JP4818415B2 - Electronic cartoon production apparatus and electronic cartoon production method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic comic book production apparatus for producing an electronic comic book and an electronic comic book output apparatus for outputting an electronic comic book produced by the electronic comic book production apparatus, and particularly, is characterized in that a speech balloon is output as a voice.

  An invention for displaying the order of speech balloons in an electronic comic device is described in Patent Document 1. In this publication, a background image for each comic frame and a plurality of speech balloons are stored as image data, and speech balloon order information is provided. There are disclosed a table for storing a message and displaying a balloon sequentially according to the table, a table for changing the color of the balloon in sequence, and a table for changing the size of the balloon in sequence.

  Further, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus that electronically reads a book, recognizes characters from the read output, and reproduces sound. In this patent publication, characters are read by a scanner using an area sensor in which a large number of photoelectric conversion elements are arranged in the direction of the character string and scanned in the line feed direction, and the amount of closeness is calculated by comparing the read output of the scanner with the model pattern. Then, character recognition is performed by determining the character with the model pattern when the amount of proximity is minimum, and the pronunciation signal corresponding to the recognized character is read from the storage means that stores the character and the corresponding pronunciation signal in correspondence. , Digitally processed by a digital filter, further converted into an analog signal and reproduced as an audible sound. Here, in the case of Japanese, one character is basically processed as a pronunciation character. For idioms, when printing the type of a book, only the idiom part is replaced with normal ink and printed with magnetic ink to detect the idiom, and the idiom reads out the pronunciation signal from the idiom memory. In the case of English characters, a word (word) is determined based on the difference between the space between each character and the space, and the pronunciation signal data of the word is read from the sound source memory.

  Also, in Patent Document 3, voice information or the like corresponding to the character information of a book or intonation necessary for reading is stored in a recording medium, and digital audio stored in advance for each basic unit by a signal read from the recording medium is stored. There is described a method in which a digital voice sequence is generated in correspondence with character information or a voice code, and the digital voice sequence is converted into analog voice and output to output the book as voice.

JP 7-249130 A JP-A-8-279020 JP-A-6-25171

  As described above, an electronic comic display device and an electronic reading device have been disclosed, but none of the electronic comic balloons output voice in the order of the balloons. The electronic cartoon output device can be used in commuting, commuting trains, buses and other vehicles, waiting time, etc., but the characters on the balloon are small and the display area is limited on the portable electronic terminal device. There are technical problems such as small size or difficulty in clear display.

  In order to solve such a problem, the present invention reduces the technical problem of the display device by outputting speech balloons as voices, and enables comics to be viewed on a display device while listening to speech balloons. The app will be fully appreciated and the range of use of the electronic comics device will be expanded. Further, by controlling the speech output of speech balloons and the display speed of comics, the effect of producing comics is enhanced.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides image data acquisition means for acquiring image data from a comic image including a frame and a balloon, and the position information of the frame , the position information of the balloon , and the balloon area from the image data. The frame balloon information acquisition means for acquiring information, and the display order of the frames, the display order of the balloons, and the reading order of the balloons, the position information of the frames, the position information of the balloons, and the area information of the balloons in the vertical and horizontal directions. An order table that is determined by regularity and stores the order; and, based on the display order of the frames, the display order of the balloons, and the reading order of the balloons, the display order of the frames or the display order of the balloons, and the reading order of the balloons, a synchronization signal generating means for generating a synchronization signal for synchronizing the image data, the display order of the frame or blown Providing a tooth display order, the electric comic book manufacturing apparatus characterized by comprising a recording means for recording the speech bubble reading order and the synchronization signal.

In the present invention, the order table further records a time interval of presentation of the frames and speech balloons, and the synchronization signal generation means generates a synchronization signal based on the time interval stored in the order table. Provide electronic comic book production equipment.

  The present invention further provides an electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus including order table registration means for registering the order or time interval of the frames and balloons in the order table.

