JP2006099363A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that while a function for converting an image into various formats, to be inputted and outputted is required for an image database, and the data amounts of image data are larger than those of normal text data, a time required for image processing is made extremely long, and the load of processing to be imposed on a computer is made larger according as the number of images to be dealt with is made larger. <P>SOLUTION: This image processing system for performing image conversion processing to image data based on the processing procedure instructions of image conversion is provided with an operation file management server for managing an operation file including image data, an image processing control server for controlling image processing, an image processor for image processing and an image database server for managing image-processed image data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to processing for inputting and outputting images in a database.

  According to Patent Document 1, a video data processing device configured to be able to communicate with a plurality of compression devices capable of compressing temporally continuous video data in a predetermined format, from among video data to be compressed. Audio data processing means for extracting audio data, division processing means for dividing the video data after the audio data is extracted in a predetermined unit, and the extracted audio data and each divided video data to the compression device There has been proposed a video data processing apparatus characterized by having transmission instruction means for transmitting and distributing data compression processing to a plurality of compression apparatuses.

The amount of image data is larger than that of text data, and the processing load for image processing is large. Therefore, in image databases that handle image data and text data, such as a print catalog database and product image database consisting of product image data and product information, the time required for image processing and input / output of image data is the time required for the text database. It is considerably longer than However, conventionally, these processes have been performed on the same computer.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-159079

  In the image database, when registering an image, the image is not registered as it is, but also converted into an image of various formats, for example, an icon image or a Web image, and registered in the database. Similarly, when outputting, there is a demand for a function of converting to a specified image format and outputting. However, since these processes are usually performed on the same computer, there is a problem that the processing load on the computer increases as the number of images to be handled increases. An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems.

An image processing system for performing image conversion processing on image data based on an image conversion processing procedure instruction,
A work file management server for managing work files including image data;
An image processing control server for controlling image processing;
An image processing apparatus that performs image processing according to an image conversion processing procedure instruction and a work file by an image processing control server;
An image database server for managing image data that has undergone image processing;
The above-mentioned problem is solved by an image processing system comprising:

By separating the flow of image data and image conversion processing procedure instructions and handling the image data in a unified manner by the work file management server, it is possible to prevent the image data from going back and forth.
Even when a large amount of image data is handled, it is possible to speed up the processing by installing a plurality of image processing apparatuses.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the entire system of the present invention. An image processing system 1 according to the present invention includes an image database server 11, a work file management server 12, an image processing control server 13, and an image processing device 14, and can be connected to a user terminal 15 directly or via a network.

  The work file management server 12 has a work area 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the work area 2 stores conversion source image data to be subjected to image processing by the image processing system 1 or a storage destination of conversion source image data. The input storage area 21 for recording image data and the output storage area for storing processed image data created as a result of performing image processing by the image processing system 1 or recording the storage destination of processed image data 22 is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the work file management server 12 assigns a management ID to the image processing request transmitted from the user, and converts the conversion source image data and processed image data into the sub management ID and the file name or data. Manage by storage location. A work file refers to a file comprising the management ID, sub-management ID, and conversion source image data or processed image data.

  The image processing control server 13 is a server that manages each image processing apparatus 14. The image processing apparatus 14 in the present embodiment is installed in one or more computers that can be connected to the work file management server 12 and the image processing control server 13. It is assumed that

  Next, a procedure when image processing is performed using this system will be described. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an execution procedure when image processing is performed by the image processing system 1.

  First, the user transmits an image processing request from the user terminal 15 to the work file management server 12. The work file processing server 12 that has received the image processing request transmits a management ID indicating the accepted image processing work area 2 to the user.

  Next, the user transmits the conversion source image data to be subjected to image processing together with the management ID to the input storage area 21 of the work file management server 12 and transmits an image conversion processing procedure instruction to the image processing control server 13. A sub management ID is assigned to the conversion source image data. The image conversion processing procedure instruction has the following contents, for example. First, conversion source image data is acquired. Next, the image is scaled. Further color conversion is performed.

  The image processing control server 13 searches the image processing apparatus 14 in the order shown in FIG. 5 for the image processing apparatus 14 in the order shown in FIG. select. Priorities for selecting the image processing apparatus 14 can be determined in advance.

  Subsequently, the image processing control server 13 transmits an image conversion processing procedure instruction to the image processing device 14. The operating status of the image processing apparatus 14 is recorded according to the operating status of the image processing apparatus, and the operating status of the image processing apparatus 14 to which the image conversion processing procedure instruction is transmitted is switched from empty to operating.

The image processing apparatus 14 requests conversion source image data to be subjected to image processing in accordance with an image conversion processing procedure instruction.
The work file management server 12 transmits the conversion source image data requested from the image processing device 14 from the input storage area 21 to the image processing device 14.

The image processing device 14 performs image processing on the conversion source image data based on an image conversion processing procedure instruction. When the image processing is completed, the processed image data is transmitted to the output storage area 22 of the work file management server 12. A sub-management ID is assigned to the processed image data.
The image processing unit 14 transmits a processing end report to the image processing control device 13. The operation status table of the image processing apparatus switches the operation status of the image processing apparatus 14 that has finished operating from operating to empty.
The image processing control server 13 transmits a process end report to the user.

The user who has received the report on completion of image processing transmits an instruction to the work file management server 12 to register the processed image data stored in the output storage area 22 in the image database server 11.
The work file management server 12 stores the processed image data stored in the output storage area 22 in the image database server 11. Finally, the work file management server 12 deletes the conversion source image data and the processed image data from the work area 2 or the storage destination record.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the image processing system in this invention. It is a figure which shows a work area. It is a figure which shows the management structure of a work file. It is a figure which shows the flow of the process performed by this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of a process of an image processing control server. The operation status table of an image processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image processing system 11 Image database server 12 Work file management server 13 Image processing control server 14 Image processing apparatus 15 User terminal 2 Work area 21 Input storage area 22 Output storage area

Claims (6)

An image processing system for performing image conversion processing on image data based on an image conversion processing procedure instruction,
A work file management server for managing work files including image data;
An image processing control server for controlling image processing;
An image processing apparatus that performs image processing based on an image conversion processing procedure instruction and a work file by an image processing control server;
An image database server for managing image data that has undergone image processing;
An image processing system comprising:
2. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein there are one or more image processing apparatuses.
The image processing system according to claim 2, wherein the image processing control server selects an image processing apparatus that can operate according to an operation status table of the image processing apparatus.
The work file includes a management ID assigned to an image processing request transmitted from a user, conversion source image data or processed image data, and a sub management ID assigned to each image data. The image processing system according to claim 1, claim 2, or claim 3.
The image processing system according to claim 4, wherein the work file management server includes a work area that stores and centrally manages work files, and the work area includes an input storage area and an output storage area.
The working file management server receives image data via a network,
6. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the image processing control server receives an image conversion processing procedure instruction via a network.

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