JP2005204335A - Image processing apparatus and image processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing apparatus capable of transmitting high-quality image information at higher speed, according to a designation by the user or from the characteristics of an input image. <P>SOLUTION: In a transmission attribute input section 9, a user inputs a transmission attribute instruction, such as transmitting mode, document type, transmission image quality. An image structure determining section 10 determines the transmission image structure of transmission data, based on the transmission attribute instruction and controls the sections. For example, according to the transmitting mode, an input-switching section 1 and a selection section 5 are switched. According to the document type, an attribute separating section 2 and a multiplexer 4 are controlled, and the number of planes in a multilayer data format is controlled. Furthermore, division processing in a band division section 7 is also controlled. In accordance with the transmission image quality, compression processing techniques or the like in image processing sections 3a-3c are selected. Thus, the transmission data can be created, according to the transmission attribute instruction from the user and transmitted from a transmission section 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method for transmitting image information through a transmission path such as a LAN or a public line.

  In recent years, in addition to facsimile communication using a public line, image communication using a network such as a public line or a LAN has been actively performed. Various devices such as a personal computer, a composite digital copying machine, and a network printer are used as devices for transmitting and receiving image data in addition to a facsimile. Recently, colorization of these devices has progressed, and color FAX and color printers are becoming mainstream. In such a network system, for example, interconnection between different types of devices having different resolutions, or interconnection between different types of devices having different color spaces such as a color copying machine and a monochrome copying machine is possible. .

  When exchanging image data between such heterogeneous apparatuses, the input document image is normally handled as one plain image. That is, with respect to one plain image, the input-side device determines the document type, performs image processing suitable for the document on the entire plain image, and transmits it to the output-side device. In this way, when the document image is handled as a single plain image, there is no particular problem as long as the document image is composed of only image data of one kind of attribute such as only characters or only photos. However, inconvenience arises when it is composed of image data having a plurality of attributes in which characters and photographs are mixed. For example, when trying to compress image data in which characters and photos are mixed, the same compression processing is applied to one plain image, so the compression ratio of either the character portion or the photo portion depends on the compression method applied. Or any image quality deteriorates.

  In order to reduce the amount of data to be transmitted, the image data may be transmitted after being subjected to image structure conversion processing such as resolution, color space, and number of gradations. Even in such a case, since the entire image is subjected to the same image structure conversion and transmitted, for example, if there is a part to be transmitted with high image quality, there is no choice but to transmit the entire image with high resolution, The amount of transmitted data has increased. In addition, when it is desired to transmit an image at high speed in real time, the image has to be transmitted at a low resolution, and image quality degradation is remarkable.

JP-A-6-178122

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an image processing apparatus and an image processing method capable of transmitting image information at higher speed and with higher image quality.

  In the present invention, input image information is transmitted in a multi-layer data format including first image data, second image data, and selection data for selecting either the first image data or the second image data. . For example, among input image information, color information in a character / line drawing part is separated into first image data, a picture part such as a photograph is separated into second image data, and shape information in the character / line drawing part is set as selection data. Can do. Since the selection data only selects either the first image data or the second image data, it can be handled as binary data, and it is compressed at a high compression rate with high resolution while maintaining high image quality. Communication is possible.

  As a method of reducing the amount of data to be communicated, not only the compression method is switched according to the attribute as described above, but also a method of performing conversion processing on various image structures such as a color space, the number of gradations, and resolution. For these image structures, high-quality image data can be transmitted with a small amount of data by performing processing corresponding to each of the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data.

  By communicating in the multi-layer data format in this way, high-speed and high-quality communication can be performed. For example, when a higher-speed communication or a higher-quality communication is desired, a uniform conversion process is performed. Cannot be used, and the advantages of the multi-layer data format cannot be fully utilized. Therefore, when performing the conversion process as described above, it is necessary to balance the data amount and the image quality.

  In the present invention, for example, transmission attribute designation input such as transmission mode designation, transmission image quality designation, transmission speed, character / photo instruction, etc. is received by the user, and a transmission image of transmission data in a multilayer data format based on the inputted transmission attribute instruction. A structure is determined, and image information is converted corresponding to the determined transmission image structure. Alternatively, the image structure of the input image information is recognized, the transmission image structure of transmission data in a multilayer data format is determined based on the recognized image structure, and the image information corresponding to the determined transmission image structure is determined. Convert. Furthermore, these are combined, the transmission image structure of the selection data in the multilayer data format is determined based on the transmission attribute instruction input by the user, and the first data in the multilayer data format is determined based on the image structure of the input image information. The transmission image structure of the image data and the second image data is determined, and the image information is converted corresponding to the determined transmission image structure of the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data.

  In this way, by converting the input image information based on the transmission attribute instruction by the user and the image structure of the input image information, the data amount and the image quality match the user request or the image information to be transmitted. The image information can be transmitted in an appropriate state.

  When transmitting in the multi-layer data format, the transmission mode for transmitting only the first image data or the second image data or only the selection data, the transmission mode for transmitting the first image data and the selection data, the second image data and the selection Any one of a transmission form for transmitting data and a transmission form for transmitting first image data, second image data, and selection data can be selected and transmitted. Which transmission form is selected can be performed according to a transmission image structure determined based on a transmission attribute instruction by a user or a recognition result of an image structure of image information.

  Further, when transmitting in the multi-layer data format, the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data constituting the multi-layer data format can be divided into strips for each predetermined line and transmitted. In this case, by configuring so as to determine the division width at the time of band division based on the transmission attribute instruction by the user, the band division processing can be performed with the division width according to the user's request. Alternatively, if the image structure of the input image information, for example, the object structure or change point information is recognized, and the division width at the time of band-like division is determined based on this, the division width corresponding to the input image information is determined. Can be set.

  Further, when the user is instructed to transmit in a multi-layer data format, or when the input image information is a multi-valued image, it is transmitted in a multi-layer data format, and the user is instructed or input to be transmitted in a single-layer data format. When the image information is a binary image, it can be transmitted in a transmission form in which only selected data in a single layer data format or a multilayer data format is transmitted. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in efficiency when a binary image is transmitted.

  The format of the input image information is arbitrary, and may be code information, for example. In this case, the transmission image structure of the transmission data in the multilayer data format can be determined from the code information, and the conversion process can be performed by accurately determining the transmission image structure.

  According to the present invention, input image information can be transmitted in a multilayer data format separated into multiple layers according to attributes. Therefore, even an image in which photographic images, character / line image images are mixed can be highly efficient. It can be sent with high image quality. At the time of transmission, attribute separation processing, image processing for each image data plane, strip division processing, and the like are controlled by a transmission attribute instruction from the user, so that the user's intention can be appropriately reflected. In addition, the image structure is obtained from the input image information, and the input image information is automatically controlled based on the image structure, such as attribute separation processing, image processing for each image data plane, and strip division processing. It is possible to perform transmission processing appropriately corresponding to. Furthermore, by combining the transmission attribute instruction by the user and automatic setting from the input image information, the requested image quality and image processing accompanying attribute separation are matched, and high-quality, high-efficiency images that take advantage of the multilayer data format There is an effect that transmission can be realized.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of an image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is an input switching unit, 2 is an attribute separation unit, 3a to 3c are image processing units, 4 is a multiplexer, 5 is a selection unit, 6 is a buffer, 7 is a strip division unit, 8 is a transmission unit, and 9 is a control. Panels 10 are an image structure determination unit, 11 is a one-layer transmission data generation unit, 12 is a binarization unit, and 13 is a compressor. In the example shown in FIG. 1, in addition to transmission of image information in a multilayer data format, transmission by conventional FAX is also considered, and these are used by switching appropriately.

  In accordance with an instruction from the image structure determination unit 10, the input switching unit 1 selects whether the input image information is transmitted in a multilayer data format or a single-layer data format used in a conventional FAX.

  The attribute separation unit 2 detects a local property of the input image information and separates the input image information into the first image data IM1 and the second image data IM2 with reference to the information. Further, whether the image data is separated into the first image data IM1 or the second image data IM2 at the time of separation is also output as selection data SEL. Here, when the selection data SEL indicates “1”, the input image information is separated into the first image data IM1, and when “0” is displayed, it indicates that the selection is performed into the second image data IM2. Of course, it is not limited to this. Further, in the first image data IM1 and the second image data IM2, image data of a predetermined value is inserted into the image data corresponding to the position where the allocation is not performed by the selection data SEL, and the first image data IM1 and the second image data IM2 Each of the two image data IM2 constitutes an image data plane. The selection data SEL also constitutes one plane. If the image structure determining unit 10 gives an instruction to limit the data to be separated, the separation process is performed according to the instruction. The attribute separation unit 2 sends the result of actual separation to the strip-shaped division unit 7 as separation information.

