JP2008148066A - Image processor, and its control method, and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processor to control processor performance according to a user's preference. <P>SOLUTION: The user selects which mode is taken for an operation, a normal copy mode or a speed preference copy mode at copying and changes the content of vectorizing processing according to the selection mode. That is, the entire vectorizing processing is conducted in the case that the normal copy mode is selected, and only partial vectorizing processing is conducted in the case that the speed preference copy mode is selected. Thus, vectorizing processing becomes variable according to a request of the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus such as an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) capable of handling vector data, a control method thereof, and a control program for executing the control method.

  In the office, paperlessness is progressing, and there is a demand for seamlessly handling paper output and electronic data. For this purpose, even an MFP device, which is an interface device between paper and electronic data, has a more intelligent function that converts raster image data into objects such as figures, characters, and line drawings (hereinafter referred to as vectorization) and reuses them. It is necessary to have.

  For this reason, a system has been proposed in which an image is read from an input device such as a scanner, spooled as a raster image, and vectorized on a computer connected to the MFP apparatus or an embedded application of the MFP apparatus. .

  In such a system, the image data in the MFP apparatus is not vectorized. Therefore, if the object is to be reused, it is necessary to extract the object by vectorizing from the raster image. In addition, when image data that can be vectorized and reused is input / output to / from the device, it is converted again into a raster image in the system, which consumes a lot of system resources.

  In order to solve the problem, an MFP apparatus that handles image data as vector data has been proposed (hereinafter referred to as a vector MFP apparatus). In such an MFP apparatus, a raster image read by a scanner is tiled by performing a tiling process and then vectorized. Further, tiling processing is performed on the vector image input from the network, the vector image is tiled, and all the data is handled as a tile image of vector data.

  Since the vectorized image data can be handled independently for each object, reuse becomes easy. In addition, the reusability of the vector image can be further improved if the object can be specified and converted using the preview function implemented in the conventional MFP apparatus.

Further, as an image processing apparatus capable of handling vector images, for example, Patent Document 1 has been proposed.
JP 2006-202197 A

  However, in the conventional image processing apparatus, in the copy operation in which an image is read by a scanner and output from a printer, the read raster image is vectorized. For this reason, the first copy time (hereinafter referred to as FCOT) until printing to the printer becomes longer by the vectorization processing time.

  For example, when copying as the final output and when copying as the sample output, the request for image quality and print speed is not always the same weight for the user. Therefore, it has been desired to make the vectorization process variable according to the user's request.

  In view of the above-described conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of controlling the performance of the apparatus by changing the contents of vectorization processing, a control method therefor, and a control program.

  To achieve the above object, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a tiling unit that performs a tiling process on an input image, and a vectorization unit that performs a vectorization process on an image that has been subjected to the tiling process. And changing means for changing the contents of the vectorization process according to a plurality of predetermined selection modes.

  The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a tiling unit that performs a tiling process on an input image, a vectorization unit that performs a vectorization process on the image that has been subjected to the tiling process, and the vectorization unit Measuring means for measuring the processing time of processing, and changing means for changing the contents of the vectorization process based on the processing time measured by the measuring means.

  The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a tiling unit that performs a tiling process on an input image, a vectorization unit that performs a vectorization process on the image that has been subjected to the tiling process, and the input image. Measuring means for measuring the number of areas in each area, and changing means for changing the processing content of the vectorization means in accordance with the number of areas in each area measured by the measuring means. .

  The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a tiling unit that performs a tiling process on an input image, a vectorization unit that performs a vectorization process on an image that has been subjected to the tiling process, Selecting means for selecting any one of the second processing modes, and when the first processing mode is selected, the input image is subjected to the processing of the vectorization processing, and the second processing mode is selected. When the processing mode is selected, the process of omitting the vectorization process is performed.

  The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a tiling unit that performs a tiling process on an input image, a vectorization unit that performs a vectorization process on the image that has been subjected to the tiling process, and the vectorization unit Image output means for performing image output processing after processing, and selection means for selecting one of the first and second processing modes, and when the first processing mode is selected, the vector When the second processing mode is selected, the vectorization process is omitted and the image output process is executed. After the image output process, the vectorization process is executed. It is characterized by performing.

  Further, the control method of the image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a tiling process for performing a tiling process on an input image, a vectorizing process for performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process, And a changing step of changing the contents of the vectorization process according to a plurality of predetermined selection modes.

  Further, the control method of the image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a tiling process for performing a tiling process on an input image, a vectorizing process for performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process, A measurement process for measuring the processing time of the vectorization process and a changing process for changing the content of the vectorization process based on the processing time measured by the measurement process are provided.

  Further, the control method of the image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a tiling process for performing a tiling process on an input image, a vectorizing process for performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process, A measuring step for measuring the number of regions in each region of the input image; and a changing step for changing the processing content of the vectorization step according to the number of regions in each region measured in the measuring step. Features.

  Further, the control method of the image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a tiling process for performing a tiling process on an input image, a vectorizing process for performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process, A selection step for selecting one of the first processing mode and the second processing mode, and when the first processing mode is selected, the processing for performing the vectorization processing on the input image is performed. When the second processing mode is selected, a process in which the vectorization process is omitted is performed.

  Further, the control method of the image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a tiling process for performing a tiling process on an input image, a vectorizing process for performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process, An image output process for performing an image output process after performing the vectorization process, and a selection process for selecting one of the first and second process modes, wherein the first process mode is selected Sometimes, the vectorization process is performed to execute the image output process, and when the second processing mode is selected, the vectorization process is omitted and the image output process is performed. The vectorization process is performed.

  The control program of the present invention is a computer-readable control program for executing a control method of an image processing apparatus, a tiling step for performing a tiling process on an input image, and the tiling A vectorization step for performing a vectorization process on the processed image, and a changing step for changing the contents of the vectorization process according to a plurality of predetermined selection modes. .

  The control program of the present invention is a computer-readable control program for executing a control method of an image processing apparatus, a tiling step for performing a tiling process on an input image, and the tiling A vectorization step for performing vectorization processing on the processed image, a measurement step for measuring the processing time of the vectorization processing, and the vectorization processing based on the processing time measured by the measurement step And a change step for changing the contents of the.

