5, an emphasis process and an enlargement process are executed as image processing. In the image processing, evaluation is performed on the entire object image, and processing is performed based on the evaluation result. For example, if a certain object image is entirely dark, it may be adjusted to be bright by image processing. In this case, since the object image has been divided into divided object data,
Evaluate each object data at once,
While individually evaluating object data, it is necessary to finally summarize the evaluation for each object image.

Originally, the correspondence between the divided object data and the object image is usually not assigned, and this association must be performed by the printer driver 12c. As one method of this association,
There is a method of expanding the divided object data in the virtual area to connect the object images, and another method of judging whether or not the divided object data is the same object image based on the overlapping or adjacent state of the divided object data. Which method is adopted depends on the difference of the system.

On the other hand, as described above, in order to evaluate an object image for image processing, it is effective and simple to sample pixel information over the entire object image. Such sampling may be performed before or after the correspondence between the object image and the divided object data is known. That is, sampling can be performed for each divided object data before the corresponding relationship is known, and the sampling results can be integrated after the corresponding relationship is known. Can also be sampled. As described above, the execution timing of the sampling varies depending on the conditions, and is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 12 corresponding to the three executable timings. It should be noted that it is also possible to prepare a sampling module, even if it is performed on the driver side.

The image processing in step 5 is executed using this sampling result, and the generated image is registered as a destination image in step 6. Then, the registered destination image is output on the driver side in step 7. Then, when the destination image is finally obtained, the source image is released from the memory in step 8. Here, the release timing of the source image is not particularly limited. For example, one SA
If registration / release is performed for each area, the memory area used can be reduced, but the operation is troublesome. On the other hand, when the used memory area is less limited, it can be said that the work of registration / release need not be performed frequently.

In the above-described example, the necessary area is notified in the sense of acquiring the destination image, and the generated destination image may be expanded to an arbitrary memory area. On the other hand, there are cases where it is desired to execute the enlargement processing on the spool file itself. in this case,
The enlarged image may be added to the spool file, and the pointer of the original image file may be linked to the enlarged image file. For example, it is assumed that there is a process of reading a spool file to construct a virtual image, performing image processing, and then rewriting the original spool file. In such a case, if the enlargement processing is performed on the image file in the spool file, it is not necessary to realize the enlargement processing on the virtual image. However, if the enlargement process is performed, the image file becomes larger than the image file in the spool file, and cannot be rewritten with the enlarged image file. Therefore, the enlarged image data is added after the spool file, and the pointer link is changed.

Next, a specific method of the enlargement processing will be described. Generally, a process of generating a new pixel between lattices of an image composed of pixels in a dot matrix is widely called an enlarging process. This is to solve the problem that when the resolution of the display 17a and the resolution of the color printer 17b are different from each other, they are not displayed in a certain size if assigned in pixel units. Here, the following method is known for the enlargement processing. 1. Nearest neighbor interpolation method (simple inflated copy)

2.3 Third-order convolution interpolation (hereinafter referred to as cubic interpolation) The former method is the mathematically fastest enlargement method, and the latter method is capable of obtaining a beautiful enlargement result. It has a feature that it requires a large amount of calculation and takes time. In any case, these are called filter processing in the technical term of image processing. Here, FIG.
3 and FIG. 14 show the principle of generating an enlarged image A from an unenlarged image a using separate filters [1] and [2]. In this case, one point of the image A after the enlargement can be obtained by applying the filters [1] and [2] using the several points of the image a before the enlargement. Therefore, the calculation is essentially repeated for all the pixels of the enlarged image A.

By the way, there should be a difference between the processing results of the filters [1] and [2]. That is, the former appears to be rough and the latter appears to be smooth. However, when printing is performed using the enlargement result, the difference cannot always be recognized due to the limit of human eye recognition. That is, the filter [2] which requires an advanced operation
There is a case where the difference between the enlargement results cannot be recognized between the case where the enlargement is performed only by one and the case where the enlargement is performed using both the filters [1] and [2]. FIG. 15 illustrates the latter procedure,
An enlargement process is performed on the original image a using the filter [2] to generate an image a 'once, and then an enlargement process is performed using the filter [1] to obtain the image A. ing. Needless to say, the enlargement process of the filter [2] requires cubic interpolation, so that the enlargement process of the filter [1] may be realized by a driver. In this case, of course, a difference can be seen by the naked eye depending on the magnification of the filter [1] and the filter [2]. However, if the combination is in a range where such a difference is not known, the filter [2] requiring a long processing time is used. Since the area of the generated image a 'is small, high-speed processing can be expected. This is because the amount of calculation increases in proportion to the area of the image after the enlargement processing.