  The image processing units 3a to 3c are blocks that perform predetermined image processing on the first image data IM1, the selection data SEL, and the second image data IM2, respectively. As the predetermined image processing, one specific to each image data plane is assumed. For example, resolution conversion or compression can be considered. Further, for the first image data IM1 and the second image data IM2, color space conversion, gradation number conversion, and the like are also conceivable. Of course, various other processes can be performed. The content of the image processing performed by each of the image processing units 3a to 3c is performed in accordance with an instruction from the image structure determining unit 10.

  The multiplexer 4 appropriately selects the processing results of the image processing units 3a to 3c to form transmission data in a multilayer data format. At this time, a plane to be transmitted is selected according to an instruction from the image structure determination unit 10. For example, only one layer of the first image data IM1, the second image data IM2, and the selection data SEL, two layers of the first image data IM1 and the selection data SEL, or the second image data IM2 and the selection data SEL, or the first The data plane after the image processing is selected from the three-layer transmission forms of the one image data IM1, the second image data IM2, and the selection data SEL so that the transmission form instructed by the image structure determination unit 10 is obtained, and the multilayer data Formatted transmission data can be formed.

  In accordance with an instruction from the image structure determination unit 10, the selection unit 5 selects either one of the transmission data in the multilayer data format that is the output of the multiplexer 4 and the transmission data in the one-layer data format generated by the one-layer transmission data generation unit 11. Select.

  The buffer 6 holds either the transmission data in the single layer data format or the transmission data in the multilayer data format that is the output of the selection unit 5. Of course, the buffer 6 may be omitted.

  The band-shaped dividing unit 7 divides the transmission data held in the buffer 6 by an appropriate number of lines (division width) in the sub-scanning direction, and outputs it in stripe units. The number of lines can be arbitrarily set between 1 and 1 page, and the setting value of the number of lines is fixed or variable. The number of lines is set by the image structure determining unit 10. Further, according to the separation information sent from the attribute separation unit 2, the band-shaped division process is performed only for the data plane including significant data.

  The transmission unit 8 transmits the transmission data band-divided into stripe units output from the band-shaped division unit 7 to a public line, a network line, or the like. For example, modem processing for transmission to an analog line or processing for wrapping transmission data in a format such as TIFF may be performed during network line transmission.

  In the transmission attribute input unit 9, the user inputs a transmission attribute instruction. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a transmission attribute input unit. In this example, the user can set the three items of transmission mode, document type, and transmission image quality. As the transmission mode, it is possible to specify “multilayer transmission” in which image information is transmitted in the multilayer data format according to the present invention, or “G4” or “G3” in which transmission is performed by a conventional FAX. In addition, as the document type, “character / photo” indicating that the document is a mixture of character and photo, “color character” indicating that the document is only colored characters and line drawings, mainly black The user can designate one character such as “character” or “character” indicating that the document is only a line drawing. As the transmission image quality, either “standard image quality”, “higher image quality” than that, or “draft” that may lower the image quality than the standard image quality can be designated. Of course, in addition to this, the color mode for specifying whether the input document is color or black and white, control the image processing method and transmission method, shorten the transmission time, and give priority to image quality even if the transmission time is long Various setting items such as transmission speed designation for performing designation can be provided. For each setting item, a default value set when the user does not instruct can be determined in advance.

  Based on the transmission attribute instruction input by the user through the transmission attribute input unit 9, the image structure determination unit 10 is based on the input switching unit 1, attribute separation unit 2, image processing units 3 a to 3 c, multiplexer 4, selection unit 5, strip division The unit 7 is controlled.

  The one-layer transmission data generating unit 11 generates transmission data in a one-layer data format used in a conventional FAX. The first-layer transmission data generation unit 11 includes a binarization unit 12 and a compressor 13. The binarization unit 12 performs a predetermined binarization process on the input image data. As a binarization processing method, a simple binarization method optimal for a character image, a dither method suitable for a halftone image, an error diffusion method, and the like are known. In the present invention, any one method, or A plurality of methods may be combined. The compressor 13 is a compressor suitable for compressing binarized image information. Specifically, ITU-T recommendation T.I. MH / MR system shown in FIG. MMR system shown in FIG. 82 / T. Various compression encoding methods such as the JBIG method shown in FIG. 85 can be applied.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation in the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In S101, when performing image transmission, the user inputs a transmission attribute instruction from the transmission attribute input unit 9 as necessary. In S102, the image structure determination unit 10 determines the transmission image structure of the transmission data based on the transmission attribute instruction input by the transmission attribute input unit 9. Then, the input switching unit 1, the attribute separation unit 2, the image processing units 3a to 3c, the multiplexer 4, the selection unit 5, and the strip-shaped division unit 7 are controlled and their functions are set.

  In S103, image information is input. The image information is input by reading a document with an image input device such as a scanner, or is captured from a computer or the like through a line such as a network.

  In the next S104, when the transmission image structure set in S102 is to be transmitted by the multi-layer data structure, the input switching unit 1 converts the image information input based on the setting by the image structure determination unit 10 into the attribute separation unit. 2 and proceeds to S105. If the transmission is not performed with a multi-layer data structure, the input switching unit 1 sends the image information input based on the setting by the image structure determination unit 10 to the single-layer transmission data generation unit 11, and proceeds to S110.

  In S105, the attribute separation unit 2 separates the input image information into the first image data IM1, the second image data IM2, and selection data SEL for selecting one of them. Thereby, a first image data plane, a second image data plane, and a selection data plane are generated from the input image information. At this time, depending on the setting by the image structure determination unit 10 in S102, any two of the three planes or only one plane may be generated. Even if the setting by the image structure determination unit 10 is 3 planes or 2 planes, depending on the input image information, there may be only 2 planes or 1 plane of significant image data planes. The attribute separation unit 2 sends information about such a significant image data plane to the strip division unit 7 as separation information.

  In S106 to S108, the first image data plane, the selection data plane, and the second image data plane are processed by the image processing units 3a to 3c, respectively. In the image processing units 3a to 3c, processing corresponding to each image data plane is set by the image structure determination unit 10 in S102, and the set image processing is performed on each image data plane. As the image processing performed by the image processing units 3a to 3c, for example, resolution conversion and compression processing can be considered as described above. In addition, for the image processing units 3a and 3c, color space conversion, gradation number conversion, and the like are also conceivable. Of course, other processing may be performed.

  In S109, the multiplexer 4 selects an image data plane to be transmitted from each of the image data planes after the image processing output from the image processing units 3a to 3c according to the setting by the image structure determination unit 10 in S102, and has a multi-layer data format. Transmission data is generated and stored in the buffer 6.

  In S104, when the transmission image structure set in S102 is not to be transmitted by the multi-layer data structure, the transmission data in the single layer data format is generated from the image information input in the single layer transmission data generation unit 11. In S110, the input image information is binarized by the binarization unit 12, and in S111, compression processing is performed by the compressor 13 to generate transmission data in a single layer data format. Here too, for example, according to the transmission image structure determined by the image structure determination unit 10, the binarization method in the binarization unit 12 and the compression in the compressor 13 with the document type, for example, binary photo image and binary character image Control such as changing the method may be performed. The generated transmission data in the first layer data format is stored in the buffer 6.

  In S112, the strip dividing unit 7 divides the transmission data in the multi-layer data format or the single-layer data format stored in the buffer 6 into stripe units according to the division width set by the image structure determination unit 10 in S102, and sequentially transmits the data. Pass to part 8. In S113, the transmission unit 8 transmits the transmission data in units of stripes passed from the strip division unit 7 to a line such as a public line or a network. At this time, various information can be added as necessary, and the information can be formatted and transmitted according to the transmission format.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of transmission data in the multilayer data format in the image processing apparatus of the present invention. For example, assume that the input image information is a color image in which a pattern and characters are mixed as shown in FIG. In the image shown in FIG. 4A, a halftone Japan map is drawn together with the characters “JAPAN”. The character “JAPAN” is also drawn in a different color for each character. For convenience of illustration, different colors are shown with different hatching.