  The control program of the present invention is a computer-readable control program for executing a control method of an image processing apparatus, a tiling step for performing a tiling process on an input image, and the tiling According to the vectorization step for performing vectorization processing on the processed image, the measurement step for measuring the number of regions in each region of the input image, and the number of regions in each region measured by the measurement step And a changing step for changing the processing content of the vectorizing step.

  The control program of the present invention is a computer-readable control program for executing a control method of an image processing apparatus, a tiling step for performing a tiling process on an input image, and the tiling When a vectorization step for performing vectorization processing on the processed image, a selection step for selecting one of the first and second processing modes, and the first processing mode are selected A step of performing the process of performing the vectorization process on the input image and performing the process of omitting the vectorization process when the second processing mode is selected.

  The control program of the present invention is a computer-readable control program for executing a control method of an image processing apparatus, a tiling step for performing a tiling process on an input image, and the tiling A vectorization step for performing vectorization processing on the processed image, an image output step for performing image output processing after performing the vectorization processing, and any one of the first and second processing modes When the selection step to select and the first processing mode are selected, the vectorization processing is performed to execute the image output processing, and when the second processing mode is selected, the vectorization processing is performed. The image output processing is omitted and the vectorization processing is performed after the image output processing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to change the contents of the vectorization process, and for example, it is possible to control the performance of the apparatus according to the user's preference.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
<Outline of MFP device>
First, the configuration and operation of an MFP apparatus that is an image processing apparatus of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a controller of an MFP apparatus which is an image processing apparatus of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 1 of the MFP apparatus controller is connected to a CPU 3 and a memory controller (MC) 4 by a system bus bridge (SBB) 2. Further, a general-purpose bus 6, a tile-page vector conversion unit 13, a raster-tile vector conversion unit 14, and a tile vector development unit (RIP) 18 are also connected. The tile vector expansion unit 18 is composed of a plurality of small expansion units (μRIPa to d).

  A system memory (Memory) 5 is connected to the memory controller 4, and the system memory 5 is used as a medium for temporarily storing image data.

  A hard disk controller (HDDCont) 7, an operation unit controller (LCDC) 9, and a LAN I / F 11 are connected to the general-purpose bus 6. The hard disk controller 7 controls the HDD 8 for storing image data, and the operation unit controller (LCDC) 9 controls the operation unit (LCD) 10. The LAN I / F 11 is an interface for transferring image data between external devices via the network 12.

  An image processing unit 15 is connected to the raster-tile vector conversion unit 14, and a scanner 16 and a printer 17 are connected to the image processing unit 15. Further, a tile vector developing unit 18 is connected to the system bus bridge 2, and a local memory (Local Memory) 19 for storing data output from the tile vector developing unit 18 is connected to the system bus bridge 2.

  Image data handled by the controller 1 is interfaced with page vectors (PDL, PDF, SVG, etc.) for input / output with an external device, and raster data for input / output with a scanner or printer. In the controller 1, unlike the conventional MFP apparatus, the scanned image is converted into a tile vector by the raster-tile vector conversion unit 14. The DL data is stored in the local memory 19 connected to the tile vector developing unit 18. Accordingly, only two types of images of page vector and tile vector data are stored on the system memory 103. That is, since it is not necessary to store raster data and DL data having a large image size in the system memory 5, it is possible to reduce the image data area that must be secured on the system memory.

  In addition, since the DL data output from the tile vector developing unit 18 is stored as DL data divided in units of tiles, it can be stored with a very small memory capacity compared to conventional DL data in units of pages. Therefore, the local memory 19 can be mounted on-chip, and the memory latency can be reduced. As a result, the tile data development speed can be increased. In addition, since only the tiled data needs to be stored as image data on the HDD 8, bottlenecks in the access speed to the HDD are alleviated and data processing can be speeded up. At the same time, the cost of the tile vector developing unit can be reduced by tiling.

  When higher processing capability is required, the processing capability can be varied by mounting a plurality of μRIPs provided in the tile vector developing unit in parallel. That is, since the processing capacity of the controller can be simply adjusted, a system that can easily ensure scalability can be constructed.

<Flow of each image processing>
Next, the flow of each image processing when the MFP apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is operated will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3, 4, and 5. FIG.

(A) Copy operation mode selection The user selects whether to operate in normal copy mode or speed priority copy mode during copying.

  FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a copy operation selection process according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2A is a flowchart and FIG. 2B is a conceptual diagram.

  2A, first, in step S1201, the user selects a desired mode from a copy mode selection unit displayed on a UI (user interface) (not shown). When it is desired to increase the reusability of the read original, the normal normal copy mode (Normal Mode) is selected, and the process proceeds to S1202. If priority is given to early copy output as a paper medium, the speed priority copy mode (FastMode) is selected, and the process advances to step S1203.

  In step S1202, normal processing is performed on the read image and then output. Details of the operation will be described later. In step S1203, the read image is output after processing in the speed priority copy mode. Details of the operation will be described later.

(B) Copy FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data flow when the MFP apparatus of FIG.

  The arrows drawn in FIG. 3 represent the flow of data. An arrow drawn with a solid line means a raster image, an arrow drawn with a broken line means a tiled vector image, and an arrow drawn with a dashed line means that a vector image describing the entire page flows. The page vector and tile vector image will be described in detail in a tile-page vector conversion unit described later.

  (S21): When the user gives an instruction to start copying from the operation unit (LCD) 10, the scanner 16 starts reading an original image. The image (R, G, B) input from the scanner 16 to the image processing unit 15 is frequency-converted to clock synchronization of the image processing block, and then subjected to the following processing.

Correction of scanner characteristics such as CCD sensor line pitch and chromatic aberration Image quality correction of input image data such as color space correction and sharpness Image processing such as input image data frame deletion and book frame deletion (S22): The image processing is completed Then, the image data output from the image processing unit 15 is input to the raster-tile vector conversion unit 14 to perform tile vector conversion processing. That is, the image data is divided into blocks of a predetermined size, and a vectorization process is performed on the raster image in each block to generate a vector image in units of blocks.

  The generated vector image undergoes bus arbitration by the system bus bridge 2, acquires the bus right to the system memory 5, and stores the tile vector in the system memory 5 via the memory controller 4. When the data path is connected via the system bus bridge 2, the procedure for acquiring the bus right is basically performed after the arbitration of the bus, but will be omitted in the following flow description.