The present invention also provides an image data acquisition step for acquiring image data from a comic image including a frame and a balloon, and a frame balloon for acquiring position information of the frame, position information of the balloon and area information of the balloon from the image data. The information acquisition step and the display order of the frames, the display order of the balloons, and the reading order of the balloons are determined by the regularity in the vertical and horizontal directions of the position information of the frames, the position information of the balloons, and the area information of the balloons. Synchronizing the display order of the frames or the display order of the balloons with the reading order of the balloons based on the step of storing the order in the order table and the display order of the frames, the display order of the balloons, and the reading order of the balloons a synchronization signal generating step of generating a signal, the image data, display sequence or blowing of the frame Display order out, providing electric comic book manufacturing process performed by the balloon of reading order and computers and a recording step of recording the sync signal.

In addition, the present invention provides an image data acquisition step for acquiring image data from a comic image including a frame and a balloon, and a frame for acquiring position information of the frame, position information of the balloon and area information of the balloon from the image data. The balloon information acquisition step and the display order of the frames, the display order of the balloons, and the reading order of the balloons are determined by the regularity in the vertical and horizontal directions of the position information of the frames, the position information of the balloons, and the area information of the balloons. storing a sequence in the sequence table Te, display order of the frames, based on order balloon display order and balloon reading, causes the display order or balloon display order of the frames, and said balloon reading order synchronization a synchronization signal generating step of generating a synchronization signal, the image data, the display order of the frame or Can out of the display order, to provide a computer-readable recording medium recording a program for executing the recording step on a computer that records the balloon reading order and the synchronization signal.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to store a comic book image as an image data signal and a speech balloon as an audio signal. Further, the display of the speech balloon and the reading voice signal can be synchronized by the synchronization signal. Since the speech balloon is output as a voice, it is possible to concentrate and view the cartoon image while listening to the voice output without reading the speech balloon. Moreover, since the comic image and audio output are synchronized, it is easy to read. Therefore, in the past, it was hard to read the speech balloons and understand the story, and there was a case where the comic images were not fully seen. However, according to the present invention, the comic images can be sufficiently seen and the comics can be viewed. can do. Furthermore, in the present invention, since the display of the speech balloon is controlled together with the voice output, the order in which the speech balloon is viewed becomes clear, and the misunderstanding of the comic story is reduced.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to store the comic book image as an image data signal and the reading order of speech balloons as order data. Moreover, since the balloon order data associates the frame order with the reading order of the balloons, the order of the frames and the order of the balloons can be synchronized. The speech balloons are converted into sound according to the order data and output, and the comic is displayed in synchronization with the sound output. Furthermore, fast-forward playback and slow motion playback can be performed by controlling the display of the comic and the audio output.

It is the schematic of the electronic cartoon production apparatus of Example 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus of Example 1 of this invention. It is an external view of the electronic comic output device of Example 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the electronic comic output device of Example 1 of this invention. It is the schematic of the electronic cartoon production apparatus of Example 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the electronic comic production apparatus of Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the electronic comic book of Example 2 of this invention, and a reading order table. It is a block diagram of the electronic comic output device of Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the text layout of image data, and the state of the vertical / horizontal projection data. It is a block diagram explaining the structure of the automatic reading part of the electronic comic output device of Example 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the automatic reading part.

Example 1
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus is constituted by a scanner device 2. The scanner device 2 has a scanner surface 3, a cover 4 covering the scanner surface, a power switch (not shown) of the scanner device, and starts a scanner operation. A start button 5, a synchronization button 6, a display device 7 for confirming a captured image, a pointer 8 for operating a pointer on the display screen, a numeric keypad 9 for 0-9, and a microphone 10. In addition, a density adjustment knob, a display lamp, an external microphone, and the like are provided, but not shown.