  In the multi-layer data format, the input image information as shown in FIG. 4A is separated into three image data planes as shown in FIGS. Here, the color information of the character or line drawing portion is separated as the first image data IM1, and a first image data plane is generated. That is, as shown in FIG. 4B, only the color information of the character “JAPAN” is separated into the first image data plane. Further, a pattern portion such as a photograph is separated as the second image data IM2, and a second image data plane is generated. That is, as shown in FIG. 4D, the portion of the halftone Japan map is separated into the second image data plane. The selection data plane is generated by the selection data SEL for selecting either the first image data IM1 or the second image data IM2, but data that selects the first image plane IM1 for pixels constituting a character or a line drawing. Can be held. At this time, the set of pixels constituting the character or line drawing is information indicating the shape of the character line drawing. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4C, the shape information of the character “JAPAN” is separated into the selected data plane.

  Here, the second image data plane shown in FIG. 4D represents a multi-valued color image such as a photograph or a picture, and therefore requires a data length for retaining colors and gradations. Further, the first image data plane shown in FIG. 4B needs to be color multivalued image data expressing the color of the character for each pixel, but it is not necessary to hold the shape of the character. If it is a character of uniform color, a color palette for each character may be used. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 4B, a circumscribed rectangle of the character is used, and the character existing region is shown as a uniform color region. Furthermore, the selection data plane shown in FIG. 4C preferably has a higher resolution because the shape of characters and line drawings is maintained as described above. However, since only one of the first image data IM1 and the second image data IM2 is selected, information of 1 bit per pixel is sufficient here, and it can be handled as binary data.

  When the three image data planes are recombined into the original image, the portion (black portion) representing the shape of the character line drawing in FIG. 4C is the first image data IM1 (character color palette) in FIG. ) And the other part (white part) can be restored to the original image by outputting the second image data IM2 (pattern part) of FIG. 4D.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of another specific example of transmission data in a multilayer data format in the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 4, for example, the separation can be performed as shown in FIG. FIG. 5A is the same input image as FIG. FIG. 5D shows a color multi-valued pattern portion such as a photograph separated as in FIG. 4D, and FIG. 5C shows a selection data plane (FIG. 5C). Reflects the shape of the line drawing. Only in FIG. 5B, unlike FIG. 4B, an image data plane is generated that simultaneously has the shape of the character / line image and its color information. In this case, if grasped intuitively, an image component composed of a relatively low frequency component such as a pattern is composed of a relatively high frequency component such as a second image plane, a character line image (including color), and the like. The image components are three image planes composed of a first image plane and a selection data plane for combining them into one image plane.

  In addition, it is needless to say that other image separation forms may be used based on the above idea. Although the number of planes is divided into three planes here, the number of planes is not limited to three. For example, a CG (computer graphic) image portion is also separated into a four-plane configuration. In the following description, when a specific example is used, it is assumed that the image is separated into three image planes in the form shown in FIG.

  An example of the operation shown in FIG. 3 will be further described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the image structure determination unit in the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. As a specific example, how each unit operates is shown based on a transmission attribute instruction given by the user from the transmission attribute input unit 9 shown in FIG.

  In S121, first, the image structure determination unit 10 checks the transmission mode designated by the transmission attribute input unit 9. If “multilayer transmission” is selected here, the image structure determination unit 10 determines to transmit in the multilayer data format, and the input switching is performed so that the input image information is input to the attribute separation unit 2 in S122. The selector 1 is switched, and the selector 5 is controlled so as to select the output from the multiplexer 4. If “G4” or “G3” is designated as the transmission mode in S121, the image structure determination unit 10 determines to transmit in the single-layer data format, and the input image information in S134. The input switching unit 1 is switched so as to be input to the first layer transmission data generation unit 11, and the selection unit 5 is controlled to be switched so that the output from the first layer transmission data generation unit 11 is selected.

  If “multilayer transmission” is instructed as the transmission mode, the image structure determination unit 10 checks the specification of the document type and controls the attribute separation unit 2 and the multiplexer 4 in S123. When “character / photo” is instructed as the document type, it is determined in S124 that the first image data IM1, the second image data IM2, and the selection data SEL are to be transmitted separately, and the “color character” is If instructed, it is determined in S125 that the first image data IM1 and selection data SEL are to be transmitted separately, and if “character” is instructed, only one layer of selection data SEL is transmitted in S126. Decide what to do. In accordance with this determination, the attribute separation unit 2 and the multiplexer 4 are set. In the case of transmission by three layers, the attribute separation unit 2 separates input image information into first image data IM1, second image data IM2, and selection data SEL. In the case of transmission with only two layers, the input image information is separated into first image data IM1 and selection data SEL. In the case of transmission of only one layer, only the selection data SEL is output. The multiplexer 4 is also set to select the corresponding image data plane.

  Further, the belt-shaped dividing unit 7 is controlled in accordance with the document type designation. If “character / photo” is instructed, it is determined to divide the band into variable lengths in S127. Otherwise, it is determined to divide the band into fixed lengths in S128 and S129, and the band dividing unit 7 In addition, the division width is set when the band is divided into a fixed length.

  In S130, the image structure determination unit 10 checks the designation of transmission image quality and controls the image processing units 3a to 3c. When “standard image quality” is designated, image processing for standard image quality is set in S132, and when “high image quality” is designated, it is possible to transmit at higher image quality than the standard image quality in S131. The correct image processing. In the “draft mode”, in S133, it is possible to set image processing with lower image quality than the standard image quality or to output the input image information as it is without performing image processing.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the image structure determination unit 10 does not make settings for the single-layer transmission data generation unit 11, but various settings are set in the same manner as in the case of transmission in the multilayer data format. Can also be done. For example, the binarization processing method performed in the binarization unit 12 in S135 can be switched according to the document type instruction. The transmission data in the one-layer data format generated by the one-layer transmission data generation unit 11 can be set to set a fixed-length band division or not to perform the band division in S136. Further, it is possible to switch the compression processing method performed in the compressor 13 in S137 in accordance with the transmission image quality instruction.

  After each part is set by the image structure determining unit 10 as described above, image information is input. When transmission in the multilayer data format is set by the image structure determination unit 10, the input image information is input to the attribute separation unit 2. As described above, since the number of planes to be separated from the image structure determination unit 10 is set for the attribute separation unit 2, the attribute separation unit 2 performs the separation process according to the setting. In the case of transmission by three layers, character / photo determination is performed on the input image information, the color of the portion determined to be text is set as the first image data IM1, and the second determined for the portion determined to be a photo. As the image data IM2, the shape of the character part is handled as selection data. In the case of transmission of only two layers, contour extraction is performed on the input image information, color data within the contour is used as the first image data IM1, and the contour shape is used as selection data. In the case of transmission of only one layer, contour extraction is performed on the input image information as in the case of transmission of two layers, but only the contour shape is used as selection data.

  Referring to the example shown in FIG. 4, when separating into three layers, the image information shown in FIG. 4 (A) is separated into three planes shown in FIGS. 4 (B) to 4 (D). In the case of separation into two layers, since it is designated as “color character” in this example, it is assumed that the image is only the portion of the color character “JAPAN” in FIG. For this reason, the second image data IM2 shown in FIG. 4D is not generated, and is divided into two planes shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C. Further, when only one layer is generated, for example, it is assumed that the characters are black and white characters. Therefore, only the selection data is generated without generating the first image data IM1.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a character / photo determination process performed by the attribute separation unit in the first embodiment of the image transmission apparatus of the present invention. In S141, the image data from which the outline of the character / line drawing portion is to be extracted is grouped into blocks of a predetermined size for each color component, for example, 8 × 8 pixel blocks, and a pixel value histogram in the block is obtained. For each color component, for example, if image information is expressed in a CIE-L ^* a ^* b ^* uniform color space, it indicates an L ^* component, an a ^* component, and a b ^* component. Of course, a color space other than this, for example, an RGB color space may be used.

  Next, in S142, the difference between the maximum pixel value and the minimum pixel value in the block is obtained, and it is checked whether or not the difference is larger than the first threshold value TH1 having a predetermined size, and further the variance value σ is a second threshold value TH2 having a predetermined size. Check if it is greater. If it is determined that both the pixel value difference and the variance value are large, the block is determined to be a character / line drawing block with a sharp change in pixel value, and the process proceeds to S143. If it is determined that the block is not a character / line drawing block, all selection data related to the block is set to “0” in S147, and LOOP2 performs S141 to repeat the same process for other color component data of the block position. Return to.