  (S23): The tile vector image stored in the system memory 5 is stored in the HDD 8 via the system bus bridge 2 via the HDDCont 7 and the memory controller 4. By storing image data in the HDD 8, sorting can be performed when a plurality of originals are copied, and the pages can be output in a different order, or can be stored as a saved document in the MFP apparatus.

  (S24): The tile vector image stored in the HDD 8 is read out by the HDDCont 7 in accordance with the timing of the printer ready sent from the CPU (not shown) in the printer 17. Then, it is temporarily stored in the system memory 5 via the system bus bridge 2 and the memory controller 4. If the read image data is directly read from the HDD 8 to the printer 17, it cannot be guaranteed that the access speed of the HDD 8 becomes regular or that it is output in synchronization with the printer due to the degree of congestion of the general-purpose bus 6. . For this reason, the page data is spooled in the system memory 5 before data transfer is performed in synchronization with the printer 17, thereby guaranteeing real-time throughput.

  (S25): The tile vector image stored in the system memory 5 is read by the memory controller 4 according to the activation signal sent from the printer 17 to the controller 1, and transferred to the tile vector developing unit 18 via the system bus bridge 2. .

  First, the tile vector developing unit 18 analyzes a tile vector and generates (interprets) a drawing object (tile DL data) in units of tiles. The generated tile DL data is temporarily stored in the local memory 19. The tile vector developing unit 18 reads the tile DL data from the local memory, develops it into a raster image in units of tiles, and outputs the raster image.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the tile vector expansion unit 18 includes four μRIPa to μRIPd. The controller 1 operates μRIPa to μRIPd in parallel to develop the tile vector at high speed. The system performance is dominated by the vector expansion time, and an increase in performance can be expected by increasing this μRIP. Therefore, it is possible to easily construct a scalable system by using the configuration of this embodiment.

  (S26): The image data rasterized in tile units by the tile vector developing unit 18 is transferred to the image processing unit 15, and the following processing is executed.

・ Process to convert raster image in tile unit to raster image in page unit ・ Correction of color and density of output image according to printer characteristics ・ Halftone process to quantize image data and convert tone of output image Frequency conversion processing for outputting an image in synchronization with the printer I / F clock The raster image data subjected to the image processing by the image processing unit 15 is transferred to the printer 17 and printed on a recording medium for output. The

(C) Print FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data flow when the MFP apparatus of FIG. 1 is caused to perform a print operation.

  (S31): The LAN I / F 11 connected to the general-purpose bus 6 receives page vector format image data from an external device connected to the network 12. Then, the data is transferred to the system memory 5 via the memory controller 4.

  (S32): The page vector image stored in the system memory 5 is read from the tile-page vector conversion unit 13, and the tile vector conversion process is performed. That is, an object existing in a page vector is divided into objects that can be contained in a block (tile) having a predetermined size, and a vector image in units of tiles is generated.

(S33):
The generated vector image is stored again in the system memory 5 via the system bus bridge 2.

  (S34): The tile vector image stored in the system memory 5 is stored in the HDD 8 via the system bus bridge 2 via the HDDCont 7 and the memory controller 4. By storing image data in the HDD 8, sorting can be performed when a plurality of originals are copied, and the pages can be output in a different order, or can be stored as a saved document in the MFP apparatus.

  (S35): The tile vector image stored in the HDD 8 is read out by the HDD Cont 7 in accordance with the timing of the printer ready sent from the CPU (not shown) in the printer 17. Then, it is temporarily stored in the system memory 5 via the system bus bridge 2 and the memory controller 4.

  (S36): The tile vector image stored in the system memory 5 is read by the memory controller 4 according to the activation signal sent from the printer 17 to the controller 1, and transferred to the tile vector developing unit 18 via the system bus bridge 2. .

  (S37): The tile vector developing unit 18 first analyzes the tile vector and generates (interprets) a drawing object (tile DL data) in units of tiles. The generated tile DL data is temporarily stored in the local memory 19.

  The tile vector developing unit 18 reads the tile DL data from the local memory 19, develops it into a raster image in units of tiles, and outputs it.

  (S38): The image data rasterized in tile units by the tile vector developing unit 18 is transferred to the image processing unit, and the following processing is executed.

・ Process to convert raster image in tile unit to raster image in page unit ・ Correction of color and density of output image according to printer characteristics ・ Halftone process to quantize image data and convert tone of output image Frequency conversion processing for outputting an image in synchronization with the printer I / F clock The raster image data that has been subjected to the image processing by the image processing unit 15 is transferred to the printer 17, printed on a recording medium, and output. .

(D) Transmission FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data flow when the MFP apparatus of FIG. 1 is transmitted over the network.

  The flow until the image data is stored in the HDD 8 is the same as that in the case of copying described above in the case of a scanned image, and is the same as that in the case of printing described above in the case of an image input from an external device on the network. Omit.

  (S41): The tile vector image stored in the HDD 8 is read from the HDD Cont 7 via the system bus bridge 2 and temporarily stored in the system memory 5.

  (S42): The tile vector image stored in the system memory 5 is read out from the tile-page vector conversion unit 13, and tile vector conversion processing is performed. That is, the objects divided into blocks are combined to generate a page vector image describing the object in the entire page.

  (S43): The generated page vector image is stored again in the system memory 5 via the system bus bridge 2.

  (S44): The page vector image stored in the system memory 5 is read from the LAN I / F 11 and transferred to an external device connected to the network 12. As in this embodiment, when transmitting to an external device, the tile vector image is returned to the page vector image and the number of objects is reduced, so that the amount of transmission data can be reduced. Moreover, it can be easily converted into a general-purpose format such as PDF or SVG.

<Raster-tile vector converter>
Next, details of the raster-tile vector conversion unit 14 in the controller 1 will be described. The raster-tile vector conversion unit 14 is roughly classified and executed by two steps of block selection and vectorization.

(A) Block Selection In block selection, raster image data input from the image processing unit 15 is divided into a character / line drawing area including characters or line drawings, a halftone photo area, an irregular image area, and the like. Further, with respect to the character / line drawing area, a character area mainly including characters and a line drawing area mainly including tables and figures are separated, and the line drawing area is separated into a table area and a graphic area. In the present embodiment, connected pixels are detected and separated into regions for each attribute using the shape, size, pixel density, etc. of the circumscribed rectangular region of the connected pixels.