  In this scanner device 2, when the comic book 1 is placed on the scanner surface 3 and the start button 5 is pressed, the scanner device starts operating, and a comic image including a balloon is converted into image data and electronically captured. . The image data is converted page by page or frame by frame. When the image data is taken in, a speech balloon is simultaneously input. Read and input characters between frames or within frames. It is desirable to change the read-out voice according to the character of the comic, the male and female, the animal, the arbitrary character, the impression of the entire screen, and the like, or the sound quality and tone. In addition, adding appropriate back music, onomatopoeia, and sound effects will increase the sense of presence. The speech of the speech balloon may be converted into a speech signal by recognizing the speech balloon portion of the image data signal. Further, a synchronization signal for synchronizing the conversion of the image data and the reading voice is input by operating the synchronization button 6 and inserted between the reading voice signals. Reading speech and sync signals can be input while viewing the display screen at the same time as image data capture, or after all image data for one comic book (or one title) has been captured and played back. You may input while looking at the display screen.

  As shown in the block diagram of the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus in FIG. 2, the entire management and control of the scanner apparatus 2 is performed by the CPU 11 and the ROM 12. When the comic book 1 is placed on the scanner surface 3 and the start button 5 is pressed, The scanner device starts operating, and the photoelectric conversion unit 13 scans and sequentially converts the image data. The photoelectric conversion unit 13 is required to have a high resolution, but at least a resolution capable of reading ruby is required. In this embodiment, a resolution of 300 dpi was used. The image data is stored in the storage device 15 via the preprocessing unit 14. At the same time, the speech that reads out the characters in the balloon and between or within the frames is converted into an audio signal by the microphone 10, amplified by the amplifier 16, and further converted into a digital signal by the A / D (analog / digital) converter 17. And stored in the storage device 15 as an audio data signal. Also input appropriate back music, imitation sounds, and sound effects. Back music, onomatopoeia, and sound effects may be input directly from an appropriate sound source. Here, the audio data signal is a signal that can directly reproduce the audio signal, or audio original data that can generate audio data such as data representing the audio signal, and uses this audio original data. In this case, it means that it is used with a sound generation means for generating sound. Further, the synchronization signal is stored in the storage device 15 from the synchronization button 6 via the waveform shaper 18.

  The image data (cartoon image including a speech balloon) signal and the voice data signal and the synchronization signal that are read out are stored in the image area 15a, the voice area 15b, and the synchronization signal area 15c of the storage device 15, respectively. The image data signal, the voice data signal to be read out, and the synchronization signal are preferably stored after being subjected to data compression and encryption processing. Such image data acquisition, speech balloon input, and synchronization signal input are continued until the entire comic book (or one title) is completed. Or it continues until the power switch of a scanner apparatus is turned off. The storage device 15 includes a RAM (random access memory), a CD-R (write-type compact disk), an FD (floppy (registered trademark) disk), an HDD (hard disk), and a Click! (Trademark of Iomega Corporation, USA) An ultra-small magnetic memory called a disk, a memory stick containing a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, and other suitable memory media may be used. The image data is displayed on the display device 7 formed of a flat display such as a liquid crystal display device, plasma, electroluminescence or the like through the display driving unit 19. The display device preferably has a resolution of XGA (1024 × 768 pixels) or higher and UXGA (1600 × 1200 pixels).

  FIG. 3 shows an external view of the electronic comic output device. The electronic comic output device 20 includes a liquid crystal display device, a display device 21 composed of a flat display such as plasma and electroluminescence, and a speaker 22 or earphone jack 23 for sound output. Are the main components, and in addition, a page feed button 24, a page return button 25, a power switch (not shown), a cursor key constituted by a touch key on the display device, a memo key, an underline key, etc. (not shown) It has. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 4, the electronic comic output device 20 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 31, a ROM (read-on-memory) 32, and a random access memory (RAM) that randomly manage and control the electronic comic output device 20. (Access memory) 33, operation unit 34, display device 21 comprising a flat display such as a liquid crystal display device, display drive unit 36 for driving the display device 21, and I / F 37 for interfacing the electronic comic output device 20 with the storage device 15 , A D / A (digital / analog) converter 38, an amplifier 39, and a speaker 22.

