JP2000152021A - Pixel color detection method and device for color image - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately detect every pixel color of a color image by deciding a designated pixel color when the maximum difference value being the maximum in the absolute value of difference among the separated color signal value is smaller than the 1st threshold and also the maximum separated color signal value is larger than the 2nd threshold. SOLUTION: A designated pixel color is decided when the maximum difference value with which the absolute value of difference is maximized between the separated color signal value is smaller than the 1st threshold and also the maximum separated color signal value is larger than the 2nd threshold after the pixel colors of a color image are separated. A color signal calculation circuit 2 of this device calculates the maximum difference value S of the RGB signals and the maximum level value L of the RGB signals for every RGB sampling operation. A color pixel detection circuit 4 decides whether an attentional pixel or block includes a colored pixel based on both value S and L. A 1st decision circuit 5 decides whether the attentional pixel or a detected block is black or not black based on the detection result of the circuit 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for detecting a pixel color of a color image for detecting a black pixel or a color pixel from each pixel in a color image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in order to reproduce a color original with a digital color copying machine with high image quality, a black line drawing (black characters and lines), a color line drawing (colored characters and lines), a picture Optimum image processing according to each area such as (dot image or photo), for example, a black line drawing part is reproduced in a single black color, a color line drawing part is colored and reproduced, and a picture part is made so as not to cause moire. It is necessary to perform processing such as reproduction adaptively. In order to perform such image processing, it is necessary to accurately separate each pixel in the color image into black line drawing / color line drawing / picture area before the image processing.

Conventionally, as an image processing apparatus utilizing this kind of area separation, there is a color image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-240175. In this apparatus, a black portion and a character portion are extracted from a color image, and an area which is a black portion and is a character portion is subjected to a single black color process. In this apparatus, in order to separate a black portion in a color image, a YMC signal after color correction of an RGB signal obtained by color separation of a color image is used, and each density level of the YMC signal is compared with a predetermined threshold value. When all three colors are equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold level, the corresponding portion is determined to be a black portion.

[0004]

Generally, in a color halftone image, halftone dots of each ink of YMC are often overlapped, and each of YMC often has a density higher than a certain level. Therefore, it is very difficult to accurately determine a color halftone image as a picture area, and a part of the color halftone image may be erroneously determined to be a black portion. Therefore, in the case of the conventional apparatus, there is a possibility that a part of a color halftone image is erroneously determined to be a black portion, and a colored portion of the color halftone image is subjected to monochromatic black processing during reproduction, thereby deteriorating the image quality of the reproduced image. there were.

[0005] The present invention has been made under the above circumstances,
An object of the present invention is to provide a color image pixel color detection method and apparatus capable of accurately detecting a black pixel or a color pixel of each pixel in a color image.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pixel color detecting method for detecting a pixel color of each pixel of a color image, comprising: Detecting the maximum difference value in which the absolute value of the difference between the values is maximum, and detecting the maximum value among the separated color signal values, wherein the maximum difference value is lower than a first threshold value and If the maximum value is higher than the second threshold, it is determined that the color is the designated pixel color.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the separated color signal is an RGB signal or a color-corrected YMC signal.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pixel color detecting device for detecting a pixel color of each pixel of a color image, comprising: Maximum difference value detection means for detecting a maximum difference value in which the absolute value between the values is maximum; maximum value detection means for detecting the maximum value among the separated color signal values; and the maximum difference value A first comparing means for comparing whether the maximum value is lower than a first threshold value, a second comparing means for comparing whether the maximum value is higher than a second threshold value, and an output when the first comparing means is low. And a color judging means for judging the designated color when the second comparing means outputs a high value.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the color separation means separates the color into RGB or color-corrected YMC.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a color image area separating apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a black pixel detecting circuit (color pixel detecting circuit) according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, an image reading unit 1
This circuit is composed of a color scanner using D or the like, and scans a color original and converts it into R (red), G (green), and B (blue) digital signals. The RGB signals read by the image reading unit 1 are sent to the color signal calculation circuit 2, and the G signal in the RGB signals is sent to the line drawing determination circuit 6 as a line drawing determination signal.

The image reading unit 1 is followed by RGB
Signals are Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan)
A circuit for color conversion into a so-called YMC signal is provided.
The color-corrected YMC signal may be used instead of the signal. In this case, an M signal is sent to the line drawing determination circuit 6 instead of the G signal.