  The character area is segmented into rectangular blocks (character area rectangular blocks) using a cluster of each character paragraph as a block. In the line drawing area, each object (table area rectangular block, line drawing area rectangular block) such as a table or a figure is segmented into rectangular blocks.

  A photo area expressed in halftone is segmented into rectangular blocks for each object such as an image area rectangular block and a background area rectangular block. Each separated region is further divided into regions (tiles) of a predetermined size, and vectorized in the next vectorization step in units of tiles.

(B) Vectorization In the vectorization process, image data of each attribute area is converted into vector data. The vectorization methods include the following (a) to (f).

  (A) When the attribute area is a character area, the character image code conversion is further performed by OCR, or the character size, style, and font are recognized, and the character obtained by scanning the document is visually faithful. Convert to font data.

  (B) When the attribute area is a character area and cannot be recognized by OCR, the outline of the character is traced, and the outline information (outline) is converted into a format that represents the connection of line segments.

  (C) When the attribute region is a graphic region, the contour of the graphic object is tracked and converted into a format in which the contour information is expressed as a connection of line segments.

  (D) Fitting the outline information in the line segment format of b and c with a Bezier function or the like to convert it into function information.

  (E) The shape of the figure is recognized from the contour information of the figure object of c, and converted into figure definition information such as a circle, a rectangle, and a polygon.

  (F) When the attribute area is a graphic area and the object is a tabular object in the specific area, the ruled line and the frame line are recognized and converted into form format information of a predetermined format.

(C) Raster-tile vector conversion processing In this embodiment, the contents of the raster-tile vector conversion processing are changed according to the operation mode of the system in order to make the performance of the entire system variable. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing raster-tile vector conversion processing according to the first embodiment.

  (S501) Character / line drawing area determination: Block selection processing is performed before vectorization processing. First, a character / line drawing area and other areas are discriminated from the input image data. If it is a character / line drawing area, the process proceeds to S502, and if not, the process proceeds to S513.

  (S502) Operation mode determination: It is determined whether or not the current system operation mode is the speed priority copy mode. In the case of the speed priority copy mode, the process for determining whether or not the character area is in S503 does not proceed, and the same process is performed on the character and the line drawing.

  (S503) Character area determination: It is further determined whether the area is determined to be a character / line drawing area or not. If it is determined as a character area, the process advances to step S504 to perform font conversion processing. If it is determined that it is a line drawing area, the process proceeds to S507.

  (S504) OCR processing: OCR processing is performed on the area determined to be a character area, a character is discriminated and converted into a character code.

  (S505) Font classification: Further, the font type of the determined character is determined and converted to the visually closest font.

  (S506) Tile division: All characters in the character area are divided (tiled) into rectangular blocks of a predetermined size when processing is completed.

  (S507) Tile division: When it is determined as a line drawing area in S503, first, it is divided (tiled) into rectangular blocks of a predetermined size.

  (S508) Outlining: Outline information of image data is extracted to generate outline data.

  (S509) Objectification: As described in the above description of vectorization, conversion into object data such as line segments and circles is performed according to the characteristics of the image data.

  (S510) Operation mode determination: It is determined whether or not the current system operation mode is the speed priority copy mode. In the case of the speed priority copy mode, the process proceeds to S514 without proceeding to the table area processing after S511.

  (S511) Specific object recognition: Recognizes whether the object is a specific object such as a ruled line or a frame from among the graphic objects.

  (S512) Form format conversion: The specific object recognized in S511 is converted into predetermined form format information and converted into table information.

  (S513) Tile division: An area that is not determined to be a character / line drawing area is treated as bitmap data as an unspecified area. In that case, it is simply divided (tiled) into rectangular blocks of a predetermined size.

  (S514) Header generation: Vector type information for discriminating whether a page vector or a tile vector in the controller 1 is added to data converted into command definition information such as format code information, graphic information, and function information. At the same time, header information for determining the coordinate position in the page of the tile is also added. In this way, tile vector data packed in units of tiles is output to the system bus bridge 2.

  As described above, the system performance can be made variable by skipping a part of the raster-tile vector conversion process according to the operation mode of the system. Therefore, the user can flexibly use the system according to the degree of reusability and productivity requirements.

<Tile-page vector conversion unit>
Next, details of the tile-page vector conversion unit 13 in the controller 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of image data handled in the present embodiment, which is a document created by an application of an external device on the network. For convenience, the short direction of the document is defined as the 'X' direction, and the long direction is defined as the 'Y' direction.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a description example of a page vector (PDL command) that instructs the printer output of the document of FIG.

  In FIG. 8, reference numeral 901 denotes a document setting command for setting the entire document, 902 denotes a character drawing command, and 903 denotes a graphic drawing command. Details of these instructions 901 to 903 will be described below.

  C1 to C5 in FIG. 8 are commands related to the entire document. Therefore, these commands C1 to C5 have only one place for a part of the document. Examples of commands related to the entire document include a character set command, a scalable font command, and a hard reset command. The character set command is, for example, a font designation command, and the scalable font command is a command that designates whether or not to use a scalable font. The hard reset command is a command for resetting the previous printer use environment.

  C1 is a document setting start command. C2 is a command representing the output paper size of the document, and in this case, A4 is set.

  The next C3 indicates the direction of the document. There are a portrait and a landscape. In this case, a portrait (PORT) is shown. C4 is a command representing a document type, which indicates whether the document is a page vector or a tile vector. In this case, it is a page (PAGE). C5 is a document setting end command.

  C6 to C21 are commands for outputting the document 801. C6 is for indicating the start of a page. C7 is a command for selecting the font type of the character, and in this case, the font set numbered "1" is selected. C8 sets the font size, and the size of “10 points” is selected. C9 is a command for setting the color of the character, and indicates the brightness of each color component of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) in order. It is assumed that this luminance is quantized in 256 steps from 0 to 255. C10 indicates the coordinates of the start position for drawing the character. The coordinate position is specified with the upper left corner of the page as the origin. In this case, the drawing of characters is set to start from the position {10, 5}. C11 indicates a character string (XXXX ...) to be actually drawn.