For a block determined to be a character / line drawing block, in S143, an average value of the maximum pixel value and the minimum pixel value of the block is obtained, and this is set as a threshold B related to the binarization processing of the block. In S144, all the pixels belonging to the block are compared with the threshold B, and “1” is assigned to a pixel having a value larger than the threshold B in S146, and for a pixel having a value smaller than the threshold B in S145. Assign “0”. Returning to S144 by LOOP1, this process is repeated for 8 × 8 pixels. Furthermore, it repeats with respect to all the color components (for example, L ^* component, a ^* component, b ^* component) of the same block position by LOOP2.

  When the processing of each color component at the block position is finished, in S148, the logical sum of the binarization results of each color component is obtained to generate selection data for the block. Then, the process returns to S141 by LOOP3, and the process for the next block is performed. Such processing is repeated until, for example, all image data for one page is processed.

  The algorithm for extracting the outline of the character / line drawing part may focus on the outline of the character or line drawing as described above, or it may extract the character area from a set of circumscribed rectangles of the character part. The method may be used. Further, the determination is not limited to the pixel value statistical processing as described above, and the spatial frequency distribution of the image data may be obtained by orthogonal transform processing or the like, and the character / line drawing area may be extracted based on the result.

As a result of the determination, “1” is output for the character / line drawing portion and “0” is output for portions other than the character / line drawing portion. This determination result is selected data. Then, according to this selection data, the pixel whose selection data indicates “1” is output as the first image data IM1, and a predetermined value (for example, L ^* = a ^* = b ^* = 0) is output as the second image data IM2. To do. In addition, the pixel whose selection data indicates “0” is output as the second image data IM2, and a predetermined value (for example, L ^* = a ^* = b ^* = 0) is output as the first image data IM1. The image information input in this way is separated into three image data planes according to the attribute.

  Further, when separating into two layers or one layer as described above, the contour of the character is extracted using a known contour extraction technique, and “1” is selected as the selection data within the character, and “0” when the character is out of the character. When the selection data is “1”, the pixel color information may be output as the first image data IM1.

  On the other hand, it is also possible to instruct the user to perform character / line diagram partial extraction processing. In this case, for example, when “character” or “color character” is designated by the document type designation in the transmission attribute input unit 9 of FIG. 1, the entire page is separated into the first image data IM1, and “character / photo” is designated. In the case of designation, an operation such as using a character / photo separation algorithm as shown in FIG. 7 can be considered. Furthermore, it is possible to set the “photo” designation so that the entire page is separated into the second image data IM2.

  Further, as image information to be input, image information other than a one-plane bitmap image, for example, code information such as a page description language (hereinafter abbreviated as PDL) or image information originally separated into a multilayer data format is input. In some cases. When the input image information is image information in a multi-layer data format, each plane may be separately input to the corresponding image processing units 3a to 3c. For example, when image information is input as code information, the code information is interpreted and classified into, for example, character / line drawing color data, character / line drawing shape data, other photographic images, and the like. Drawing as selection data and second image data. The drawing process may be performed by the attribute separation unit 2 or the image processing units 3a to 3c.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the attribute separation unit when the input image information is PDL in the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In step S151, PDL drawing commands are sequentially received. In step S152, it is determined whether or not a series of PDL drawing commands has been completed. If so, the attribute separation process is terminated.

  In S153, it is determined whether or not the input drawing command is a command for drawing characters. If the instruction is to draw a character, the font data is expanded in S154, and the shape of the character is drawn on the selected data plane in S155. Here, the selected data plane is filled with “1” so that the character shape portion refers to the first image data IM1. In addition, in S156, if the character to be drawn is a color character, the area of the first image data plane is filled with the character color, and if it is not a color character, a predetermined value is filled. When the processing for the character drawing command is completed, the process returns to S151 to process the next drawing command.

  In S157, it is determined whether or not the drawing command is a command for drawing a line drawing. If it is a command to draw a line drawing, the process proceeds to S155 and S156. The processing here is the same as the character drawing, and the line drawing shape is drawn on the selected data plane and the line color is drawn on the first data plane.

  S158 and S159 are processes when it is determined that the drawing command is neither a character drawing nor a line drawing. Here, since the drawing command is drawing other than a character / line drawing such as a photographic image, the corresponding area of the selected data plane is filled with “0” indicating that the second image data IM2 is selected in S158. Subsequently, in S159, a drawing process is performed on the second image data plane.

  In this way, even when the input image information is PDL, image information in a multilayer data format separated into three image data planes of the first image data IM1, the second image data IM2, and the selection data SEL is obtained. be able to.

  The image processing units 3a to 3c perform various types of image processing such as resolution conversion, color space conversion, gradation number conversion, and compression as described above. The content of each of these processes can be set for each image data plane, and is set by the image structure determination unit 10. For example, considering compression processing, first, the selection data SEL is binary data. Therefore, the selection data SEL can be compressed by a compression encoding method suitable for compression of binary image data, for example, the MH / MR method. In addition to this, compression may be performed by MMR, JBIG, or the like. Since the first image data IM1 and the second image data IM2 are multi-value image data, a compression method suitable for compression of the multi-value image data can be used. For example, in the case of transmission with normal image quality, ITU-T recommendation T.264. The image can be compressed by a reversible compression method such as the JPEG method shown in FIG. When “high image quality” is designated as the transmission image quality, a more accurate lossless compression method, such as ITU-T recommendation T.264, is used as the compression method. 82 / T. The JBIG method shown in FIG. 85, the LZW method, or the like can be used. Further, when “draft mode” is designated as the transmission image quality, it may be set not to perform compression processing.

  Note that the compressor 13 in the first-layer transmission data generation unit 11 is compatible with the conventional FAX transmission. For example, when the transmission mode is “G4”, the compressor 13 performs compression processing using the MMR method, and the transmission mode is “ In the case of “G3”, compression processing can be performed by the MH / MR method.

  The band-shaped dividing unit 7 divides the transmission data held in the buffer 6 as described above with an appropriate width in the sub-scanning direction. In this case, the division structure (fixed length or variable length) and the division width are set by the image structure determination unit 10 when dividing by a fixed length. When the band-shaped division by the fixed length is set, the transmission data is output to the transmission unit 8 when the transmission data is input to the buffer 6 by the number of lines set by the image structure determination unit 10. Further, with a fixed length, one page can be used as a unit, and in this case, strip division may not be performed.

  When band-shaped division by variable length is set, transmission data for one page is accumulated in the buffer 6, and transmission data for one page is divided based on the separation information of the attribute separation unit 2 to transmit the transmission data. 8 is output. Specifically, from the attribute separation result in the attribute separation unit 2 for the input image information, when significant information is included only in the selection data SEL (one layer), the selection data SEL and the first image data IM1 are significant. In the case where information is included (two layers), the case where significant information is included in all of the selection data SEL and the first image data IM1 and the second image data IM2 (three layers) is assumed in the sub-scanning direction. In this case, the band-shaped division is performed using the change point as the separation information. Of course, in the case of only a photographic image, significant information is included only in the second image data IM2 (one layer). In the case of an image composed of black characters and a photographic image, the selection data SEL and the first data In some cases, significant information is included in the two-image data IM2 (two layers). In such a case, the strip-like division can be performed in the same manner.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for automatically determining a division width when the band-shaped dividing unit performs band-shaped division with a variable length in the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In S161, a variable Lp for storing the number of planes of transmission data of the previous line is initialized. The initial value is -1.

  S162 is an end determination. Here, since the page is the entire processing unit, it is determined whether or not transmission data for one page has been processed. When the transmission data for one page is processed, the strip division process is completed.

  S163 is an initialization process for each line, and a variable Lc for storing the maximum number of planes of transmission data of the processing target line is initialized. The initial value is 1.

  S164 is a line end determination, and the process branches to S165 until the processing of pixels for one line is completed. If the end of the line is detected, the process branches to S172.

  In S165, the attribute of the target pixel is determined. Whether or not the pixel of interest is a character / line drawing may be referred to the selection data. Alternatively, the determination can be made by performing processing similar to the character / photo separation processing as shown in FIG. 7 from the input image information. If the target pixel is a character / line drawing, it is determined in S166 whether or not the first image data IM1 corresponding to the target pixel includes significant color information (for example, a color other than black). If there is no significant color information in the first image data IM1, 1 indicating a one-layer structure is stored in the variable Pc that holds the number of planes of the pixel of interest in S167. If there is significant color information in the first image data IM1, 2 indicating a two-layer structure is stored in the variable Pc in S168.

