JP2003101681A - Image communicating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image communicating apparatus that can speedily grasp the details of received image data for verification, can output only the required images, and has improved working efficiency. SOLUTION: A control apparatus 14 generates thumbnail data from image data that are read by an image read apparatus 19 and image data that are captured by a digital camera. The thumbnail data are inserted into a comment marker (COM), that is a marker code included in JPEG images, and is transmitted along with image data by the control apparatus 14 and a modem 13. A printing apparatus 16 outputs the received thumbnail data, and a user can select image data to be outputted based on the outputted thumbnail data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus for transmitting and receiving images, particularly images including halftones and image data such as color images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a facsimile machine,
Standardized JPEG is used for image data to be transmitted, particularly image data such as monochromatic halftone images and color images.
A JPEG image compressed by the (Joint Photographic Experts Group) method is used.

Conventionally, as described in JP-A-5-122505, the size of image data to be transmitted is reduced or cut out, and set according to the resolution and display size of the display device of the transmission destination. As a result, a facsimile apparatus is known which can easily display received image data without performing complicated image conversion processing on the receiving side.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-6498 discloses a facsimile apparatus which can easily grasp image data received in a memory by displaying image data of a plurality of pages received from a plurality of destinations at a time. Has been done.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-298554 discloses that
An image communication apparatus and method for generating a comment marker including information to be displayed on a screen different from that of a transmission document, synthesizing the comment marker with lossy compressed image data, and transmitting the synthesized image data Have been described.

Further, in the facsimile apparatus, so-called thumbnail data is not created by reducing the image data of the main image unlike the digital camera.

[0007]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention
The facsimile device described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5 can easily display the image data received without performing complicated image conversion processing on the receiving side, however, the image data of a plurality of pages received from a plurality of destinations can be displayed once. Can't figure out. Further, in the facsimile device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-6498, the image data of a plurality of pages received from a plurality of destinations can be displayed at one time, and the user can grasp the contents of the image data received in the memory. It is necessary to reduce the image data received by the device on the side.
Further, in the image communication apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-298554, information such as a cover can be transmitted together with the image data of the original document, but the contents of the transmitted image data can be grasped and confirmed. I can't do it.

Further, in the conventional color facsimile apparatus,
There is a problem that it takes time to decompress the compressed image data and convert the resolution when playing back the image data of the sent color image by printing and displaying.
Therefore, the image data cannot be easily printed or displayed. Further, since the ink and the transfer ribbon required for printing the image data of the color image are expensive, it is desired that only the necessary image data can be printed without printing the unnecessary image data.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an image communication apparatus which is capable of grasping and confirming the content of received image data quickly and outputting only a necessary image and which is excellent in workability. Is.

[0010]

According to the present invention, in an image communication apparatus for transmitting and receiving image information, thumbnail data generating means for generating thumbnail data in which image data to be transmitted is reduced, and the thumbnail data are used as the image data. An image communication device, comprising: a transmission unit that transmits together with data.

According to the present invention, thumbnail data in which the image data to be transmitted is reduced is created, and the thumbnail data is transmitted together with the image data. Therefore, the receiving device does not need to reduce the received image data, When it takes a long time to reproduce, the content of the image data can be quickly grasped and confirmed by the received thumbnail data.

Further, the present invention has a capturing means for capturing the JPEG image stored in the digital camera, and the image data and the thumbnail data are image data included in the JPEG image captured by the capturing means. And thumbnail data.

According to the present invention, a JPEG image stored in a digital camera is captured and the captured JP is captured.
Since the thumbnail data is created from the EG image and transmitted together with the image data, the image data and the thumbnail data included in the JPEG image stored in the digital camera can be used, and the thumbnail data can be easily created.

According to the present invention, the image data is JPEG.
It is an image, and the transmission means inserts the thumbnail data into a comment marker included in the image data.

According to the present invention, thumbnail data obtained by reducing image data which is a JPEG image is inserted into a comment marker included in the image data and transmitted, so that the data amount of the original image data is unnecessarily increased. Without this, it is possible to provide information that allows the user to grasp and confirm the contents.