FIG. 16 shows the arrangement of existing grid points and interpolation points in the case of cubic interpolation, and Expression 1 shows the filter processing of the cubic interpolation by a matrix operation formula.

(Equation 1) Note that the function f (t) is represented by f (t) = {sin (πt) π / πt, and by replacing U or V with W, t0 = 1 + (W− | W |) t1 = ( W− | W |) t2 = 1− (W− | W |) t3 = 2− (W− | W |)

Such a tertiary interpolation operation generally requires a large amount of operation, but can be speeded up depending on the position of the interpolation point, and more specifically, is limited to an integral multiple. Throughput can be significantly reduced. Here, the integral multiple is a magnification at which the origin is placed on the intersection of the grid lines, and does not mean the ratio of the number of grid points before and after the enlargement processing. FIG. 17 is a two-fold enlargement in this definition, and FIG. 18 is a three-fold enlargement. In the figure, the large white circle is the origin, and the small black circle is the interpolation point. As can be seen from these figures, at the magnification of an integral multiple, some of the interpolation points are arranged on the grid lines. Hereinafter, specific speed-up means will be described.

(1) Simplification of Calculation of Interpolation Points on Grid Lines In the case of enlargement by an integral multiple, some interpolation points are arranged on grid lines. Therefore, Equation 1 is simplified (the amount of calculation is reduced). That is, the fact that the interpolation point exists on the grid line means that W (either U or V) becomes zero. Therefore, t0 = 1, t1 = 0, t2 = 1, and t3 = 2. At this time, f (t) is as follows from the above equation. f (0) = 1, f (1) = 0, f (2) = 0 Therefore, the interpolation point on the X axis when the Y axis is on the grid line is

(Equation 2) The interpolation point on the Y-axis when it is on the grid line with respect to the X-axis is

(Equation 3) Will be calculated by As is clear from the equations (2) and (3), it is possible to simplify the calculation of the enlargement processing.

(2) Speedup by Preparing a Plurality of Filters Interpolation points located on a grid line at integer multiples are the most unique example. By providing point-by-point filtering,
Since f (t) can be converted to a constant, arithmetic processing can be sped up. In such a case, if f (t) is converted into a constant,

(Equation 4) Will be represented by Here, A to D, K
ＮN can be uniquely determined by the location W of the interpolation point, and may be calculated in advance and stored in a table.

Here, referring to FIG. 17 for the case of double magnification in the enlargement processing, it is necessary to interpolate four points locally.
In case of enlargement, four filters are prepared. FIG. 19 shows this in a diagram. Assuming that a plurality of filter processes are prepared, f (t) can be made constant. The concrete speed-up realized by making f (t) constant is based on the following reasons. First, f
(T) can be made constant, and the speed itself can be increased. This is because conversion of f (t) into a constant means removal of the operation of the cubic interpolation function represented by f (t). Next, it is possible to increase the speed by changing the operation type. In general, even for the same multiplication for the CPU,
"Constant * variable" is faster than "variable * variable". Therefore, it can be seen from the comparison of Equations 1 and 4 that Equation 4 is faster. Further, the speed can be increased by substituting the multiplication of “constant * variable” in the operation table by conversion to one constant.

The effects of the above speeding up can be summarized as follows. According to the conventional method of performing one filter process in order to obtain one interpolation point, calculation of a cubic interpolation function and calculation of “variable * variable” 20 times are required. However, as described above, when a plurality of filter processes are assumed, it can be realized by 16 accesses to the operation table and 4 operations of “constant * variable”. Therefore, speedup can be realized by preparing a plurality of filters. In addition, the simplification of the calculation of the interpolation points on the grid lines described above can be realized by preparing a plurality of filter processes in the same manner. And speedup by preparing such a plurality of filter processes,
Speeding up by simplifying the equation for the interpolation point on the grid line is effective for any multiple that is an integer multiple.

