JP2005274846A - Image processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing apparatus capable of easily creating a print like a solid printing photo which is designed in response to a request of a client, from a plurality of differently designed film-like templates, and further capable of automatically composing frame images desired to print into a desired template and performing a printing process thereon even if there are a number of such frame images. <P>SOLUTION: In an image processing apparatus adapted to compose frame images through a main controller to an image inserting parts of a template comprising the plurality of image inserting parts for inserting frame images thereto and to perform a printing process on the synthetic image, the main controller is constructed with a storage section for storing a plurality of kinds of templates, a composition function of composing frame images into the image inserting parts of a template selected out of templates stored in the storage section, and a composition processing control function of arranging the plurality of templates side by side and composing the frame images in the image inserting parts of the plurality of templates so as to perform the print processing if the frame images to be composed become more than the image insertion parts of the template. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a so-called digital image processing apparatus that prints an image on photographic paper based on image data read by a reading apparatus.

  In general, this type of image processing apparatus includes a reading apparatus for reading an image copied on a photographic film, and an exposure apparatus for printing the image on photographic paper based on image data read by the reading apparatus. The image data is provided, and the image is printed on the photographic paper by the exposure device based on the image data read by the reading device, and then the photographic paper is developed by the development processing device to finish the print.

  By the way, as a photo for submission to the government office etc., there is a case where it is requested to create a so-called solid image, which is obtained by directly printing an image of the entire film such as a perforation forming part of a film and a frame number code part on a photographic paper. The above-mentioned image processing device, for example, scans only the image portion of each frame photographed on the film when scanning film that has been photographed, so it prints a solid photograph directly like an analog image processing device. I can't do that.

Therefore, conventionally, a film-shaped template including a plurality of image insertion units for inserting frame images is created in advance, and the frame images read by the reading device are stored in each image insertion unit of the template. After combining the images, the exposure apparatus prints an image of the entire film formed by combining the frame images on the image insertion portion onto the photographic paper. (See Patent Document 1)
However, in the image processing apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, only a standard film-shaped image is prepared as a template, and a solid print-like print of a desired design is created. If the number of frame images to be combined is large, the operator has to read out a plurality of templates each time and perform the combining work, resulting in poor workability.

  The present invention has been developed in view of the above circumstances, and the object is to easily print a solid photographic style print according to the customer's request from a plurality of film-shaped templates with different designs. An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus which can be created and automatically combined with a desired template even when the number of frame images to be printed is large, and can be printed.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a frame image is synthesized with the image insertion unit of a template having a plurality of image insertion units via a control means, and the synthesized image is printed In the image processing apparatus to be processed, the control unit combines the frame image with a storage unit for storing a plurality of types of templates and an image insertion unit of a template selected from the templates stored in the storage unit. When the number of frame images to be combined and the number of frame images to be combined exceeds the number of template image insertion portions, a plurality of templates can be arranged and the frame images can be combined with the image insertion portions of the plurality of templates for print processing. And a synthesis processing control function.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if there are a lot of frame images to be printed, it is possible to easily create a solid photographic print having a desired design.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention.
A film mask unit 21 for setting a developed film, a scanner 22 for reading a frame image of the developed film set in the film mask unit 21, and a reading device 23 for reading image data recorded on various recording media An image processor 2 equipped with an image processing unit 24 for mainly performing various image processing on the image data read by the scanner 22 or the reading device 23;
A printer 3 for printing an image on photographic paper P, which is an example of print paper, using image data processed by the image processor 2;
It comprises a processor 4 for developing photographic paper on which an image is printed by the printer 3.

  The scanner 22 mounted on the image processor 2 sets the developed film on the film mask unit 21 to irradiate the developed film set on the film mask unit 21 with the light from the light source unit 20. The images of each frame are sequentially read and output to the image processing unit 24, and the image processing unit 24 performs various image processing on the image data read by the scanner 22 or the reading device 23.

  The image processing unit 24 includes a main controller 25 including a computer in which image processing software or the like is installed, a keyboard 26a and a mouse 26b for inputting various information to the main controller 25, and a monitor 27 for displaying various information. It is composed of.

  The image data read by the scanner 22 or the reading device 23 is appropriately processed by the main controller 25 based on a predetermined processing program and various information such as a print size input by the keyboard 26a or the mouse 26b, and then sequentially printed. The data is output as data to a sub-controller 30 described later mounted on the printer 3.

  The printer 3 is for printing the print data created by the image processing unit 24 of the image processing machine 2 on the photographic printing paper P, and the sub controller 30 for inputting the print data output from the image processing unit 24. Paper magazines 31a and 31b filled with rolls of photographic paper P, a transport mechanism 32 for transporting the photographic paper P delivered from the paper magazines 31a and 31b, and a print transported by the transport mechanism 32 An exposure mechanism 33 for exposing image data to the paper P via the sub-controller 30 is mounted.