  In S169, the value of the variable Lc is updated. That is, the variable Lc is compared with the variable Pc indicating the number of planes of the target pixel, and a larger value is set as a new value of the variable Lc. As a result, the maximum number of planes up to the target pixel of the processing target line is always held in the variable Lc, and the maximum number of planes of the processing target line is stored when processing is performed up to the end of the processing target line.

  On the other hand, if there is no image at the target pixel in S165, the process returns to S164 to determine whether or not the line is at the end, and if not, the process is repeated with the next pixel as the target pixel. If the target pixel is an image such as a photograph in S165, 3 indicating the three-layer structure is stored in the variable Lc in S170. Since the maximum value of the variable Lc is 3 in this example, the value of the variable Lc does not change even if the pixels after the target pixel are processed. For this reason, the subsequent processing of the processing target line is omitted, and the process skips to the end of the line in S171.

  When the processing of the processing target line ends, in S172, the variable Lp that holds the number of planes of the previous line is compared with the variable Lc that holds the maximum number of planes of the processing target line. If the values are different, there is a possibility that the number of planes is different in the processing target line, so the layer number change point information is output in S173. If the number of planes of the previous line and the line being processed are equal, that is, if Lp = Lc, nothing is done.

  In S174, the value of the variable Lc is updated as a new value of the variable Lp. After returning to S162 and determining the end, the next line is processed as the processing target line. Such a process is repeated for one page. With the above processing, the layer number change point information is output when the number of layers changes. Band-shaped division can be performed based on this layer number change point information. For example, each time the layer number change point information is output, the point can be divided into strips. Or, set the minimum number of lines and the maximum number of lines for strip division and prohibit division with the number of lines less than the minimum number of lines, or merge with subsequent areas, or change the number of layers more than the maximum number of lines If point information is not output, it may be possible to forcibly divide by the maximum number of lines.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of strip-shaped division in the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. Here, it is assumed that transmission of three layers of transmission data is set by the image structure determination unit 10 in a multilayer data format. Here, it is assumed that the image information shown in FIG. 4A is input and separated into the three-layer image data plane shown in FIGS. 4B to 4D by the attribute separation unit 2.

  The above-described processing shown in FIG. Since the band-like area 1 is a blank area, the number of planes is 1. When the color character “JAPAN” is applied, there is data indicating a character / line image as the selection data SEL, and the color information of the character exists in the first image data IM1, so the number of planes is two. Therefore, the upper end of the color character “JAPAN” is the layer number change point.

  In the belt-like region 2, the line having the number of planes of 2 continues, and the color character “JAPAN” ends. Then, it becomes a blank line, the number of planes becomes 1, and the number of planes changes. Therefore, the lower end of the color character “JAPAN” is also the layer number change point.

  After that, several blank lines continue and hit the top of the map of Japan. The top line of the map of Japan contains a photographic image, so the number of planes is 3, which is the point where the number of layers changes. In this example, it is assumed that the belt-like region having the minimum number of lines or less is not divided, and is not divided at the layer number change point. The photographic image is included in the lines of the map area of Japan as it is, and the lines with 3 planes are continuous. In addition, although a blank line and a line with a photographic image are mixed in the vicinity of the Nansei Islands on the map of Japan, in this case as well, since it is a belt-like region having the minimum number of lines or less, it is integrated with other belt-like regions. Furthermore, the band-like area exceeding the maximum number of lines is divided, and the area after the color character “JAPAN” is divided into band-like areas 3 to 5.

  Referring to each strip-like region separated in this way, in the strip-like region 1, there is no image to be transmitted using only blank lines. For such an area, for example, only selection data SEL may be sent, or only the number of lines may be sent. Further, in the band-like region 2, the second image data IM2 does not exist. Therefore, it is only necessary to transmit two layers of the first image data IM1 and the selection data SEL. Further, since the number of planes is determined to be 3 in the band-like regions 3 to 5, three layers of the first image data IM1, the second image data IM2, and the selection data SEL are transmitted. However, since there is no significant data in the first image data IM1, two layers of the second image data IM2 and the selection data SEL, or one layer of only the second image data IM2 may be transmitted.

  In this way, by separating the lines by changing the number of planes, for example, even if transmission by three layers is specified, it is possible to partially transmit by two layers or one layer. It can be reduced and high-speed communication can be performed.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 21 is an input image structure recognition unit, 22 is a drawing command input unit, 23 is an interpreter, 24a is a first image data generation unit, 24b is a selection data generation unit, and 24c is a second image data generation unit. In the second embodiment, as the input image information, in addition to an image such as a bitmap, it is configured so that it can cope with a case where it is described in PDL or a graphic drawing command is directly input. Yes.

  The input image structure recognition unit 21 recognizes the image structure from the input image information. As the recognition processing, color / monochrome determination, binary / multi-value determination, gradation number determination, and the like can be considered. Furthermore, various types of recognition processing such as determination of a document type such as a character image or a photographic image, determination of a frequency component indicating the roughness of the image, recognition of an object in the image, and detection of a change point can be performed. Further, for example, when input image information is described in PDL, header information is added to the head thereof. The input image structure recognition unit 21 can recognize the image structure from this header information. For example, when a predetermined code string appears at the beginning of the header information, this code string is recognized, and the image structure determining unit 10 controls the input switching unit 1 so that the input image information is input to the interpreter 23. You can make it. Similarly, when a graphic drawing command is directly input, the image structure can be recognized from the drawing command sequence. Each recognition processing method is arbitrary, and various well-known methods can be used.

  The image structure determination unit 10 determines the transmission image structure of the transmission data based on the image structure recognized by the input image structure recognition unit 21, and controls each unit. For example, when the input image information is recognized as a monochrome image, the input switching unit 1 and the selection unit 5 are switched so that the input image information is processed by the one-layer transmission data generation unit 11. To do. Alternatively, when it is determined that the input image information is a color image or a multi-valued image, the input switching unit 1 and the selection unit 5 are switched so that the input image information is transmitted in a multilayer data format. Can be controlled.

  Further, the number of planes for transmission in the multilayer data format is determined from the document type recognition result, color / monochrome determination result, binary / multivalue determination result, etc., and the attribute separation unit 2 and multiplexer 4 are controlled. The division width in the belt-like division unit 7 can be determined as a fixed length or a variable length. For the determination of the variable-length division width in the belt-like division unit 7, the recognition result of the object in the image, the detection result of the change point, and the like can be used. In this case, the detection process of the change point information as shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, it is possible to determine the processing and processing method performed in the image processing units 3a to 3c in accordance with the frequency analysis result of the input image information and the recognition result such as the document type, the color space, and the number of gradations. For example, it is possible to change the color space conversion process according to the color space of the input image information, or to select a compression method that can transmit with high image quality when the input image information contains many high-frequency components. is there.

  Further, when the input image structure recognition unit 21 recognizes that the input image information is described in PDL, the input switching unit 1 is switched and the input image information is input to the interpreter 23. To control. Alternatively, when input as a graphic drawing command, input from the input switching unit 1 is stopped. In these cases, the image processing units 3a to 3c are controlled to select the data of the first image data generation unit 24a, the selection data generation unit 24b, and the second image data generation unit 24c and perform image processing. In addition, the multiplexer 4, the selection unit 5, and the strip division unit 7 can be controlled as a case of the multilayer data format.

  As described above, the image structure determination unit 10 can determine the transmission image structure in accordance with the recognition result of the image structure in the input image structure recognition unit 21, and can control each unit adapted to the input image information. .

  When the image information is input as a graphic drawing command, the drawing command input unit 22 receives the graphic drawing command. Usually, the graphic drawing command is classified into text, graphic (line drawing), image (photograph), etc. from the beginning, so any one of them is determined, and the first image data generation unit 24a, the selection data generation unit 24b, Drawing is instructed to one or more of the second image data generation unit 24c.

  When the input image information is described in PDL, the interpreter 23 interprets the input PDL command, and the first image data generation unit 24a, the selection data generation unit 24b, and the second image data generation unit 24c Any one or more are instructed to draw.

  The first image data generation unit 24a, the selection data generation unit 24b, and the second image data generation unit 24c receive a drawing instruction from the drawing command input unit 22 or the interpreter 23, respectively. Second image data is generated. When the image information input in this way is described in PDL or is a graphic drawing command, the image information in the multilayer data format can be directly generated. The first image data, selection data, and second image data are input to the image processing units 3a to 3c.