  C12 indicates the fill color of the surface at the time of drawing the figure. The color specification is the same as the character color. C13 designates the line color of the graphic drawing. C14 indicates the coordinates of the position where the figure is drawn. C15 is a command for designating a radius for drawing an arc, and in this case represents a "10" coordinate unit. C16 is for drawing a closed arc. Two parameters in the command indicate a drawing start angle and an end angle when drawing an arc. The vertical information is assumed to be 0 degree, and in this case, an arc of 0 degree to 90 degrees is drawn. C17 to C21 specify the surface and line color, the position, and the like as in the commands from C12 to C16. C22 specifies the end of the command.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of page vector data handled in the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of tile vector data handled in the present embodiment, in which the document of FIG. 7 is described by tile vectors in block units as shown in FIG.

  Two arrows X and Y in FIG. 9 indicate the short direction ‘X’ and the long direction ‘Y’ of the document. In the drawing, a number sequence arranged in the X direction represents a tile ID in the X direction, and a number sequence arranged in the Y direction represents a tile ID in the Y direction. A, B, C, and D represent tile vectors at the positions of tile IDs (0, 0), (0, 1), (2, 4), and (1, 5), respectively.

  In FIG. 10, reference numeral 1101 denotes a document setting command relating to setting of the entire document, and 1102 denotes an entire drawing command. Reference numerals 1103 to 1106 denote drawing commands for tiles A, B, C, and D, respectively. Reference numerals 1107 and 1108 denote a character drawing command and a graphic drawing command for the tile D, respectively. Details of these instructions 1101 to 1108 will be described below.

  C1 to C5 in FIG. 10 are commands related to the entire document, and are the same as C1 to C5 in FIG.

  C6 to C500 are commands for outputting the document 1001. C6 is for indicating the start of a page. C7 indicates the start of the drawing command for tile A in FIG. Two parameters indicate the ID of the tile in the page. C8 represents the end of the tile A drawing command. When there is no object as in tile A, only the start and end of the tile are described.

  C9 indicates the start of the drawing command for tile B in FIG. C10 is a command for selecting the font type of the character. In this case, the font set numbered “1” is selected. C11 sets the font size, and the size of “10 points” is selected. C12 is a command for setting the character color, and indicates the luminance of each color component of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) in order. It is assumed that this luminance is quantized in 256 steps from 0 to 255. C13 indicates the coordinates of the start position for drawing the character. C14 indicates a character string (XXXX) to be actually drawn. The coordinate position is specified with the upper left corner of the tile as the origin. In this case, the character drawing is set to start from the position {0, 5}. C15 indicates the end of the drawing command for tile B.

  C100 indicates the start of the drawing command for tile C in FIG. C101 indicates the fill color of the surface when drawing a figure. The color specification is the same as the character color. C102 designates the line color of the figure drawing. C103 indicates the coordinates of the position where the figure is drawn. C104 is a command for designating a radius for drawing an arc, and in this case represents "10" coordinate unit. C105 is for drawing a closed arc. Two parameters in the command indicate a drawing start angle and an end angle when drawing an arc. The vertical information is assumed to be 0 degree, and in this case, an arc of 0 degree to 90 degrees is drawn. C106 indicates the end of the drawing command for tile C.

  C120 to C131, like the commands C9 to C15, specify the font type, color, size, etc. for character drawing, and specify the drawing surface, line color, position, etc., as in C100 to C106. ing. C500 designates the end of the page, that is, the end of the command.

  The tile-page vector conversion unit 13 converts the page vector and the tile vector as described above. This tile-page vector conversion is executed according to the flow shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the internal processing of the tile-page vector conversion unit 13.

  (S601): First, a command sequence corresponding to the header portion is read from the vector image stored in the system memory 5, and the command portion relating to the entire document is analyzed. This is a portion corresponding to C1 to C5 in FIG.

  (S602): As a result of the analysis, if the document type is a page vector (PAGE), the process proceeds to the steps after S603, and page vector → tile vector conversion is executed. When the document type is “TILE”, the process proceeds to steps after S610, and tile vector → page vector conversion is executed.

  (S603): A command sequence describing an object is read.

  (S604): The command sequence read in S603 is analyzed, and it is determined whether the size of the described object exceeds the tile size to be divided. If the object is not divided, step S605 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S606. If the object is divided, the process proceeds to step S605.

  (S605): In this step, the input object is divided. For example, in FIG. 8, drawing commands for all character strings including “XXXX” are described at 902. However, when tiled as shown in FIG. 9, only “XXXX” can be stored in the tile B. Therefore, in the tile vector, the character string is divided in the middle, and the divided subsequent character string is described in the next tile as another character string. If the description does not fit in the next tile, it is similarly divided into character strings included in the tile, and the process is repeated until all the divided character strings fit within the tile size. To determine where to cut the character string, the number of characters that fit in the tile is calculated from the type and size of the font, and that many characters are extracted. In 902, the number of characters is four, and the character string of C10 in FIG. 8 is converted into a description like C13 in FIG.

  Further, although the drawing of the figure is described in 903, the figure described in C17 to C21 in 903 has a three-quarter circle in FIG. 7 that does not fit in one tile in FIG. Divided into multiple tiles. To divide a figure, calculate the part that touches the border area of the tile from the drawing position of the figure, the shape and size of the figure, and create a new closed area consisting of the border and the part area of the figure that is within the tile. Rewrite as a figure. In FIG. 10, the three-quarter circle described in 903 of FIG. 8 is converted into a description of a quarter circle such as C126 to C130 in the lower left partial region in FIG. The remaining area is also converted into a quarter circle description of the same shape.

  (S606): In order to change the command description of the input object to the drawing position in the tile vector, the coordinate position is converted. The page vector describes the position from the upper left of the page, whereas the tile vector rewrites the position from the upper left of the tile. By describing the drawing position with the coordinates in the tile, the data length required for coordinate calculation can be reduced.

  (S607): When command description conversion for one object is completed, it is determined whether command description conversion for all objects in the page is completed. If not completed, the process returns to S603 and the processes of S603 to S607 are repeated for the next command. When the command processing for one object is completed, the process proceeds to S608.