The color signal calculation circuit 2 uses the RGB signals to calculate the maximum difference value S between the RGB signals represented by the following equation and R
This is a circuit for calculating the maximum level value L in the GB signal for each RGB sampling.

S = max (| R−G |, | GB−, | BR−) L = max (R, G, B) Here, max () takes the maximum value in (). It represents that.

The black pixel detection circuit 3 calculates the maximum difference value S and the maximum level value L obtained by the color signal arithmetic circuit 2
This is a circuit for determining whether a target pixel or a target block includes a black pixel. FIG. 2 shows a specific circuit example of the black pixel detection circuit 3.

In FIG. 2, a comparator 301 compares the maximum difference value S with a predetermined threshold value Th1, and when S <Th1, makes its output active. On the other hand, the comparator 302
Compares the maximum level value L with a predetermined threshold value Th2, and when L> Th2, makes its output active.

The AND circuit 303 comprises comparators 301 and 30
2 as an input signal, S <Th1 and L> Th
At the time of 2, the output is made active.

The density measuring circuit 304 measures the number of active pixels in an m × m matrix (for example, 4 × 4), and when the number of active pixels is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value Th3, makes its output active. An mxm matrix is defined as an active block.

As shown in FIG. 3, the correction circuit 305 measures the number of the active blocks in, for example, a 3 × 3 block using the m × m matrix as a basic block. Threshold value Th
When there are 4 or more (for example, Th4 = 2) or more, the target pixel or the target block is corrected as a black pixel or a block including the black pixel, and the detection result is used as the first determination circuit 5
Send to

The color pixel detection circuit 4 calculates the maximum difference value S and the maximum level value L obtained by the color signal calculation circuit 2 based on:
This is a circuit for determining whether a target pixel or a target block includes a colored pixel.

The color pixel detection circuit 4 can be realized by the same circuit as that shown in FIG. However, in order to detect a color pixel, as shown in parentheses in FIG. 2, thresholds Th1 to Th4 are set to different thresholds Th suitable for color pixel detection.
Change to 1 'to Th4'.

That is, the circuit shown in FIG.
Is used as the maximum difference value S
Is compared with a predetermined threshold value Th1 ', and when S>Th1', the output is activated. On the other hand, the comparator 302
Comparing the maximum level value L with a predetermined threshold value Th2 ′,
When L> Th2 ', the output is activated.

The AND circuit 303 includes comparators 301 and 30
2 as an input signal, S> Th1 'and L> T
The output is activated at h2 '.

The density measuring circuit 304 measures the number of active pixels in an m × m matrix (for example, 4 × 4), and makes its output active when the number of active pixels is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold Th3 ′. The mxm matrix is set as an active block.

As shown in FIG. 3, the correction circuit 305 measures the number of the active blocks in a 3.times.3 block using the m.times.m matrix as a basic block. Threshold value Th
When there are 4 ′ (eg, Th4 ′ = 1) or more, the target pixel or the target block is corrected to be a colored pixel or a block including a colored pixel, and the detection result is sent to the first determination circuit 5.

The first determination circuit 5 is a circuit for determining whether the target pixel or the target block is black or non-black based on the detection results of the black pixel detection circuit 3 and the color pixel detection circuit 4. When the detection result of the black pixel detection circuit 3 includes a black pixel and the detection result of the color pixel detection circuit 4 does not include a colored pixel, the target pixel or the target block is determined to be black,
Otherwise, the target pixel or block is determined to be non-black.

The line drawing determining circuit 6 is a circuit for determining whether the pixel of interest or the block of interest is a line drawing or a non-line drawing based on the G signal obtained by the image reading section 1.
FIG. 4 shows a basic circuit configuration of the line drawing determination circuit 6.
In FIG. 4, a photo / non-photo separation circuit 601 separates a photo portion and a non-photo portion (dots and line drawings) in an image.

The halftone / non-halftone separation circuit 602 separates halftone portions from non-halftone portions (photographs and line drawings). Then, the determination circuit 603 determines that the pixel of interest or the block of interest is a line drawing when it is a non-photograph and is not a halftone dot, and otherwise determines that it is a non-line drawing.