According to the present invention, storage means for receiving and storing image data and thumbnail data, output means for outputting the received thumbnail data, and thumbnail data selected by the user from the output thumbnail data. And instructing means for instructing the output of image data corresponding to.

According to the present invention, the received image data and the thumbnail data are stored, the stored thumbnail data is output, and the user instructs the output of the image data based on the stored thumbnail data. Can be output, and efficiency can be improved both in terms of time and cost.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that it has an adding means for adding a page to a plurality of thumbnail images, and the instructing means specifies the image data by the added page.

According to the present invention, pages are added to a plurality of thumbnail images, so that the user can instruct the image data with the added pages and can easily output the necessary image data. .

Further, the invention is characterized in that the transmitting means does not transmit the thumbnail data when the image data to be transmitted is one page.

According to the present invention, the image data to be transmitted is 1
In the case of a page, thumbnail data is not transmitted, so unnecessary transmission of data can be omitted.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the image communication apparatus has a selection means capable of selecting whether the respective functions of the image communication apparatus are valid or invalid.

According to the present invention, the user can select valid / invalid of each of the above-mentioned functions of the image communication apparatus, so that the user can use only the necessary function.
Each user can improve the usability.

[0024]

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a color facsimile apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The color facsimile apparatus 1 is a network control apparatus 1
2, modem 13, control device 14, handset 15, printing device 16, storage device 17, cordless control circuit 1
8, image reading device 19, image storage device 110, display device 111, dial keys 112, operation keys 113, antenna 114, PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Ca
rd International Association) card I / F (interface) 115 and video I / F (interface) 116.

The color facsimile apparatus 1 is connected to the telephone line network 11 by the network control device 12, and the telephone line network 1
Image data of a color image and a single-color image can be transmitted via 1. It is necessary to set the type of data transmission depending on whether the image data to be transmitted is a color image or a single color image, and this setting can be performed with the operation key 113. The image data of the color image can be transmitted only when the other party has a function of receiving the image data of the color image. Therefore, if the other party does not have the function of receiving the image data of the color image, even if the image data transmission of the color image is designated by the operation key 113, the transmission is automatically switched to the image data transmission of the single color image. To be

The network controller 12 monitors the telephone line network 11 and switches the telephone line network 11 to the handset 15 or the modem 13 for connection. The modem 13 modulates the digital signal of the image data into an analog signal suitable for the telephone network 11, and demodulates the analog signal of the telephone network 11 into a digital signal of the image data.

The image reading device 19 reads an image of a document and converts it into image data. In order to read a color image, a light source of three colors such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is used.
e), a method of reading by sequentially lighting a fluorescent lamp or the like for each reading line, and a method of reading by using photoelectric conversion sensors such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) for three colors equipped with three color filters respectively. Used.

The control device 14, together with the program stored in the storage device 17, includes the dial keys 112 and the operation keys 11.
3 user input and instruction information, telephone line network 11
The operation of each device is controlled by the information from the device and the signal indicating the state from each unit of each device, and the operation is instructed to each unit. A necessary signal is transmitted to the telephone line network 11, and the display device 111 is instructed to display information and guidance.

The control unit 14 also compresses and decompresses image data. For compression and decompression of color images, I
TU-T (International Telecommunication Union-Te
The JPEG method recommended by the Lecommunication Sector is used, and MH (Mo
dified Huffman) method or MR (Modified Read)
The method is used. Furthermore, the control device 14 mutually converts color images. This color image is the three primary colors R (Re
d), G (Green), B (Blue) color image, C which is the three primary colors in the subtractive color mixture used for printing
(Cyan), M (Magenta), and Y (Yellow) represent color images and color space coordinates L ^* , a ^* , and b ^* used for facsimile transmission / reception. The JPEG image of a digital camera has Y (luminance), Cr (Chrominance re
d) and Cb (Chrominance blue) color space representation, so if this image is captured, this YC
From rCb color space representation to CMY color space representation used for printing or L ^* a ^* b ^* used for facsimile transmission / reception
Conversion to color space representation is performed. If the control device 14 is overloaded, a separate unit may be provided with an encoding function, a decoding function, and a color space converting function for handling these color images.