  (S608): When the description conversion of all the drawing commands is completed, the tile areas divided as shown in FIG. 9 are written to the system memory 5 as tile vectors in order from the upper left of the page. The tile vector is described in a format in which commands indicating the start and end of tiles are added to the commands described in S605 and S606 described above. First, at the time of writing the first command of the page, a tile vector in which no object is present in the system memory 5 is generated. A tile vector having no object, for example, tile A in FIG. 10, is described as C7 to C8 with only the start and end commands as shown in 1103. Next, a description of the object is added to the tile of the coordinate where the command processed in S603 to S607 exists. In the case of the tile B, a description like C9 to C15 of 1104 in FIG. When a plurality of objects exist in the same tile as in the tile D, the object description 1107 and the object description 1108 are listed as 1106.

  (S609): When the writing of one object to the tile vector is completed, it is determined whether or not the description of all the objects on the page has been completed. If it is determined that the process has not ended, the process returns to S603. When all the processes in the page are finished, the page → vector tile conversion is finished.

  Next, a process when it is determined in S602 that the document type is the tile “TILE” will be described.

  (S610): A command sequence describing an object is read.

  (S611): The command sequence read in S610 is analyzed, and it is determined whether or not the described object can be combined with a tile read before that. If the objects are not to be combined, S612 is skipped and the process proceeds to S613. If the objects are to be divided, the process proceeds to S612.

  (S612): Whether the objects can be combined is determined based on the coordinate position of the read command, the type of figure, and the like. In the case of a character string, the determination is made based on the font size and font type. Basically, the connection is performed in a manner that the flow of S605 is reversed.

  (S613): In order to change the command description of the input object to the drawing position in the tile vector, the coordinate position is converted. In the tile vector, the position from the upper left of the tile is described, whereas in the page vector, the position is described from the upper left of the page.

  (S614): When the command description conversion for one object is completed, it is determined whether the command description conversion for all objects in the tile is completed. If not completed, the process returns to S610, and the processes of S610 to S613 are repeated for the next command. When the command processing for one object is completed, the process proceeds to S615.

  (S615): When the drawing command description conversion is completed, the page vector is written to the system memory 5. The tile vector is described in a format in which commands indicating the start and end of tiles are deleted from the commands described in S605 and S606. First, when a command written in the first tile in the page is written, a page vector in which no object is present in the system memory 5 is generated. In the example of FIG. 8, the page is described only by C1 to C6 and C22. Next, a description of the object processed in S610 to S613 is added. In the example of FIG. 8, the description portion of C7 to C11 in 902 corresponds to that. The object in this case represents a character string {XXXX... YY...}, Which is a description of the object obtained by sequentially combining the character strings of the tiles described in 1104 and 1107 in FIG. has been edited.

  (S616): When writing of one command to the page vector is completed, it is determined whether or not all the descriptions of the objects of the tile are completed. If it is determined that the process has not ended, the process returns to S610. When all the processes in the tile are completed, the process proceeds to S617.

  (S617): When processing of all tiles in the page is completed, the tile → page vector conversion is terminated.

<Tile vector development (RIP)>
Next, tile vector expansion processing by the tile vector expansion unit 18 in the controller 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing tile vector development processing by the tile vector development unit 18.

  (S 71): Tile vectors input from the system memory 5 to the tile vector expansion unit 18 via the system bus bridge 2 by a certain size are temporarily stored in the tile vector area of the local memory 19.

  (S72): Once the tile vector has been taken into the local memory 19, μRIPa to d determine whether or not the tile development processing has been completed. If μRIP is developing vector data, it waits in the state of S72 until it can be developed.

  (S73): If any of μRIPa to d can be expanded, vector analysis of tile vectors stored in the local memory 19 is performed according to a predetermined grammar.

  (S74): It is determined whether the interpreted command is a drawing command or a paper discharge command. If it is determined that the command is a drawing command, the process branches to S75, and if it is determined that the command is a paper discharge command, the process branches to S76.

  (S75): If it is determined in S74 that the data is a drawing command, a drawing object (DL) is generated. If the command in the tile vector is a character drawing command, a font object is generated based on the font type, character size, and character code specified by the command. If it is a drawing command other than characters, a drawing object of a graphic (line, circle, polygon, etc.) designated by the command is generated and stored in the DL area of the local memory 19. If it is determined that the print data is not designated by the drawing command, the print position is moved and the print environment is set according to the print data, and the command interpretation for one unit is terminated. The above process is repeated until interpretation of all commands in the tile vector is completed.

  (S76): If the command is determined to be a paper discharge command, μRIP determines whether there is an empty area in the tile raster memory area on the local memory 19. If there is no free area, the process of the other tile vector developing unit is completed, and the process waits until a free area is created.

  (S77): If there is an empty area in the tile raster memory, the drawing object generated in S75 is read and drawn (rasterized) in the tile raster area. At this time, if the generation resolution is 600 dpi, the tile raster area is rasterized as a 600 dpi image. The tile raster image for which drawing has been completed is output to the image output unit 15 via the system bus bridge 2.

  (S78): When command analysis or drawing processing for one tile vector is completed in S75 or S77, it is determined whether or not all of the read tile vector memory has been completed. If processing still remains, the process returns to S72 to continue processing the next tile vector. If completed, the process proceeds to S79.

  (S79): It is determined whether or not all the processes have been completed for the tile vector for one page. If unprocessed data still remains, the process returns to S71 to read the tile vector from the system memory and continue the process. . When all the processes for one page are finished, the tile vector development is finished.

<Advantages of First Embodiment>
According to the present embodiment, the user can select whether to operate in normal copy mode or speed priority copy mode (Fast Mode) during copying (see FIG. 2). Then, the contents of the vectorization process are changed according to the selection mode. That is, when the normal copy mode is selected, all vectorization processing is performed, and when the speed priority copy mode is selected, only part of the vectorization processing is performed (see FIG. 6).

  Thus, the vectorization process can be made variable according to the user's request, and the performance such as the processing speed of the MFP apparatus can be controlled according to the user's preference. For example, when copying as the final output, select the normal copy mode to obtain high-quality output at standard speed, and when copying as the sample output, select the speed priority copy mode and A standard-quality output product can be obtained.

<Modification of the first embodiment>
In the first embodiment of the present invention, the processing speed of the system is made variable by providing a plurality of copy modes and setting by the user. However, the time required for each step of the raster-tile conversion process by the system itself May be measured by yourself and the process may be stopped.

  For example, in the mode determination step of S502 or S510 in FIG. 6, the processing time until the step is measured by an internal timer or the like instead of determining in a preset mode. If the processing time exceeds a predetermined time, the subsequent processing may be automatically skipped.

