JP3589798B2 - Embroidery data creation device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an embroidery data creation device based on image data.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As for data for causing a sewing machine capable of embroidery sewing or an embroidery sewing apparatus to perform embroidery, data is usually created by a maker of the apparatus and embroidery sewing is performed based on this data.
However, with the spread of personal computers and the like in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for users to create images themselves and use them as embroidery stitch data. Further, an apparatus that reads an image created by a user with an image sensor or the like and creates stitch data based on the image is already commercially available as an accessory of a home embroidery sewing machine.
In an apparatus for creating embroidery data based on such image data, in recent years, a device that determines a center line of an image, creates so-called skeletonized data representing a skeleton of the image, and creates embroidery data based on the skeletonized data, Proposed by the present applicant.
Such a method is suitable for converting a line drawing into embroidery data, and based on the skeletonized data, double stitching of straight stitching or straight stitching, or double stitching of zigzag stitching or zigzag stitching having different widths, and furthermore, straight stitching By generating embroidery stitch data such as double stitches, which is a combination of stitching and zigzag stitching, embroidery of a line drawing can be realized easily and with an excellent appearance.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described embroidery data creating apparatus based on the skeletonized data, some images may damage the original image due to the skeletonization.
That is, in generating the skeletonized data, the width of the original image is reduced until it becomes the skeletonized data. Therefore, the image separated from other line segments, that is, the unit image itself is reduced, However, there is a problem that even if the image is a single line, or if the unit image is circular, it becomes a dot.
For example, an original image G shown in FIG. 6A is formed from four types of unit images, and has unit images of a contour line 51, an eye 52, a nose 53, and a beard 54. When these are skeletonized, the outline 51n and the eyes 52n become thin lines, and the nose 53n and the whiskers 54n become minute points as shown in FIG. In this way, the nose 53n and the whiskers 54n become dots, and even if they are embroidered as they are, they become almost invisible.
Further, in the case of a configuration in which a very small image data is filtered and erased for the purpose of noise removal, a very small image such as the nose 53n or the beard 54n is removed and does not appear in the embroidery, and the image of the original image is completely lost. The situation that disappears occurs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve such a problem and to provide an embroidery data creating apparatus which does not impair the image of an original image.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a means for providing image data representing an image having one or more unit images, a skeleton representing an image based on the given image data, and a skeleton representing a skeleton of the image. Means for providing coded data, means for comparing the length of the image based on the skeletonized data with a predetermined reference length for each unit image, and skeletonization for a unit image longer than the predetermined reference length. Means for generating seam data based on the data, and for a unit image shorter than the predetermined reference length, generating seam data based on the image data.
The image of the skeletonized data is compared with a predetermined reference length for each unit image. If the image is shorter than the reference length, stitch data is created for the unit image based on the image data instead of the skeletonized data. Thus, the stitch data is created without damaging the image of the original image.
[0005]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, a central processing unit 1 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, and an image scanner 10 is connected thereto so that a user reads a desired original image and inputs image data to the central processing unit 1. Has become. The read image is stored once in the data storage device 2. Also, the information is displayed on the display device 7 at the same time.
Instead of the image scanner 10, for example, a storage medium such as a memory card storing image data, or an image processing apparatus such as CAD may be connected to read image data.
[0006]
In FIG. 3, (A) shows an example of an original image. This original image G is composed of a total of 10 unit images including a contour line 51, two eyes 52, two nose 53, and five mustaches 54. I have. In the present embodiment, these image data are supplied as dot data from the image scanner 10 to the central processing unit 1, but may be data in any other form such as vector data.
[0007]
The central processing unit 1 digitizes the read image data in accordance with the image data skeletalization program stored in the image data skeletalization program storage device 3 and then skeletonizes the image.
As the skeletalization method, various conventionally known methods can be adopted. Usually, the skeletonization is performed by obtaining the center line of the image. The skeletonized data is also temporarily stored in the data storage device 2.
[0008]