The control device 14 is a thumbnail data creating means and creates thumbnail data from the image data stored in the image storage device 110. The stored image data includes both the image data read by the image reading device 19 and the image data captured by the digital camera, and the thumbnail data is created from these image data.

The control device 14 and the modem 13 are transmission means and transmit the thumbnail data together with the image data. As a result, when the device on the receiving side does not need to reduce the received image data and it takes time to reproduce the image, the received thumbnail data can
The contents of image data can be grasped and confirmed quickly.

When the image data to be transmitted is one page, the transmitting means does not transmit the thumbnail data even if it is created. Alternatively, the thumbnail data creating means does not create thumbnail data. This makes it possible to omit unnecessary data transmission.

The PCMCIA card I / F 115 and the video I / F 116 are means for taking in JPEG images, and are memory card readers in which the images stored in the memory card of the digital camera are attached to the PCMCIA card I / F 115. , Or as a serial image signal from the video I / F 116 via a cable. Thereby, the image data and the thumbnail data included in the JPEG image stored in the digital camera can be used, and the thumbnail data can be easily created.

The image storage device 110 receives the received image data, the image data read by the image reading device 19, and the P data.
CMCIA card I / F115 and video I / F11
It is a storage means for storing the image data and the like fetched in 6. By this, it is possible to have high-level functions such as image data transfer, broadcast, memory reception when there is no more paper, and memory transmission. Since the color facsimile apparatus 1 performs expansion and compression of image data and conversion between color space representations of color images, the image storage device 110 is essential.

The display device 111 is an output means and can display the received thumbnail data and image data. The thumbnail data can be visualized by displaying a single list or a plurality of thumbnail data. Thus, when it takes time to reproduce the image, the content of the image data can be quickly grasped and confirmed by the received thumbnail data. A simple facsimile device uses an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display device that can provide a few lines of simple guidance, but a color LCD display device having a large display area is used to display a color image. preferable.

The printing device 16 is an output means and can print the received thumbnail data and image data. The thumbnail data can be printed as a list or visualized as a single or a plurality. Thus, when it takes time to reproduce the image, the content of the image data can be quickly grasped and confirmed by the received thumbnail data. The printing device 16 employs a mechanism capable of printing a color image, such as a color inkjet printer, a color electrostatic printer, and a color thermal transfer printer. The printing mechanism of each is 3 in each pixel like silver halide film of photograph and sublimation type thermal transfer method.
There are a method in which the primary colors have gradations in multiple stages, and a method in which only two gradations, that is, whether there are dots of each primary color or not, can be expressed, such as a normal inkjet method. In the latter case, when expressing a halftone, a pseudo halftone expression such as a dither method or an error diffusion method is used. If the printer has more dots than the received image, the image is first received and then the image is adjusted to the resolution of the printer, and the densities of the C, M, and Y primary colors are interpolated for each dot of the printer. Determined by law. Then, depending on the resolution of the printer, a pseudo halftone technique is used for each primary color to determine which of the two values is printed, that is, whether or not there is printing.

Dial key 112 and operation key 113
Is used when the user inputs information to the color facsimile apparatus 1. Control device 14, dial key 11
2 and the operation key 113 are instructing means, and the user can instruct to output the image data by selecting the image data to be output based on the output thumbnail data. The user can output only the required image or the required image with priority by the instruction means. As a result, it is possible to improve efficiency in terms of time and cost, and it is possible to provide an image communication apparatus with excellent workability.

The control device 14 is a means for adding pages, and adds pages to the plurality of thumbnail images output by the display device 111 or the printing device 16. As a result, the user can instruct the image data on the added page, and can easily instruct the output of the necessary image data.

The control device 14, the dial keys 112, and the operation keys 113 are selection means, and the user can select whether the above-mentioned functions of the image communication device are valid or invalid. As a result, the user can use only the necessary functions, and each user can improve the usability.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an image data transmission process for reducing image data to create thumbnail data and transmitting the thumbnail data.