  Further, the steps of raster-tile conversion processing are not two steps as in the first embodiment, and may be further subdivided. In addition, the user may be allowed to specify the subdividing level from the UI. Further, the method of subdividing the steps may be changed according to the result of region determination. For example, when there are many character areas in the input image area in S501 and S503 of FIG. 6, it is possible to forcibly skip the process of the character area.

[Second Embodiment]
In the speed priority copy mode in the first embodiment, only part of the vectorization process is performed. However, in the speed priority copy mode in the second embodiment, the vectorization process is not performed at all. There is a feature in the point.

  The schematic configuration of the MFP apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG.

  Below, the characteristic part which concerns on this Embodiment is demonstrated.

<Copy operation mode selection>
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing copy operation selection processing according to the second embodiment.

  In the first embodiment, the copy process has been described on the premise that the data read from the scanner is reused as electronic data. However, if the user simply wants to obtain a copy output from paper to paper without considering reuse of the copy original, it is not always necessary to internally vectorize it. Rather, there is a case where it is desired to obtain a faster output by eliminating the delay in copy output time due to vectorization. In such a case, the speed priority copy mode of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 13 is selected.

  (S201): The user selects whether to operate in normal copy mode or speed priority copy mode during copying. That is, the user selects a desired copy mode from a copy mode selection unit displayed on a UI (not shown). If you want to reuse the scanned document, select the normal copy mode, and proceed to S202. If you want to give priority to early copy output as a paper medium without reusing, select the speed priority copy mode. Then, the process proceeds to S203.

  (S202): In order to reuse the original, the read image is vector-converted and output. Details of the operation will be described later.

  (S203): The read image is output as a raster image after predetermined image processing. Details of the operation will be described later.

<Speed Priority Copy Mode According to Second Embodiment>
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a data flow in the speed priority copy mode according to the second embodiment.

  (S1301): When the user gives an instruction to start copying from the operation unit (LCD) 10, the scanner 16 starts a document image reading operation as in (S21) of FIG.

  (S1302): The image data processed by the image processing unit 15 is subjected to bus arbitration by the system bus bridge 2, acquires the bus right to the system memory 5, and the image data is stored in the system memory via the memory controller 4. 5 is memorized.

  (S1303): The image data stored in the system memory 5 is stored in the HDD 8 via the system bus bridge 2 via the HDD Cont 7 and the memory controller 4. By storing image data in the HDD 8, sorting can be performed when a plurality of originals are copied, and the pages can be output in a different order, or can be stored as a saved document in the MFP apparatus.

  (S1304): The image data stored in the HDD 8 is read out by the HDD Cont 7 in accordance with the timing of the printer ready sent from the CPU (not shown) in the printer 17. Then, it is temporarily stored in the system memory 5 via the system bus bridge 2 and the memory controller 4.

  (S1305): The image data stored in the system memory 5 is read by the memory controller 4 according to the activation signal sent from the printer 17 to the controller 1, and transferred to the image processing unit 15 via the system bus bridge 2. . In the normal copy mode, since the tile vector converted image is stored in the HDD 8, it is necessary to develop the tile vector image into a raster image using the tile vector developing unit 18. Therefore, depending on the development time of the tile vector development unit 18, the time required for the user to obtain a copy output becomes long. In the speed priority copy mode, it is not necessary to consider the development time required by the tile vector development unit 18 by handling the raster image as it is.

  (S1306): The following processing is performed on the image data transferred to the image processing unit 15.

-Output image color and density correction processing that matches the characteristics of the printer-Halftone processing that converts the tone of the output image by quantizing the image data-To output the image in synchronization with the printer I / F clock Frequency conversion processing The raster image data subjected to the image processing by the image processing unit 15 is transferred to the printer 17 and printed on a recording medium for output.

<Raster-tile vector converter>
Processing of the raster-tile vector conversion unit 14 in the controller 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing processing of the raster tile conversion unit 14 according to the second embodiment.

  (S51): The same block selection process as that in the first embodiment is performed.

  (S52): Vectorization processing similar to that in the first embodiment described above is performed.

  (S53) Tile vector generation: Vector type information for determining whether a page vector or a tile vector in the controller 1 is added to the data vector-converted into command-defined information such as format code information, graphic information, and function information in S52. . At the same time, header information for determining the coordinate position in the page of the tile is also added. In this way, tile vector data packed in units of tiles is output to the system bus bridge 2.

<Advantages of Second Embodiment>
According to the second embodiment, when the user simply wants to obtain a copy output from paper to paper without considering the reuse of the copy original, vectorization is performed by selecting the speed priority copy mode. A copy output can be obtained more quickly by omitting the processing.

[Third Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, processing is performed so as not to perform vectorization processing in the speed priority copy mode. However, there may be a case where it is desired to reuse the data later while obtaining a copy output product quickly. In the third embodiment, while maintaining the copy original in the speed priority copy mode, the original is read again from the HDD 8 after the copy operation in the speed priority copy mode in preparation for reusability of the copy original later, and the MFP apparatus Performs raster vector conversion.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a data flow in the speed priority copy mode according to the third embodiment. Note that steps S1301 to S1306 are the same as those in the second embodiment shown in FIG.

  (S 1307): After copying is completed, the CPU 3 reads out image data from the HDD 8 using the HDDCont 7, and reads it into the system memory 5 through the system bus bridge 2 and the memory controller 4.

  (S1308): The image data stored in the system memory 5 is transferred to the raster-tile vector converter 14 via the system bus bridge 2 via the memory controller 4 and converted into tile vectors.

  (S1309): The image data converted into the tile vector is stored again in the system memory 5 via the system bus bridge 2 and the memory controller 4.

  (S1310): The tile vector stored in the system memory 5 is stored in the HDD 8 via the memory controller 4, the system bus bridge 2, and the HDD Cont 7.

  In this way, even in the speed priority copy mode, by storing the vector after copying, it can be reused later by the user.

<Advantages of Third Embodiment>
According to the third embodiment, when the user wants to obtain the copy output earlier but wants to reuse the data later, the vectorization process is omitted by selecting the speed priority copy mode. Copy output can be obtained more quickly. Even in such speed priority copy mode, vectorization processing is performed after copying and the image data is stored in the HDD 8, so that the user can reuse the image data after copying.