  The image processing units 3 a to 3 c are controlled by the image structure determination unit 10, and the data separated by the attribute separation unit 2 or the first image data generation unit 24 a, the selection data generation unit 24 b, and the second image data generation unit 24 c. One of the generated data is selected and image processing is performed.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 11, the transmission attribute input unit 9 is added, but as described above, the transmission image structure can be determined only by recognizing the image structure in the input image structure recognition unit 21 and each unit can be controlled. . Also, the recognition result of the image structure in the input image structure recognition unit 21 and the transmission attribute instruction input in the transmission attribute input unit 9 can be used in combination. In this case, for example, the transmission image quality reflects the user's intention, and the transmission image structure of the selection data SEL that greatly affects the image quality can be determined according to the transmission attribute instruction by the user. The transmission image structures of the other first image data IM1 and second image data IM2, such as a color space, are determined based on the image structure recognized from the image information input by the input image structure recognition unit 21. be able to.

  When the input image information is code information such as PDL, the input image structure can be recognized simultaneously when the interpreter 23 interprets the code information. For example, since a rendering command is issued for each object in PDL, the object in the image can be easily recognized. Similarly, when the input image information is a graphic drawing command, the drawing command input unit 22 can recognize the input image structure.

  In the example shown in FIG. 11, a configuration corresponding to one type of PDL is shown. For example, the input image structure recognition unit 21 identifies various types of PDL and includes an interpreter 23 corresponding to each of them. It is also possible to support a plurality of PDLs.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. In the third embodiment, an example in which the first-layer transmission data generation unit 11 is not provided is shown. Since the first-layer transmission data generation unit 11 is not provided, the input switching unit 1 and the selection unit 5 are also unnecessary and are not provided.

  In such a configuration, transmission in the multilayer data format can be performed in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments described above. In the case of transmission in the 1-layer data format, the attribute separation unit 2 generates only selected data. At this time, if the input image information is a multi-valued image, a predetermined binarization process is performed. Further, the image processing unit 3b performs compression processing using a compression method that is optimal for at least binary image data, for example, a compression method such as MH / MR or MMR. Then, the multiplexer 4 selects and outputs only the selected data, and the transmission unit 8 performs transmission processing similar to that of a normal FAX. The image structure determining unit 10 performs such setting.

  In the third embodiment, the transmission attribute input unit 9 and the input image structure recognition unit 21 are provided. However, similarly to the first embodiment, the transmission attribute input unit 9 may be configured. The input image structure recognizing unit 21 alone may be used.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a first application example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 31 is an image transmitting device, 32 is an image receiving device, and 33 is a document image. The image transmission device 31 includes the image processing device of the present invention as described in the first to third embodiments. Similar to a normal black-and-white facsimile, the image transmission apparatus 31 scans and inputs a color original image 33, converts the input image information into a multi-layer data format or a single-layer data format by the image processing apparatus of the present invention, and then passes through the line. To transmit. At this time, the image structure determination unit 10 determines the optimal transmission image attribute according to the transmission attribute instruction input by the user from the transmission attribute input unit 9 or the image attribute of the image information recognized by the input image structure recognition unit 21. Since each unit is controlled, image information can be transmitted with image quality and efficiency that match the user's intention and the characteristics of the input image information.

  The image receiving device 32 restores and outputs the image data in the multilayer data format or the single layer data format sent from the image transmitting device 31. More specifically, when the sent data is in a multi-layer data format, three or two or one compressed image data plane is extracted from the image data wrapped in a predetermined data format, and the decoding process is performed. After that, the resolution of the three image data planes is matched, and the image data is restored by selecting and outputting the first image data IM1 or the second image data IM2 according to the value of each pixel of the selection data SEL can do.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the image transmission apparatus in the first application example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 41 is a CPU, 42 is a memory, 43 is a communication control unit, 44 is an image processing unit, 45 is a scanner, 46 is an interface unit, 47 is a control panel, and 48 is a bus. The CPU 41 controls the entire image transmission apparatus. The memory 42 temporarily stores image information input from the scanner 45, image information in a multilayer data format converted by the image processing unit 44, and the like. The buffer 6 in FIGS. 1, 10, and 11 described above can be configured by the memory 42. The communication control unit 43 corresponds to the transmission unit 8 in FIGS. 1, 10, and 11 described above, performs communication control with the image reception device 32, and transmits transmission data in a multilayer data format or a single layer data format. Send. The image processing unit 44 performs all or part of the processing such as the attribute separation unit 2, the image processing units 3 a to 3 c, the multiplexer 4, the strip separation unit 7, and the one-layer transmission data generation unit 11 according to an instruction from the CPU 41 or in cooperation with the CPU 41. To work. Also, all or a part of the processing of the image structure determining unit 10 and the input image structure recognizing unit 21 shown in the second and third embodiments can be performed. The scanner 45 reads an original and inputs image information. The interface unit 46 is an interface for connecting the scanner 45 to the CPU 41. The control panel 47 receives instructions from the user and displays a message for the user. The control panel 47 has a part for receiving a transmission attribute instruction from the user as shown in FIG. 2, for example, and constitutes a transmission attribute input unit 9. The bus 48 connects the CPU 41, the memory 42, the communication control unit 43, the image processing unit 44, the interface unit 46, and the control panel 47 inside the image transmission apparatus.

  The operation of the image transmission apparatus in the first application example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention can be operated, for example, according to the procedure shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example. First, the user inputs a transmission attribute instruction from the control panel 47, and controls each unit such as the image processing unit 44 in accordance with this to make necessary settings.

  Thereafter, the document image 33 to be transmitted is read using the scanner 45. The read image information is stored in the memory 42 via the interface 46 under the control of the CPU 41. At this time, for example, when the configurations of the second and third embodiments of the image processing apparatus of the present invention are installed, the image structure of the read image information is recognized, and the transmission image structure is determined from the recognized image structure. In accordance with this determination, settings of each unit such as the image processing unit 44 are performed.

  Subsequently, communication control with the image receiving device 32 is started under the control of the CPU 41. At this time, a confirmation operation (negotiation) of the device environment of the image receiving device 32 is performed, and these pieces of information are managed by the CPU 41. After the confirmation work is completed, the input image information is in a multi-layer data format or one-layer data according to the setting of each part made based on the transmission attribute instruction input by the user or the image structure of the input image information as described above. Conversion to format is performed. This processing is as described in the first to third embodiments of the image processing apparatus of the present invention described above.

  The converted multi-layer data format or single-layer data format transmission data is stored in the memory 42 again. The memory 42 may be prepared with a capacity capable of storing image data for two surfaces before conversion and after conversion, or may be prepared with only a capacity for one surface to dynamically control writing and reading. .

  When the CPU 41 confirms that the transmission data is stored in the memory 42, the CPU 41 or the image processing unit 44 performs band-shaped division processing and transmits the data via the communication control unit 43. Or you may transmit per page, without performing strip | belt-shaped division | segmentation processing. Since the data to be transmitted is appropriately processed according to the user's request and the image structure of the input image information as described above, it is possible to transmit a high-quality image at high speed.

  FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a second application example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 51 to 53 are host computers, 54 is a digital camera, 55 is a scanner, 56 is a transmission side device, 57 is a modem, 58 is a transmission side network, 61 and 62 are client computers, 63 and 64 are printers, 65 is A receiving network, 66 is a receiving device, and 67 is a modem. In the transmission side system, host computers 51 to 53, a scanner 55, a transmission side device 56, and the like are connected by a transmission side network 58. A digital camera 54 is connected to the host computer 53, and a modem 57 is connected to the transmission side device 56.

  The transmission side device 56 has the configuration shown as the first to third embodiments of the image processing device of the present invention described above, for example. The transmission side device 56 receives image data directly from the host computers 51 to 53 and the scanner 55 connected on the transmission side network 58 and from the digital camera 54 via the host computer 53, and performs image separation and resolution conversion. After performing image processing such as compression and formatting, transmission data in a multi-layer data format or a single-layer data format can be transmitted to the receiving system via the modem 57.

  In the receiving system, client computers 61 and 62, printers 63 and 64, a receiving device 65, and the like are connected by a receiving network 65. Further, a modem 67 is connected to the receiving side device 66, and data sent via the communication line can be received via the modem 67.