FIG. 3B shows a skeletonized image B based on the skeletonized data, in which a thinned outline 51b, a lined eye 52b, and tiny nose 53b and mustache 54b are formed. , And are displayed on the display device 7.
[0009]
Next, the central processing unit 1 compares the length of the line segment based on the skeletonized data with the reference length for each unit image according to the program stored in the line length comparison program storage device 4. The reference length can be changed by the user by the reference line segment length setting device 6, and can be selected by the user according to the state of the original image.
[0010]
The central processing unit 1 determines that the stitch data is created based on the skeletonized data for the unit image having the reference length or more. In addition, for unit images having a reference length or less, it is determined that stitch data is created based on the image data.
Now, assuming that the reference length is set to be equal to or less than the length of the eye 52b and equal to or greater than the nose 53b, the nose 53b and the whisker 54b become the seam data based on the image data, and the outline 51b and the eye 52b are the seam data based on the skeletonized data. It becomes. Such composite data is imaged and displayed on the display device 7 as a composite image C shown in FIG.
[0011]
After determining the data to be the basis of stitch data generation for each unit image, the central processing unit 1 generates stitch data according to the program in the stitch data generation program storage device 5 according to the determination.
The stitches based on the skeletonized data such as the contour line 51b and the eyes 52b are preferably stitches such as double stitches of straight stitches, double stitches of zigzag stitches having different widths, or overlap stitches of straight stitches and zigzag stitches. . In addition, it is desirable that the stitches based on the image data such as the nose 53g and the beard 54g be filled with stitches such as satin stitches (zigzag stitches) and tatami stitches (fill stitch stitches).
[0012]
The generated stitch data is configured to be stored in the storage medium 11. The storage medium 11 is mounted on an embroidery sewing machine or the like, where embroidery sewing is performed.
FIG. 4 shows the completed embroidery stitch N. It is clear that the image of the original image G is preserved as compared with the conventional one shown in FIG.
It is desirable that such an image of the embroidery stitch N is also displayed on the display device 7 so that the user can obtain an image of the finished product.
[0013]
FIG. 5 shows an example of the embroidery sewing N in which the eye 52 is set to the eye 52g based on the image data by setting the reference length by the reference line segment length setting device 6. In this case, the original image G is almost faithfully reproduced.
[0014]
The operation will be described with reference to FIG.
The original image is read by the image scanner 10 (step S1), and the image data from the image scanner 10 is input and stored in the data storage device 2 (step S2). Then, the image data is subjected to skeletonization processing (step S3), and the length of the line segment is compared with the reference length for each unit image (step S4). For unit images longer than the reference predetermined length, stitch data is generated from the skeletonized data (step S6). If the line segment is shorter than the predetermined length, stitch data of the unit image is generated based on the original image data (step S7). When the generation of the stitch data is completed for all the unit images (step S8), the stitch data is stored in the storage medium 11, and the operation is terminated.
[0015]
With the above configuration, it is possible to create embroidery sewing data that does not impair the image of the original image G as shown in FIGS. Further, the setting of the reference line segment length setting device 6 allows the user to arbitrarily select a line drawing and a solid embroidery stitch.
[0016]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the embroidery data creating apparatus of the present invention, there is an effect that embroidery data capable of embroidering a line drawing can be created without damaging the image of the original image.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram of one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an embroidery sewing image N according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the embroidery sewing image N according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.
[Explanation of symbols]
1: Central processing unit 2: Data storage unit 3: Image data skeletonization program storage unit 4: Line segment length comparison program storage unit 5, Seam data generation program storage unit 6, Reference line segment length Setting device, 7: display device, 10: image scanner, 11: storage medium, 51: outline, 52: eyes, 53: nose, 54: mustache.

Claims (2)

Means for providing image data representing an image having one or more unit images;
Means for skeletalizing the image according to the given image data and providing skeletalized data representing the skeleton of the image;
Means for comparing the length of the image based on the skeletonized data with a predetermined reference length for each unit image,
For generating seam data based on skeletonized data for a unit image longer than the predetermined reference length, and for generating seam data based on the image data for a unit image shorter than the predetermined reference length. Means,
Embroidery data creation device having The predetermined reference length is changeable,
The embroidery data creation device according to claim 1.

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