  An object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and the computer of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program codes. Can also be achieved.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention. .

  Examples of the storage medium for supplying the program code include the following. That is, an optical disk such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CDROM, a CDR, a CDRW, a DVDROM, a DVDRAM, a DVDRW, and a DVD + RW, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, and the like can be used. Alternatively, the program code may be downloaded via a network.

  The present invention not only realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments by executing the program code read by the computer. In some cases, an OS (operating system) or the like running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. included.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a controller of an MFP apparatus that is an image processing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating copy operation selection processing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a data flow when the MFP apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a data flow when the MFP apparatus of FIG. 1 is caused to perform a printing operation. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a data flow when the MFP apparatus of FIG. 1 is transmitted over a network. It is a flowchart which shows the raster-tile vector conversion process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the image data handled by embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a description example of a page vector that instructs printer output of the document in FIG. 7. It is a figure which shows the example of the page vector data handled by embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the tile vector data handled by embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the internal process of a tile-page vector conversion part. 10 is a flowchart showing tile vector expansion processing by a tile vector expansion unit 18. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a copy operation selection process according to the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data flow at the time of the speed priority copy mode which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the raster tile conversion part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data flow at the time of the speed priority copy mode which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Controller 2 System bus bridge 3 CPU
4 Memory controller 5 System memory 8 HDD
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Operation part 13 Tile-page vector conversion part 14 Raster-tile vector conversion part 15 Image processing part 16 Scanner 17 Printer 18 Tile vector expansion | deployment part (RIP)
19 Local memory

Claims (16)

Tiling means for performing tiling processing on the input image;
Vectorization means for performing vectorization processing on the image subjected to the tiling processing;
An image processing apparatus comprising: changing means for changing the content of the vectorization process according to a plurality of predetermined selection modes.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of selection modes can be designated from the outside. Tiling means for performing tiling processing on the input image;
Vectorization means for performing vectorization processing on the image subjected to the tiling processing;
Measuring means for measuring the processing time of the vectorization process;
An image processing apparatus comprising: changing means for changing the content of the vectorization process based on the processing time measured by the measuring means. Tiling means for performing tiling processing on the input image;
Vectorization means for performing vectorization processing on the image subjected to the tiling processing;
Measuring means for measuring the number of areas of each area of the input image;
An image processing apparatus comprising: a changing unit that changes processing contents of the vectorization unit according to the number of areas measured by the measuring unit. Tiling means for performing tiling processing on the input image;
Vectorization means for performing vectorization processing on the image subjected to the tiling processing;
Selecting means for selecting one of the first and second processing modes;
When the first processing mode is selected, the input image is subjected to the vectorization process. When the second processing mode is selected, the vectorization process is omitted. An image processing apparatus that performs the processing. Tiling means for performing tiling processing on the input image;
Vectorization means for performing vectorization processing on the image subjected to the tiling processing;
Image output means for performing image output processing after performing the vectorization processing;
Selecting means for selecting one of the first and second processing modes;
When the first processing mode is selected, the vectorization processing is performed to execute the image output processing. When the second processing mode is selected, the vectorization processing is omitted and the image output processing is performed. An image processing apparatus that executes processing and performs the vectorization processing after the image output processing. A tiling process for tiling the input image;
A vectorization step of performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process;
A control method for an image processing apparatus, comprising: a changing step for changing the contents of the vectorization process in accordance with a plurality of predetermined selection modes. A tiling process for tiling the input image;
A vectorization step of performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process;
A measuring step for measuring the processing time of the vectorization process;
A control method for an image processing apparatus, comprising: a changing step for changing the content of the vectorization processing based on the processing time measured in the measuring step. A tiling process for tiling the input image;
A vectorization step of performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process;
A measuring step of measuring the number of areas of each area of the input image;
A control method for an image processing apparatus, comprising: a changing step of changing processing contents of the vectorization step in accordance with the number of regions measured in the measuring step. A tiling process for tiling the input image;
A vectorization step of performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process;
A selection step of selecting one of the first and second processing modes,
When the first processing mode is selected, the input image is subjected to the vectorization process. When the second processing mode is selected, the vectorization process is omitted. A control method for an image processing apparatus. A tiling process for tiling the input image;
A vectorization step of performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process;
An image output step of performing an image output process after performing the vectorization process;
A selection step of selecting one of the first and second processing modes,
When the first processing mode is selected, the vectorization processing is performed to execute the image output processing. When the second processing mode is selected, the vectorization processing is omitted and the image output processing is performed. A control method for an image processing apparatus, comprising: executing a process, and performing the vectorization process after the image output process. A computer-readable control program for executing a control method of an image processing apparatus,
A tiling step for tiling the input image;
A vectorization step for performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process;
A control program comprising: a changing step for changing the contents of the vectorization process in accordance with a plurality of predetermined selection modes. A computer-readable control program for executing a control method of an image processing apparatus,
A tiling step for tiling the input image;
A vectorization step for performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process;
A measuring step for measuring the processing time of the vectorization process;
A control program comprising: a changing step for changing the content of the vectorization process based on the processing time measured in the measuring step. A computer-readable control program for executing a control method of an image processing apparatus,
A tiling step for tiling the input image;
A vectorization step for performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process;
A measurement step of measuring the number of regions of each region of the input image;
A control program comprising: a changing step for changing processing contents of the vectorization step in accordance with the number of regions measured in the measuring step. A computer-readable control program for executing a control method of an image processing apparatus,
A tiling step for tiling the input image;
A vectorization step for performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process;
A selection step of selecting one of the first and second processing modes;
When the first processing mode is selected, the input image is subjected to the vectorization process. When the second processing mode is selected, the vectorization process is omitted. And a step for performing the control program. A computer-readable control program for executing a control method of an image processing apparatus,
A tiling step for tiling the input image;
A vectorization step for performing a vectorization process on the image subjected to the tiling process;
An image output step of performing an image output process after performing the vectorization process;
A selection step of selecting one of the first and second processing modes;
When the first processing mode is selected, the vectorization processing is performed to execute the image output processing. When the second processing mode is selected, the vectorization processing is omitted and the image output processing is performed. And a step of executing the vectorization process after the image output process.

Images