(3) Other high-speed operations (a) Simplification of the arithmetic expression of a unique interpolation point in 2 n-times magnification In 2 n-times magnification (n is an integer of 1 or more), The interpolation point is placed on a grid line (dashed line in FIG. 17) connecting the origin at the side and a point at a half of the origin.
On the X axis,

(Equation 5) And on the Y axis,

(Equation 6) Will be represented by In this case, by utilizing the symmetry of the vector, it is possible to: • access the calculation table sixteen times;

(B) Saving of Operation Amount by Saving Operations Common to Each Filter As described above, it is possible to increase the speed by preparing filters for the number of interpolation points. As a result, the amount of calculation can be reduced. (C) Example of speeding up in quadruple magnification FIG. 20 shows a coding example in quadruple magnification. The lines to which the above-described acceleration is specifically applied are annotated. In other words, the speed-up is expressed by the following techniques: copy of origin, simplified formula on grid lines, storage of computations that can be shared between filters, and simplified formula of singular point multiplied by 2 n.

As described above, the processing amount can be considerably reduced by limiting the interpolation to an integral multiple. Therefore, it has been found that locally specifying the interpolation position is effective for speeding up. In the case of applying the method of interpolation expansion by such an integral multiple, it is conceivable that the present invention is not limited to the interpolation of an integral multiple, but may be applied to the interpolation of a small number of times. Here, in another embodiment of the enlargement processing, a small number of times, specifically 1.
Consider a 25-fold interpolation magnification. FIG. 25 shows the local operation in the 1.25-fold interpolation enlargement. In the figure, the local 1.25 times means that the origin of four points is made five points including one interpolation point. That is, this means that the origin of 16 points is enlarged to 25 points including the interpolation points on the plane.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 25, the coordinates of the interpolation point can be estimated in advance, and the efficiency of the operation and the reduction of the amount of operation can be reduced in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment using the integral multiple of interpolation. It is. Therefore, it is sufficient to prepare an optimum filter for each interpolation point.
Here, a filter for each interpolation point is called a child filter, and 25 pixels including the interpolation points are generated from the 16 origins. The whole filter using these child filters is called a filter 16to25. Here, the vector elements required for the child filters forming the filters 16 to 25 are shown. 1024 multiplied vector elements required for obtaining P1 to P5 P1: {0, 1024, 0, 0} P2: {VA, VB, VC, VD} P3: {VE, VF, VG, VH} P4 : {VH, VG, VF, VE} P5: {VD, VC, VB, VA} VA to VH are constants previously obtained from the three-dimensional interpolation function and its interpolation position.

As described above, in order to increase a certain image by 1.25 times, the filters 16 to 25 are periodically passed through 16 points. However, it is self-evident that, in general, there is an extra area that cannot pass through the filters 16 to 25. Therefore, when applying the filter 16to25, the influence of the reference pixel must be considered. Since the surplus area passes through another filter, the uniformity is lost and distortion occurs. However, it is assumed that this is within the error range of the human eye.

Here, the relationship between the size of the source image and the size of the destination image when passing through the filters 16 to 25 will be described. Assuming that the length of one side of the source image is sL, the length dL of one side of the destination image obtained through the filter 16to25 is as follows. DL = {(sL-1) / 4 {* 5 + 1}} is an integer part... However, if there are a plurality of continuous local places and there is no influence of the reference pixel, dL = {sL / 4} * 5 (2)

Next, it will be verified that 1.25-times interpolation enlargement is performed when the number of pixels forming the image data is a multiple of four. Specifically, in the present embodiment, "1280 pixels * 960 pixels", which is required due to interpolation expansion of a digital camera, is interpolated / expanded by 1.25 times, and corrected to "1600 pixels * 1200 pixels". Verify that In such a case, when N is an integer, the X coordinate and the Y coordinate are 4 * N pixels equal to 5
* N is converted to the number of pixels. Substituting 4 * N for sL using equation (2), dL_1 = [4 * N / 4] * 5 (3) = [N] * 5 = 5 * N It can be seen that a typical 1.25 times is available. However, when considering the overall size, equation (1)
DL_2 = [4 * (N-1) / 4] * 5 + 1 (4) = [N-1 / 4] * 5 + 1 (4-1) ) = 5 * N−4 (4-2) Equation (4-2) shows a state where four pixels are insufficient as the destination image, and equation (4-1) shows (N−
1) This indicates that the light passes through the filter 16 to 25 only once. From this, filter 1 in the source image
Pixels to which 6to25 can be applied are 4 * (N−
It can be seen that 1) point and 4N−4 (N−1) = 4 points remain unprocessed. The pixels that can be extracted by the filters 16 to 25 as the destination image are:
5 * (N-1), which means that 5N-5 (N-1) = 5 points cannot be generated. Therefore, the remaining 4
It is necessary to consider a method of generating five missing points in the destination image from the points.