  In the printer 3, as the print data output from the main controller 25 is input to the sub-controller 30, the sub-controller 30 generates exposure data based on the input print data, and the exposure mechanism 33. To be output.

  As a method of the exposure mechanism 33, a PLZT shutter method, a laser beam method, a liquid crystal shutter method, a fluorescent beam method, and the like are known, and any method can be adopted according to the specification.

  The processor 4 has a development processing mechanism 41 for developing the photographic paper P on which an image is printed by the printer 3, and a drying processing mechanism 42 for drying the photographic paper P developed by the development processing mechanism 41. And an unloading mechanism 43 for unloading the print PR completed by the drying process.

  The development processing mechanism 41 includes a plurality of processing tanks, and various processing liquids such as a developing solution, a bleaching / fixing solution, and a stabilizing solution are individually stored in these processing tanks.

  The drying processing mechanism 42 includes a heater for drying the photographic paper P, and the photographic paper P is appropriately dried by the heater while the photographic paper P is conveyed by a conveyance mechanism (not shown).

In the image processing apparatus 1 configured as described above, in the embodiment shown in the figure, the storage device of the main controller 25 is provided with a storage unit 5 for storing a plurality of types of templates, and a program for the main controller 25. On the top
A synthesis function 7a for synthesizing the frame image 60 to the image insertion unit 61 of the template selected from the plurality of film-shaped templates 6a to 6d stored in the storage unit 5;
When the number of frame images 60 to be combined is greater than the number of template image insertion units 61, a plurality of the templates are arranged, and the frame images 60 are combined with these template image insertion units 61 to enable print processing. A composition processing control function 7b;
An image size changing function 7c for automatically changing the frame image data to a size that can be inserted into the image insertion unit 61 is constructed.

  The storage unit 5 arbitrarily stores templates composed of images of desired designs. In the embodiment, templates 6a to 6d shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 are stored in advance.

  The templates 6a to 6d shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 have different designs, and each of the templates 6a to 6d includes four image insertion portions 61 into which the frame images 60 can be inserted.

  In order to finish a solid print-like print by the image processing apparatus having the above configuration, first, a desired operation is selected from the templates 6a to 6d stored in the storage unit 5 of the main controller 25 by an input operation using the keyboard 26a. When a design template (for example, 6a) is selected and a frame image in the developed film is loaded into the storage unit of the main controller via the scanner 22, the merged processing function 7 converts the captured frame image into the template. Composite image data fitted in the image insertion unit 61 is created, and this composite image is displayed on the screen of the monitor 27.

  At this time, if the size of the frame image data is larger than the size of the template image insertion unit 61, the size of the frame image data is automatically changed by the image size changing function 7c. The image is inserted into the image insertion unit 61 in the template 6a.

  Further, when the number of frame images to be printed is larger than the number (4) of the image insertion units 61 of the template 6a, for example, when 24 frame images are to be printed, the template 6a is stored via the image processing control function 7c. In the state where four are arranged, image data in which 24 frame images 60 are synthesized in the image insertion unit 61 of each template is created, and the synthesized image is displayed on the screen of the monitor 27. .

  If the composite image displayed on the screen of the monitor 27 is acceptable, the operator issues a print command via the keyboard 26a. Thus, after the composite image is printed on the photographic paper P by the printer 3, The image is developed by the processor 4 to finish a solid print photographic print PR as shown in FIG.

  In the above embodiment, the templates 6 a to 6 b having the four image insertion units 61 are stored in the storage unit 5. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a template having the six image insertion units 61 is stored in the storage unit 5. You may store in.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the image processing apparatus using the photographic paper P. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is applied to the image processing apparatus using print paper other than the photographic paper. May be.

Explanatory drawing of the image processing apparatus concerning this invention The block diagram of the principal part. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the template stored in the storage part. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the template stored in the storage part. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the template stored in the storage part. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the template stored in the storage part. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a print created by the image processing apparatus of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image processing apparatus 2 Image processing machine 25 Main controller (control means)
27 monitor 3 printer 4 processor 5 storage unit 6a to 6d template 60 frame image 61 image processing unit 7a compositing function 7b compositing processing control function

Claims (1)

In an image processing apparatus in which a frame image is combined with the image insertion unit of a template including a plurality of image insertion units for inserting a frame image through a control unit, and the combined image is subjected to print processing.
The control means includes a storage unit for storing a plurality of types of templates, a combining function for combining a frame image with an image insertion unit of a template selected from the templates stored in the storage unit, and a frame to be combined. When the number of images is greater than the number of template image insertion sections, a composition processing control function is built that allows multiple templates to be arranged and the frame images to be combined with the image insertion sections of the plurality of templates for print processing. An image processing apparatus.

Images