  The receiving side device 65 synthesizes or generates an image from data in the multi-layer data format or the single-layer data format received by the modem 67 and outputs it to the printer 63 or the printer 64. Alternatively, after necessary processing is performed by the client computers 61 and 62, the data can be output from the printer 63 or 64.

  FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the transmission-side apparatus in the second application example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 71 is an internal bus, 72 is a CPU, 73 is a memory, 74 is a network control unit, 75 is a communication control unit, 76 is an image storage unit, 77 is an image processing unit, and 78 is an interface unit. 16 includes a CPU 72, a memory 73, a network 74, a communication control unit 75, an image storage unit 76, an image processing unit 77, an interface unit 78, and the like connected by an internal bus 71. .

  The CPU 72 controls the transmission side device 56. The memory 73 temporarily stores image data. The network control unit 74 receives image data from the host computers 51 to 53 and the scanner 55 via the network 58, or transmits the image data to other host computers 51 to 53 via the network 58. A transmission attribute instruction by the user can also be obtained from the outside via the network control unit 74. The communication control unit 75 transmits transmission data via a modem 57 or the like connected to the outside. As shown in FIG. 15, a communication line such as a general telephone line is further connected to the modem 57 for communication, and transmission data can be transmitted via these lines. The image storage unit 76 stores transmission data. Similar to the first application example described above, the image processing unit 77 cooperates with the CPU 72 to realize the functions of the first to third embodiments of the image processing apparatus of the present invention described above. The interface unit 78 is an interface when an image input device such as a scanner or a digital camera is directly connected to the transmission side device 56.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation in the second application example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 17 shows an operation from when an image is actually created by the host computers 51 to 53, or after an image is read from the scanner 55 or the digital camera 54 to image processing and transmission. First, in step S181, a request for transmitting an image is sent from one of the host computers 51 to 53 or the scanner 55 connected to the network 58 to the transmission side device 56, and the image is transmitted.

  In the transmission side device 56, when a transmission request is received via the network control unit 74, the CPU 72 sets a predetermined parameter in a register of DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller) (not shown). The parameters include the data storage address of the memory 73 and the transfer rate. When the parameter setting is completed, the CPU 72 issues a command indicating the ready state to the network control unit 74, and then stores the image information sequentially transmitted from any of the host computers 51 to 53 or the memory 73 in S 182. To do.

  In addition, information on the transmission attribute instruction input by the user at this time is also sent from the transmission source. Then, the transmission image structure is determined based on the received transmission attribute instruction, and each part is set. Furthermore, when the configuration shown in the second and third embodiments of the image processing apparatus of the present invention is included, the image structure is recognized from the image information stored in the memory 73, and the transmission image is based on the recognition result. Determine the structure and set each part.

  Thereafter, the CPU 72 sets parameters such as an image read address and a write address of processed transmission data in the DMAC register, sequentially reads image information on the memory 73, and is set according to the determined transmission image structure in S183. The transmission data in the multi-layer data format or the one-layer data format is generated.

  In S184, the transmission data in the multi-layer data format or the one-layer data format is sequentially stored in the memory 73, starting from the write address set in advance in the DMAC register. The memory 73 may be prepared with a capacity capable of storing two image data before and after the image processing, or only the larger one is prepared to dynamically control writing and reading. Also good. In S185, the transmission data in the multi-layer data format or the single-layer data format stored in the memory 73 is sequentially stored in the image storage unit 76 for storage.

  When the accumulation of the transmission data is completed, in S186, the CPU 72 starts communication with the reception side system designated in advance. Detailed communication protocols are omitted. After confirming that the connection to the receiving system has been completed in S187, the image data in the multi-layer data format stored in the memory 73 is sequentially read out in S188, and the set strip division processing is performed. The data is transmitted to the receiving system via the modem 57.

  Through the above processing, the image information sent from the host computers 51 to 53 and the scanner 55 can be converted into transmission data in a multilayer data format or a single layer data format and transmitted to the receiving system. Alternatively, transmission data stored in the memory 73 may be sequentially read via the network control unit 74 and sent to the host computers 51 to 53. For example, when a transmission attribute instruction is received, the transmission data is generated in accordance with the instruction, and thus has an image quality and a data amount according to a user request. In addition, since it is generated according to the input image information, transmission data is generated by a process optimal for the image information. Therefore, it is possible to transmit image information with an appropriate image quality and an appropriate amount of data.

  In the receiving side system, the receiving side device 66 reconstructs an image based on the image data received by the modem 67. The compressed first image plane, the second image plane, and the selected image plane are extracted from the formatted image data in the multi-layer data format, and after decoding, the resolution is adjusted, and the first image plane or the first image plane is adjusted according to the data of the selected image plane. Either one of the two image planes is selected and output. Thereby, the image information is reconstructed. In the case of image data in a single layer data format, the image information is reconstructed by the same processing as that of a conventional FAX.

  The reconstructed image information can be subjected to image processing as necessary under the control of the client computers 61 and 62 and stored as it is, or can be output from the printer 63 or the printer 64.

1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of an image processing apparatus of the present invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of a transmission attribute input part. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement in 1st Embodiment of the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the specific example of the transmission data of the multilayer data format in the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of another specific example of the transmission data of the multilayer data format in the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the image structure determination part in 1st Embodiment of the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the character / photo determination process performed in the attribute separation part in 1st Embodiment of the image transmission apparatus of this invention. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of an attribute separation unit when input image information is PDL in the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process for automatically determining the division | segmentation width | variety in case the strip | belt-shaped division part performs strip | belt-shaped division | segmentation by variable length in 1st Embodiment of the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the specific example of strip | belt-shaped division | segmentation in 1st Embodiment of the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows 2nd Embodiment of the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows 3rd Embodiment of the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the 1st application example of the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of an internal structure of the image transmission apparatus in the 1st application example of the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the 2nd application example of the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of an internal structure of the transmission side apparatus in the 2nd application example of the image processing apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement in the 2nd application example of the image processing apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Input switching part, 2 ... Attribute separation part, 3a-3c ... Image processing part, 4 ... Multiplexer, 5 ... Selection part, 6 ... Buffer, 7 ... Strip | belt-shaped division part, 8 ... Transmission part, 9 ... Control panel, 10 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Image structure determination part, 11 ... Single layer transmission data generation part, 12 ... Binarization part, 13 ... Compressor, 21 ... Input image structure recognition part, 22 ... Drawing command input part, 23 ... Interpreter, 24a ... 1st Image data generation unit, 24b ... selection data generation unit, 24c ... second image data generation unit, 31 ... image transmission device, 32 ... image reception device, 33 ... document image, 41 ... CPU, 42 ... memory, 43 ... communication control , 44 ... Image processing unit, 45 ... Scanner, 46 ... Interface unit, 47 ... Control panel, 48 ... Bus, 51 to 53 ... Host computer, 54 ... Digital camera, 55 ... Scanner, 56 ... Transmission Device 57 57 Modem 58 Transmission network 61 62 Client computer 63 64 Printer 65 Receiving network 66 Receiving device 67 Modem 71 Internal bus 72 CPU 73 ... Memory, 74 ... Network control unit, 75 ... Communication control unit, 76 ... Image storage unit, 77 ... Image processing unit, 78 ... Interface unit.