In step S21, the image data transmission process starts. In step S22, it is selected whether to read a color image. If the image is to be read, the process proceeds to step S23. If the image is not to be read, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S23, the color image is read by the image reading device 19, and in step S2
In 6, thumbnail data is created. The thumbnail data is the control device 14 which is a thumbnail data creating means.
Is created by reducing the image data of the color image. In step S24, it is selected whether or not to capture an image. When capturing images, step S
Go to 25. In step S25, the JPEG image stored in the digital camera is captured, and in step S25
At 26, thumbnail data is extracted from the image data of the JPEG image, and thumbnail data for facsimile transmission is created. In step S27, it is selected whether to transmit the created thumbnail data together with the image data. In the case of transmitting, the process proceeds to step S28, and in the case of further reading the color image or taking in the color image, the process returns to step S22. In step S28, the thumbnail data is transmitted together with the image data by the control device 14 and the modem 13 which are transmission means. In step S29, the image data transmission process ends.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a compression process for compressing a color image in the JPEG system. here,
The most standard procedure for compressing image data of a color image will be shown. Note that the present invention can use compression procedures other than the JPEG method.

In step S31, the compression process starts.
To do. In step S32, the image data of the color image
Is normally set to 200 dpi (do
t perinch) × 200 dpi, in each bit 8-bit gradation
The data is read in halftone and stored in the image storage device 110.
In step S33, the stored image data is normally R
It is expressed in GB color coordinates.
14 and storage device 17 to send and receive facsimile
Is the color space representation used for^*a^*b^*In color coordinates
Convert. In step S34, the lightness component L^*Success
Min resolution is left as it is and^*, B^*Success
Minute resolution is halved in both main and sub scanning directions
To do. In step S35, the converted color components are
Degree component L ^*, Color difference component a^*, B^*Main scanning method for each component
Direction, sub-scanning direction, cut as a block of 8 dot pixels
put out. In step S36, a block is used as a unit.
DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) for each lock
And convert it to a representation in a two-dimensional frequency distribution matrix.
It In step S37, division is performed using the quantization table, and
Processing is performed. The image data is
The compression rate of the data changes. Higher compression rate will result in faster data
Data transmission is possible, but the deterioration of image quality will increase.
It Conversely, lowering the compression rate will reduce the deterioration of image quality.
It In step S38, the quantization table obtained in step S37.
2D circumference of rounded image data
The wave number distribution matrix is actually compressed with a Huffman table.
Encoded data. In step S39, compression
The process ends.

In the color facsimile machine 1 on the receiving side, the original image is extracted from the received image by reversing the flow chart of FIG. In this case, the original image is converted into a CMY color space representation suitable for the printing device 16 and printed. In reality, black is often not sufficiently reproduced even when the three CMY primary colors are mixed, and black is often added to the three CMY primary colors for printing.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the process of fetching the JPEG image stored in the digital camera.

In step S41, the process of taking in the JPEG image stored in the digital camera starts. In step S42, the JPEG image is captured by the memory card reader inserted in the PCMCIA card I / F 115 or the video I / F 116 which is the capturing unit. In step S43, the control code is removed,
The Huffman table and the quantization table are stored, and the image data is decoded by the Huffman table of the captured image data. In step S44, the image data is inversely quantized by the quantization table of the captured image data. In step S45, the inverse D is applied to the inversely quantized image data.
Perform CT. In step S46, uncompressed image data is obtained. In step S47, color correction is performed as necessary. In step S48, JPEG of the digital camera
The image data of the YCrCb color space expression used in the image is converted into the L ^* a ^* b ^* color space expression for facsimile transmission. In step S49, the resolution of the color difference components a ^* and b ^* of the image data in the L ^* a ^* b ^* color space expression is compressed to half and the amount of data is reduced by sampling similarly to step S34 in FIG.

