JP2001121756A - Image processor and image processing method and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that image processing can not be performed using the information of an object because the type of an object can not be determined when the object is converted into a bit map image through rendering. SOLUTION: Since the image processor comprises means 304 for determining the type of a write object, and a processing means 304 for adding the information of the determined type of the object to results obtained by rendering the write object in units of pixel, information concerning to the type of object can be held even after rendering, and image processing can be performed while taking account of the type of object. Since image processing can be controlled variously, e.g. black character processing, binarization or filtering, depending on the information of the type of object, reproducibility of character can be enhanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method, and a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when performing color rendering, it has been general to analyze the attributes of an object as shown in FIG. 2 and perform rendering using a color dictionary corresponding to the object.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional example, if a bitmap image is rendered and rendered, it becomes unclear what kind of object the bitmap was created from. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to accurately grasp the information, and it is difficult to perform post-processing such as accurate edge extraction.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has a discriminating means for discriminating the type of a drawing object. And processing means for adding to the rendering result of rendering.

[0005]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an internal structure of a laser beam printer (hereinafter abbreviated as LBP) applied to the present embodiment. The LBP is a data source such as a host computer (not shown). Can register a character pattern or a fixed format (form data).

Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1000 denotes an LBP main body, which inputs and stores character information (character code), form information, macro instructions, and the like supplied from an externally connected host computer; , A corresponding character pattern, form pattern, or the like is created, and an image is formed on recording paper as a recording medium.

Reference numeral 1012 denotes a switch for operation and L
An operation panel 1001 including an ED display and the like is a printer control unit 1001 for controlling the entire LBP 1000 and analyzing character information and the like supplied from the host computer. The control unit 1001 mainly converts character information into a video signal of a corresponding character pattern and outputs the video signal to the laser driver 1002. Laser driver 100
Reference numeral 2 denotes a circuit for driving the semiconductor laser 1003, and the semiconductor laser 1003 is driven in accordance with an input video signal.
The laser light 1004 emitted from 3 is switched on and off. The laser 1004 is swung right and left by a rotary polygon mirror 1005 to scan on an electrostatic drum 1006. As a result, an electrostatic latent image of a character pattern is formed on the electrostatic drum 1006. This latent image is formed for each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, developed by yellow, magenta, cyan, and black developing units 1007 around the electrostatic drum 1006, and then transferred to recording paper. A cut sheet is used as the recording paper. The cut sheet recording paper is stored in a paper cassette 1008 mounted on the LBP 1000, is taken into the apparatus by a paper feed roller 1009 and transport rollers 1010 and 1011, and is transferred to an electrostatic drum 1006. Supplied.

In the printer system configured as described above, this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 in accordance with the flowchart of FIG.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 301 denotes a PDL interpreting unit for interpreting PDL (page description language: for example, PostScript registered trademark, GDI: registered trademark) data. Three
02 is an object created by 301. 30
3 converts the 302 into an instruction 304 that can be interpreted by a rendering engine, and outputs object information (Flag) 30.
This is a graphic library to which 5 is added (for information on objects, see FIG. 4 described later). 306 is a rendering engine. 307 is (RGB each color 8
bit + object information bit (Flag) 3bi
t) / pixel bitmap image. 308
Is a pre-processing module for performing image processing for printing 307 with the printer engine 309.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the object information of 305 in detail. As object information, 3b
It is used, and bit 0 is a bit (Bitmap) indicating whether it is a Bitmap object or a Vector graphic.
The bit 1 is a bit indicating a color object or a monochrome object (referred to as a color flag). Bit 2 is Bitma
When the p flag is 0 (= Bitmap data), it indicates whether it is a non-character or a character, and the Bitmap flag is 1 (= Vec
In the case of (tor data), it is a bit (referred to as a character flag) indicating whether priority is given to gradation or resolution.

The processing procedure in the processing block shown in FIG. 3 will be described below with reference to FIG.