The photo / non-photo separation circuit 601 is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. Hei.
The halftone dot separation apparatus proposed by the present applicant in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-278559 is also used as the halftone / non-halftone separation circuit 602. I just need.

The character separation device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-113242 classifies each pixel on a multi-tone image into black pixels and white pixels.
A connected black pixel and a connected white pixel are detected respectively, and a pixel in which both a connected black pixel and a connected white pixel are present in a certain number or more is detected as a temporary character part pixel. When there are more than the number of pixels, the target pixel is determined to be a character portion, that is, a non-photo portion.

Further, the halftone dot separation apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-278559 discloses a pixel for forming halftone dots in a local area of a multi-tone image based on pixel density information in the local area. Is detected, and the number of detected pixels is counted in a predetermined small area unit. When the counted value is larger than a predetermined threshold value, a pixel of interest in the small area is detected as a halftone dot candidate. Each pixel is separated into halftone dots / non-halftone dots based on the distribution density of the halftone dot candidate pixels.

The second judgment circuit 7 judges whether the target pixel or the target block is a black line drawing / color line drawing / picture based on the judgment results of the first judgment circuit 5 and the line drawing judgment circuit 6, This is the circuit that performs the final area separation.

That is, when the first determination circuit 5 determines black and the line drawing determination circuit 6 determines a line drawing, the target pixel or block is determined to be a black line drawing. If the first determination circuit 5 determines that the image is non-black and the line image determination circuit 6 determines that the image is a line image, the target pixel or the target block is determined to be a color line image. If the line drawing determination circuit 6 determines that the drawing is a non-line drawing, the target pixel or the target block is determined to be a picture.

Using the results of the region separation of the black line drawing / color line drawing / pattern obtained as described above, for example, in a digital type color copier, a region determined to be a black line drawing has a high resolution with black ink. Image processing (for example, binarization processing after edge emphasis) is performed, and high resolution processing (for example, binarization processing after edge emphasis) with YMC ink is performed on an area determined as a color line image. In the area determined to be YMC ink or YMC ink + UCR black (UCR:
By performing high gradation reproduction processing (for example, dither processing after smoothing) in the undercolor removal processing, a color original can be reproduced and reproduced with high image quality.

The above description has been made by taking the case where the present invention is applied to a digital color copying machine as an example. However, the present invention is also applicable to other devices such as color image transmission and color filing systems. The present invention can be widely applied to devices and systems that require image processing according to regions.

[0036]

According to the present invention, there is provided a pixel color detecting method for detecting a pixel color of each pixel of a color image. A difference value is detected, and a maximum value among the separated color signal values is detected, and the maximum value is specified when the maximum difference value is lower than a first threshold value and the maximum value is higher than a second threshold value. Since the pixel color is determined, the pixel color of each pixel in the color image can be accurately detected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a color image area separation apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a black pixel detection circuit (color pixel detection circuit) according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a correction process in a correction circuit in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a basic configuration diagram of a line drawing determination circuit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image reading part 2 Color signal calculation circuit 3 Black pixel detection circuit 4 Color pixel detection circuit 5 Judgment circuit 6 Line drawing judgment circuit 7 Judgment circuit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A pixel color detection method for detecting a pixel color of each pixel of a color image, wherein the pixel of the color image is color-separated and the maximum value of the absolute value of the difference between the separated color signal values is maximized. Detect the difference value, and also detect the maximum value that is the maximum among the separated color signal values,
A method for detecting a pixel color of a color image, comprising: determining a specified pixel color when the maximum difference value is lower than a first threshold value and the maximum value is higher than a second threshold value. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the separated color signal is an RGB signal or a color-corrected YMC signal. 3. A pixel color detection device for detecting a pixel color of each pixel of a color image, comprising: a color separation unit for performing color separation on a pixel of the color image; and an absolute value between the color-separated color signal values. Maximum difference value detecting means for detecting a maximum maximum difference value; maximum value detecting means for detecting the maximum value among the separated color signal values; and wherein the maximum difference value is greater than a first threshold value. A first comparing means for comparing whether the maximum value is lower than a second threshold value for comparing whether the maximum value is higher than a second threshold value;
A color image, comprising: a comparison unit; and a color determination unit that determines that the color is a designated color when the first comparison unit outputs a low value and the second comparison unit outputs a high value. Pixel color detection device. 4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said color separation means separates the color into RGB or color-corrected YMC.