Then, in step S410, DCT is performed on the L ^* coordinate image data which is the lightness signal and the compressed a ^* and b ^* coordinate image data. Step S411
Then, the data amount of the high frequency component is compressed by division with the quantization table. In step S412, this is Huffman-encoded. In step S113, a control code is added. In step S414, the JPEG image import process ends.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the basic structure of JPEG compressed data. The image compression data for one image is the SOI (Start of Image) that indicates the start of the image.
And an EOI (End of Image) marker code that indicates the end of the image, and forms an image. Following the SOI, the DHT (DefineHuff) that defines the actual condition of the Huffman table
man Tables), DQT that defines the actual state of quantization tables
(DefineQuantization Tables), COM (Comment) that can insert comments, and APPn (Reserved f) that applications can freely use
orApplication segments) and the data defined by these marker codes are inserted, followed by SOF0 indicating the start of a frame.
(Start of Frame No. 0), SO indicating the start of scanning
S (Start Of Scan) and compressed data are inserted.
The marker segment is composed of a 2-byte marker code indicating the contents of data, a 2-byte segment length parameter indicating the length of data belonging to this marker code, and other parameters. In facsimile transmission, thumbnail data is inserted into a comment marker (COM), which is a marker code, to provide information that allows grasping and confirming the content of the original image data without unnecessarily increasing the data amount. can do.

The thumbnail data included in the JPEG image of the digital camera consists of 120 pixels × 160 pixels and is inserted into the APP1 marker. However, the APP1 marker included in the JPEG image during facsimile transmission / reception includes the facsimile identifier, version and Information such as spatial resolution is inserted. When a JPEG image captured from a digital camera is transmitted by facsimile, the thumbnail data creating means inserts the thumbnail data into a comment marker so that the thumbnail data included in the JPEG image stored in the digital camera is also facsimile-transmitted. It can be used for transmission and thumbnail data can be easily created.

Although the color facsimile apparatus has been described in the present embodiment, the present invention can be applied to all communication apparatuses and information processing apparatuses that transmit image data in a facsimile transmission procedure.

[0051]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to reduce the image data received by the receiving device,
When it takes a long time to reproduce an image, the content of the image data can be quickly grasped and confirmed by the received thumbnail data.

Further, according to the present invention, the image data and the thumbnail data included in the JPEG image stored in the digital camera can be used, and the thumbnail data can be easily created.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide information that allows the user to grasp and confirm the content of the original image data without unnecessarily increasing the data amount of the image data.

Further, according to the present invention, the user can output only the necessary image, and the efficiency can be improved both in terms of time and cost.

Further, according to the present invention, the user can instruct the image data on the added page, and can easily instruct the output of the necessary image data.

Further, according to the present invention, unnecessary data transmission can be omitted. Further, according to the present invention, the user can use only necessary functions, and each user can improve the usability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a color facsimile apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an image data transmission process of reducing image data to create thumbnail data and transmitting the thumbnail data.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a compression process of compressing a color image by the JPEG method.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process of importing a JPEG image stored in a digital camera.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a basic structure of JPEG compression data.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 color facsimile machine 11 electric network 12 Network control device 13 modem 14 Control device 15 handsets 16 Printer 17 Storage 18 Cordless control circuit 19 Image reader 110 image storage device 111 display device 112 dial keys 113 operation keys 114 antenna 115 PCMCIA card I / F (interface) 116 Video I / F (interface)

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An image communication apparatus for transmitting and receiving image information, comprising: thumbnail data creating means for creating thumbnail data in which the image data to be sent is reduced; and sending means for sending the thumbnail data together with the image data. An image communication device having. 2. JP stored in a digital camera
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a capturing unit for capturing an EG image, wherein the image data and the thumbnail data are image data and thumbnail data included in the JPEG image captured by the capturing unit. Image communication device. 3. The image communication device according to claim 1, wherein the image data is a JPEG image, and the transmitting means inserts the thumbnail data into a comment marker included in the image data. 4. A storage unit for receiving and storing image data and thumbnail data, an output unit for outputting the received thumbnail data, and a thumbnail data selected by a user from the output thumbnail data. 4. An instruction means for instructing output of image data, comprising:
The image communication device according to any one of 1. 5. The image communication apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an adding unit that adds pages to a plurality of thumbnail images, and the instructing unit indicates image data by the added pages. 6. The image communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit does not transmit the thumbnail data when the image data to be transmitted is one page. 7. An image communication apparatus, comprising: a selection unit that allows a user to select whether to enable or disable each function of the image communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.