Claims (20)

  From the input image information, the color information of the character / line drawing part or the shape information and the color information are separated into the first image data, the pattern part is separated into the second image data, and the first image data or the second image data is separated. A transmission attribute indicating transmission image quality by a user in an image processing apparatus that transmits image data in a multi-layer data format including the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data. Transmission attribute input means for inputting an instruction; image structure determination means for determining a transmission image structure of transmission data in the multilayer data format based on a transmission attribute instruction indicating the transmission image quality input by the transmission attribute input means; The first image data, the second image data, and the selection data constituting the multilayer data format are determined by the image structure determination means. Conversion means for performing compression processing by a compression method corresponding to each data in accordance with the transmitted image structure, and the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data compressed by the conversion means An image processing apparatus comprising transmission means for transmitting transmission data in the multilayer data format.   From the input image information, the color information of the character / line drawing part or the shape information and the color information are separated into the first image data, the pattern part is separated into the second image data, and the first image data or the second image data is separated. A transmission attribute indicating transmission image quality by a user in an image processing apparatus that transmits image data in a multi-layer data format including the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data. Transmission attribute input means for inputting an instruction; image structure determination means for determining a transmission image structure of transmission data in the multilayer data format based on a transmission attribute instruction indicating the transmission image quality input by the transmission attribute input means; The transmission image determined by the image structure determining means for the first image data and the second image data constituting the multilayer data format Conversion means for performing color space conversion processing according to each data according to the structure, and transmission data of the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data subjected to the color space conversion processing by the conversion means, An image processing apparatus comprising a transmission means for transmitting data in a multilayer data format.   From the input image information, the color information of the character / line drawing part or the shape information and the color information are separated into the first image data, the pattern part is separated into the second image data, and the first image data or the second image data is separated. A transmission attribute indicating a transmission mode by a user in an image processing apparatus that transmits image data in a multi-layer data format including the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data. Transmission attribute input means for inputting an instruction; image structure determination means for determining a transmission image structure of transmission data in the multilayer data format based on a transmission attribute instruction indicating the transmission mode input by the transmission attribute input means; The multilayer data format composed of the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data from the input image information Multi-layer transmission data generating means for generating transmission data, one-layer transmission data generating means for generating transmission data in a one-layer data format from the input image information, and the transmission image structure determined by the image structure determining means Selection means for selecting either transmission data generated by the multi-layer transmission data generation means or transmission data generated by the first layer transmission data generation means, and transmission means for transmitting the transmission data selected by the selection means An image processing apparatus comprising:   And an input image structure recognition means for recognizing an image structure of the input image information, wherein the image structure determination means takes into account the image structure recognized by the input image structure recognition means. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   From the input image information, the color information of the character / line drawing part or the shape information and the color information are separated into the first image data, the pattern part is separated into the second image data, and the first image data or the second image data is separated. In an image processing apparatus that transmits image data in a multi-layered data format including the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data, the frequency of the input image information. Input image structure recognition means for recognizing an image structure such as an analysis result, a document type, a color space, and the number of gradations, and transmission data in the multilayer data format based on the image structure recognized by the input image structure recognition means An image structure determining means for determining a transmission image structure, and the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data constituting the multilayer data format. Conversion means for performing compression processing by a compression method corresponding to each data according to the transmission image structure determined by the image structure determination means, and the first image data and the second image data compressed by the conversion means And an image processing apparatus comprising: transmission means for transmitting transmission data of the selection data in the multilayer data format.   From the input image information, the color information of the character / line drawing part or the shape information and the color information are separated into the first image data, the pattern part is separated into the second image data, and the first image data or the second image data is separated. In an image processing apparatus that transmits image data in a multi-layered data format including the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data, the frequency of the input image information. Input image structure recognition means for recognizing an image structure such as an analysis result, a document type, a color space, and the number of gradations, and transmission data in the multilayer data format based on the image structure recognized by the input image structure recognition means Image structure determining means for determining a transmission image structure, and the image structure determination for the first image data and the second image data constituting the multilayer data format. Conversion means for performing color space conversion processing according to each data in accordance with the transmission image structure determined by the means, the first image data and the second image data subjected to color space conversion processing by the conversion means, and the selection An image processing apparatus comprising transmission means for transmitting transmission data of data in the multilayer data format.   7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the input image information is code information, and the input image structure recognition unit recognizes the image structure from the code information.   The image structure determination unit includes a band dividing unit that divides the transmission data of the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data constituting the multilayer data format into a predetermined line. Determining a division width when the transmission data in the multilayer data format is band-divided based on the image structure recognized by the input image structure recognizing unit, and the band dividing unit includes the image structure determining unit. The transmission data of the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data constituting the multi-layer data format is divided into strips based on the split width determined by the step, and the transmission means includes the strips 5. A transmission means for transmitting transmission data in the multilayer data format in stripe units divided into strips by the dividing means. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 7.   The input image structure recognizing means recognizes an object structure of the input image information, and the image structure determining means is a band dividing means depending on the object structure recognized by the input image structure recognizing means. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a division width at the time of band-like division is determined.   The input image structure recognizing means recognizes change point information of the input image information, and the image structure determining means is based on the change point information recognized by the input image structure recognizing means. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a division width when the band division is performed is determined.   From the input image information, the color information of the character / line drawing part or the shape information and the color information are separated into the first image data, the pattern part is separated into the second image data, and the first image data or the second image data is separated. A transmission attribute indicating transmission image quality by a user in an image processing method in which image data is selected as selection data and transmitted in a multi-layer data format including the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data. An instruction input is received, a transmission image structure of transmission data in the multilayer data format is determined based on the input transmission attribute instruction indicating the transmission image quality, and the first image data constituting the multilayer data format, the first image data In accordance with the transmission image structure determined for the two image data and the selected data, compression processing is performed by a compression method corresponding to each data. There, the compressed first image data, an image processing method, characterized by transmitting the second image data, and the transmission data of the selected data in said multilayer data format.   From the input image information, the color information of the character / line drawing part or the shape information and the color information are separated into the first image data, the pattern part is separated into the second image data, and the first image data or the second image data is separated. A transmission attribute indicating transmission image quality by a user in an image processing method in which image data is selected as selection data and transmitted in a multi-layer data format including the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data. An instruction input is received, a transmission image structure of transmission data in the multilayer data format is determined based on the input transmission attribute instruction indicating the transmission image quality, and the first image data and the first image data constituting the multilayer data format are determined. According to the transmission image structure determined for the two image data, the color space conversion process corresponding to each data is performed, and the color space conversion process is performed. Image processing method characterized by transmitting the transmission data of the serial the selection data and the first image data and the second image data in said multilayer data format.   From the input image information, the color information of the character / line drawing part or the shape information and the color information are separated into the first image data, the pattern part is separated into the second image data, and the first image data or the second image data is separated. In the image processing method for transmitting in a multi-layer data format including the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data, which one of the image data is to be selected is selected data from the input image information. The transmission data in the multilayer data format composed of the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data is generated, and the transmission data in the single-layer data format is generated from the input image information. The transmission attribute instruction indicating the transmission mode is received, and the multi-layer data format is input based on the input transmission attribute instruction indicating the transmission mode. The transmission image structure of the transmission data is determined, and according to the determined transmission image structure, either the transmission data in the multilayer data format or the transmission data in the one-layer transmission data format is selected, and the selected transmission data is An image processing method characterized by transmitting.   14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: recognizing an image structure of the input image information, and switching the processing in consideration of the recognized image structure. Image processing method.   From the input image information, the color information of the character / line drawing part or the shape information and the color information are separated into the first image data, the pattern part is separated into the second image data, and the first image data or the second image data is separated. In the image processing method in which any one of image data is selected as selection data and transmitted in a multi-layer data format including the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data, the frequency of the input image information Recognize the image structure such as analysis result, document type, color space, number of gradations, etc., determine the transmission image structure of the transmission data in the multilayer data format based on the recognized image structure, and configure the multilayer data format In accordance with the transmission image structure determined for the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data, a compression method corresponding to each data is used. Ri performs compression process, the compressed first image data, an image processing method, characterized by transmitting the second image data, and the transmission data of the selected data in said multilayer data format.   From the input image information, the color information of the character / line drawing part or the shape information and the color information are separated into the first image data, the pattern part is separated into the second image data, and the first image data or the second image data is separated. In the image processing method in which any one of image data is selected as selection data and transmitted in a multi-layer data format including the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data, the frequency of the input image information Recognize the image structure such as analysis result, document type, color space, number of gradations, etc., determine the transmission image structure of the transmission data in the multilayer data format based on the recognized image structure, and configure the multilayer data format Color space conversion processing is performed according to each data according to the transmission image structure determined for the first image data and the second image data, Image processing method characterized by transmitting the transmission data of the converted processed first image data and the second image data and the selection data in said multilayer data format.   The image processing method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the input image information is code information, and the image structure is recognized from the code information.   Further, the first image that determines the division width when the transmission data in the multilayer data format is band-divided based on the recognized image structure and configures the multilayer data format based on the determined division width The transmission data among the data, the second image data, and the selection data is band-divided for each predetermined line, and the transmission data is transmitted in the multilayer data format in stripe units divided into bands. The image processing method according to any one of claims 14 to 17.   19. The image according to claim 18, wherein an object structure of the input image information is recognized as the image structure, and a division width for band-shaped division is determined depending on the recognized object structure. Processing method.   19. The change width according to claim 18, wherein change point information of the input image information is recognized as the image structure, and a division width for band-like division is determined based on the recognized change point information. Image processing method.

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