FIG. 26 shows a method for generating five missing points in the destination image from the remaining four points in the source image. In the figure, three points are locally changed to four points, that is, interpolation enlargement of 4/3 = 1.333... Times (hereinafter 1.3 times). Here, the vector elements necessary for the local 1.3 times interpolation enlargement are as follows. 1024 vector elements required for obtaining P1 to P4 P1: {0, 1024, 0, 0} P2: {VK, VL, VM, VN} P3: {VX, VY, VY, VX} P4 : {VN, VM, VL, VK} VK to VN, VX, VY are constants previously obtained from the three-dimensional interpolation function and its interpolation position.

From the above, for the portion that could not be processed by the filter 16to25, the filter 12to25X in the X direction and the filter 12to25Y in the Y direction.
Use In addition, a filter 9to16 is used for a portion that cannot be multiplied by 1.25 in both the X and Y directions. Here, a correlation diagram showing the correlation between the origin and the interpolation point when using the filter 12to15Y is shown in FIG.
25X is a figure rotated 90 degrees. ). in this way,
In the 1.25-times interpolation enlargement, 1.25-times and 1.3-times interpolation enlargement is performed locally. In such a case, the filter 16to25, the filter 12to20X, the filter 12
When to20X and the filter 9to16 are used, interpolation enlargement becomes possible, and accordingly, it is possible to realize high-speed interpolation enlargement processing.

If necessary vector elements are collected by these filters, 14 vector elements are required. Therefore, each vector element is multiplied by 0 to 255, 2
The number of operations can be reduced by using 14 operation tables formed from 56 elements. Here, assuming that the size of one element of this operation table is 4 bytes, the size of one operation table is 1024 bytes (1 KB). Since there are 14 of these, the memory required for the operation table is 14 KB.

As described above, each management object P100
To P300, and each image processing object P400, P5
00, the objects P300 to P500 define processing areas necessary for their own image processing as objects P200, P400, and P5.
Request 00. Then, the requested object receives a predetermined area formed by the divided image management object P200 or receives the object P400, P
500 receives a delivery of a processing area formed by stacking image processing performed by itself. Therefore, each object only needs to connect to the preceding and succeeding objects and deliver the requested processing area, and the processing configuration can be simplified. In addition, each object only needs to be able to exchange data with the object connected before and after.
Since there is no need to modify 100 to P300, a flexible image processing system can be constructed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system that executes an image processing program according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a change in a processing unit of a print image.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer driver in a state where the printer driver is incorporated in an operating system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a processing unit of an image.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a peripheral area necessary for the emphasis processing.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a peripheral area necessary for the enlargement processing.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a process of notifying a necessary area from a module side to a driver side.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a relationship between S-Area and S-Unit.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an S-Unit pointer table.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a substantial processing target area when an emphasis process is performed.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a substantial processing target area when the enlargement processing is performed.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a procedure flow in a printer driver.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an enlargement process by a first filter process.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an enlargement process by a second filter process.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an enlargement process by two-stage filtering.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between grid points and interpolation points for cubic interpolation.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the relationship between grid points and interpolation points for double interpolation.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between grid points and interpolation points for triple interpolation.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an enlargement process by cubic interpolation using four filter processes.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a coding example in quadruple magnification.

FIG. 21 is a diagram in a case where an S-Unit to be processed is separately stored.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a processing area table of S-Unit.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer driver in a state where the printer driver is incorporated in an operating system according to another embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a processing unit of an image in another embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing the relationship between grid points and interpolation points for 1.25-times interpolation.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between grid points and interpolation points of 1.3-times interpolation.