When the LBP 1000 receives the print data (step 502), the PDL interpreter 301 interprets the data (step 503). The PDL interpreter 301
Outputs the object 302 as a rendering command for one object in most cases (step 504). The graphic library 303 interprets the object 302 (step 505), and creates the instruction 304 to which the object information flag 305 is added based on the interpretation result (step 506). The rendering engine 306 renders the command 304 and the object information flag 305 to create the bitmap image 307 (step 5).
07). At this time, the rendering target is only the instruction 304, and the object information flag 305 is directly passed through and added to each pixel of the rendering result. The pre-processing unit 308 generates the bitmap image 3
07 is performed by the engine 309 (step 508). Specifically, RGB24bit
→ CMYK 1-bit conversion (color conversion, binarization), black character processing (in the case of a character having a pixel value that is almost black, a process of drawing a character using only black) and the like are performed. The result is printed by the 309 (step 50).
9), end the processing.

For example, if (RGB) is a value very close to 0 and the object information flag is (bit0, b
When (it1, bit2) is (0, 0, 1), it is determined that the character is a black (close to) character.
B) is set to (CMYK) = (0, 0, 0, 1), and a black monochrome output is performed to the engine.

As a result, black characters on the bit map can be reproduced well.

Further, depending on whether bit 2 of the object information flag is "0" or "1", the type of filter for the RGB signal is changed to a filter for smoothing or a filter for edge enhancement. Also, bi
The binary C depends on whether t2 is "0" or "1".
After converting each of RGB 8 bits into a CMYK multi-level signal in order to obtain a MYK signal, a binarization dither matrix for converting each of CMYK into 1 bit is divided into a type in which character dots are concentrated and a dot for gradation. May be changed depending on the type.

In the above configuration, the rendering result of the rendering engine is set to 8 bits / Pixel for each of RGB. However, it goes without saying that the same result can be obtained with a rendering engine that renders in another color space.

(Another embodiment of the present invention) A program for operating the configuration of the above-described embodiment so as to realize the functions of the above-described embodiment is stored in a storage medium, and the program stored in the storage medium is stored in a code. A processing method of reading the present embodiment and executing the present embodiment on a client computer and a server computer is also included in the category of the above-described embodiment, and a storage medium storing the above-described program is also included in the above-described embodiment.

As such a storage medium, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, and ROM can be used.

The present invention is not limited to the one which executes processing by the program alone stored in the above-mentioned storage medium, and operates on the OS in cooperation with the functions of other software and an expansion board to execute the processing of the above-described embodiment. The one that performs the operation is also included in the category of the above-described embodiment.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a determining means for determining the type of a drawing object, and a processing means for adding information on the determined type of the object to a rendering result of rendering the drawing object on a pixel basis. After that, information about the type of the object can be retained, and image processing can be performed in consideration of the type of the object.

Black characters,
Since various image processing such as binarization processing and filter processing can be controlled, reproducibility of characters and the like can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus to which a first embodiment can be applied.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a function realized by a conventional technique.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of functions realized by the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of functions realized by an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of the embodiment.

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Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An image processing apparatus comprising: a determination unit configured to determine a type of a drawing object; and a processing unit configured to add information on the determined type of the object to a rendering result of rendering the drawing object on a pixel-by-pixel basis. . 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of the drawing object includes information indicating whether the object is a bitmap or a vector graphic. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of the drawing object includes information indicating whether the object is color or black and white. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of the drawing object includes information on whether the object is a character or a character other than a character. 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of the drawing object has information indicating whether the object has priority on gradation or resolution. 6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising image processing means for performing image processing on the data of the rendering result in accordance with the information on the type of the object. 7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image processing includes a binarization process, a filter process, and a black character process. 8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the image processing outputs a monochrome black color of the rendered data when the image is regarded as a black character according to the information of the object. 9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in the image processing, whether the data rendered is subjected to a filtering for smoothing or a filtering for edge enhancement is changed in accordance with information of the object. Image processing device. 10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in the image processing, a type of a matrix size at the time of performing dither processing is changed according to object information. 11. An image processing apparatus comprising: a determination step of determining a type of a drawing object; and a processing step of adding information of the determined type of the object to a rendering result obtained by rendering the drawing object on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Method. 12. A computer-readable computer having a discrimination code for discriminating the type of a drawing object, and a processing code step of adding information on the discrimination of the determined object to a rendering result of rendering the drawing object on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Storage medium.