FIG. 27 is a correlation diagram showing a correlation between an origin and an interpolation point when using filters 12to15Y.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Computer System 11a Scanner 11a2 Scanner 11b Digital Still Camera 11b1 Digital Still Camera 11b2 Digital Still Camera 11c Video Camera 12 Computer Body 12a Operating System 12b Display Driver 12c Printer Driver 12d Application 13a Floppy disk drive 13b Hard disk 13c CD-ROM drive 14a Modem 14a2 Modem 15a Keyboard 15b Mouse 17a Display 17b Color printer 18a Speaker 18b Microphone

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference)

Claims (9)

[Claims] At least two or more image processing modules each performing predetermined image processing are connected to each other, and a processing area management module forms a predetermined processing area to be subjected to image processing from original image data. And a computer-readable image processing program that transfers the image processing module to a predetermined image processing module, executes image processing in each image processing module as appropriate, and generates modified image data. The image processing area notification step of notifying the processing area required for its own image processing, and the predetermined image processing is performed on the processing area delivered based on the notification in the image processing area notification step, and the modified image data Image processing execution step of generating A computer-readable image processing program, comprising: an image processing area transfer step of forming a processing area corresponding to the notification by looking up, and transferring the processing area to the image processing module receiving the notification. Medium on which is recorded. 2. The medium in which the image processing program according to claim 1 is recorded, wherein the processing area management module includes a plurality of pixels when the original image data is composed of pixels arranged in a dot matrix. A recording medium for recording an image processing program, wherein a processing area is formed in units of lines having the following, and the image processing area notification step notifies a required processing area in units of the line. 3. The medium in which the image processing program according to claim 1 is recorded, wherein the processing area management module, when the original image data is composed of pixels arranged in a dot matrix, a predetermined number of pixels. A medium in which an image processing program is recorded, wherein a processing area is formed in pixel units, and the image processing area notification step notifies a required processing area in the pixel units. 4. A medium in which the image processing program according to claim 1 is recorded, wherein the processing area management module and each image processing module individually store processing areas in a predetermined storage area. The image processing execution step generates image data by executing image processing in the individual storage area while referring to the processing area formed in the storage area of another image processing module. A medium having recorded thereon an image processing program. 5. A medium in which the image processing program according to claim 1 is recorded, wherein each of the image processing modules connects a plurality of image processing modules in a predetermined order and sequentially executes image processing. In the case of generating one modified image data while executing the processing, when the self image processing is not the last, an image processing program characterized by sequentially releasing processing areas unnecessary for image processing from individual storage areas is recorded. Medium. 6. A medium in which an image processing program according to claim 1 is recorded, wherein said processing area management module determines a use frequency when forming a processing area from said original image data. A medium on which an image processing program is recorded, which is limited to those expensive. 7. A medium on which the image processing program according to claim 1 is recorded, wherein said image processing area notifying step notifies an image processing area necessary for initial image processing. A medium in which an image processing program is recorded, comprising: an area notifying step; and a normal image processing area notifying step of notifying a normal processing area required after the initial image processing. 8. At least two or more image processing modules each performing a predetermined image processing are connected to each other, and a processing area management module forms a predetermined processing area to be subjected to image processing from original image data. And an image processing device that passes the image processing module to a predetermined image processing module and generates modified image data while appropriately performing image processing in each image processing module. Image processing area notifying means for notifying a processing area, and image processing executing means for executing predetermined image processing to generate modified image data for the processing area delivered based on the notification of the image processing area notifying means, The processing areas subjected to image processing by the image processing execution means are stacked to form a processing area corresponding to the notification, and the processing area is received by the notification. The image processing apparatus characterized by comprising an image processing area delivery means to be passed to the image processing module. 9. At least two or more image processing modules each performing predetermined image processing are connected to each other, and a processing area management module forms a predetermined processing area to be subjected to image processing from original image data. An image processing method for transferring the image processing module to a predetermined image processing module, executing image processing in each image processing module as appropriate, and generating modified image data. An image processing area notification step of notifying an area; an image processing execution step of executing predetermined image processing to generate modified image data for the processing area delivered based on the notification in the image processing area notification step; The processing areas subjected to image processing in the image processing execution step are stacked to form a processing area corresponding to the notification, and the processing area is received the notification. An image processing method characterized by comprising an image processing area delivery step to be passed to the image processing module.