  RAM, CD-R, FD made from the storage device 15 of the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus 2 directly or via a transmission line such as a radio wave or an infrared ray, or by the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus or the memory transfer device. , HDD, Click! (Trademark of Iomega, USA) Disc, memory stick, or other suitable memory medium is replaced with an electronic comic output device, and the image data (comic image including speech balloon) signal, the voice data signal to be read out, and the synchronization signal are transmitted to the I / F 37. To the image area 33a, the sound area 33b, and the synchronization signal area 33c of the RAM 33. At the time of capturing, the transmission line or the memory medium is given an ID number and an ID number for individually identifying the electronic comic output device, and the ID number of the transmission line or the memory medium and the electronic comic output device 20 ID are assigned. Match the numbers. When both ID numbers match, the capturing is performed, but when both ID numbers do not match, capturing is blocked. This prevents unauthorized use. Since the image data signal, the read-out voice signal, and the synchronization signal are subjected to data compression and encryption in the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus, the data is decompressed and decrypted to return to the original data.

The image data signal stored in the image area 33 a of the RAM 33 is displayed as comic image data including a balloon on the display device 21 via the display drive unit 36. The display device 21 preferably has a resolution of XGA (1024 × 768 pixels) or higher and UXGA (1600 × 1200 pixels) so that ruby can be displayed. The audio data signal stored in the audio area 33 b is output from the speaker 22 via the D / A converter 38 and the amplifier 39. By synchronizing the output of the audio data signal and the sequential display of the speech balloons, changing the color of the speech balloons, or changing the size, the speech balloons can be easily read according to the speech output of the speech balloons. The synchronization signal stored in the synchronization signal area 33c synchronizes the image data signal and the audio data signal, the display page (or frame) and the output audio are synchronized, and the next page (or frame), next Sent to the voice. Slow motion playback and fast forward playback can be performed by changing the speed of image display and audio output in accordance with the synchronization signal. When back music, onomatopoeia, and sound effects are included in the audio data signal, the audio is output in accordance with the display page (or frame) under the control of the synchronization signal. Back music, onomatopoeia, and sound effects may be omitted during slow motion playback and fast forward playback. Such an operation is continued until one title of a comic or one book is completed. Or it continues until the end switch of an electronic comics output device is operated.
(Example 2)
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of an electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between a comic book and a balloon order table.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus is constituted by a scanner device 42. The scanner device 42 has a scanner surface 43, a cover (not shown) covering the scanner surface, a power switch (not shown) of the scanner device, a scanner. A start button 44 for starting operation, a synchronization button 45, a pointer 46 for operating a pointer on the display screen, a numeric keypad 47 for 0 to 9, a mouse 48, and a display device 49 for confirming a captured image are provided. In addition, a density adjustment knob, a display lamp, etc. are provided, but not shown. In this scanner device 42, when the comic book 41 is placed on the scanner surface 43 and the start button 44 is pressed, the scanner device 42 starts operating, and a comic image including a balloon is converted into image data and electronically captured. It is. This electronic capture may be for one page or one frame.

  At the time of capturing the image data, the position of the frame, the position of the balloon, and the balloon area (size) are input from the click operation of the mouse 48 or the pointer 46, and the order of the comic frame and the reading order of the balloon are input from the numeric keypad 47. input. In addition, the position and reading order of characters between or within frames are input by interrupting the reading order of the balloons with the mouse 48, the pointer 46, and the numeric keypad 47. The frame position, balloon position, balloon area (size), character position, frame order, balloon reading order, and character reading order are input while the scanner image is being read and the screen of the display device 49 is viewed. Alternatively, the image data of one comic book (or one title) may be captured and then reproduced and input in a batch while viewing the display device 49. Further, the frame position, balloon position, and balloon area (size) may be automatically input by pattern recognition of the frame and balloon shape from the image data. Further, the frame order, the reading order of the balloons, and the reading order of the characters may be automatically determined and input according to regularity in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction (for example, in order from the top and from the left side).

  FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus. The entire management and control of the scanner device 42 is performed by the CPU 51 and the ROM 52. When the comic book 41 is placed on the scanner surface 43 and the start button 44 is pressed, the scanner device starts operating and the photoelectric conversion unit 53 scans. And sequentially convert to image data. The photoelectric conversion unit 13 is required to have a high resolution, but at least a resolution capable of reading ruby is required. In this embodiment, a resolution of 300 dpi was used. The comic image including the speech balloon is stored as image data in the image area 55a of the storage device 55 via the preprocessing unit 54. At the same time, the position of the frame, the position of the balloon, and the balloon area (size) are input from the click operation of the mouse 48 or the pointer 46, and the order of the comic frame and the reading order of the balloon are input from the numeric keypad 47. In addition, the position of the character between the frames or within the frame and the reading order are also input from the mouse 48, the pointer 46 and the numeric keypad 47. Further, a synchronization signal for synchronizing the image data and the reading order of the balloons is input from the synchronization button 45. These input signals are stored in the order table area 55b and the synchronization signal area 55c of the storage device 55 via the waveform shaper 56. Image data signal, frame position, balloon position, balloon area (size), frame order, balloon reading order, character position between or within frames, reading order, synchronization signal, data compression and encryption It is desirable to process and save.

  The storage device 55 is RAM, CD-R, FD, HDD, Click! (Trademark of Iomega Corporation, USA) Disks, memory sticks, and other suitable memory media may be used. The image data is displayed on a display device 49 formed of a flat display such as a liquid crystal display device, plasma, electroluminescence or the like through a display driving unit 57.

  The frame position, balloon position, balloon area (size), character position, frame order, balloon order, and character reading order are stored in the order table area 55b of the storage device 55 as a balloon order table shown in FIG. . FIG. 7A shows an example of a comic having a speech balloon, and FIG. 7B shows the comic balloon order table shown in FIG. 7A. In this balloon order table, the frame position, balloon position, and character position are represented by XY coordinates, and the frame order is numbered sequentially. The balloon order and the character order are assigned consecutive numbers. Time data for providing an appropriate time interval between speech balloons is provided as necessary. Alternatively, time data that sequentially designates the reading time of the balloon may be used. By providing a time table or read-out time data, it is possible to give more realistic sensation by slowing down speech balloons and reading out characters. By multiplying the time table or time table by an appropriate coefficient, fast-forward playback and slow motion playback can be performed at an arbitrary speed. Also, if necessary, characters, gender, animals, other characters and balloon sizes, character fonts, number of character points, long symbols, question marks, quotation marks, character shapes, symbols, sizes or It is desirable to add a flag according to the impression of the entire image and the style of the text, and to change the sound quality, tone color, size, and length. It is also possible to include back music imitation sound and sound effect. The balloon character may be stored as a pattern, or may be recognized as a pattern and converted into a character code.

  The input of image data, frame position, balloon position, character position input, frame order, balloon order, and character reading order is continued until the entire comic book (or one title) is completed. . Or it continues until the power switch of a scanner apparatus is turned off.

  Although the electronic comic output device of the second embodiment includes a display device, a speaker, an earphone jack, and the like, the external appearance is the same as that of the first embodiment, so that the description thereof is omitted, and the internal configuration thereof is a block diagram of the electronic comic output device of FIG. It explains together. The electronic comic output device 60 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 61 that performs overall management and control, and a ROM (read-on-memory) that stores work procedures required for program processing of the electronic comic output device 60. 62, RAM 64, operation unit 65, display device 66 comprising a flat display such as a liquid crystal display device, display drive unit 67 for driving display device 66, I / F 68 for interfacing electronic comic output device 60 with a storage medium, characters It comprises a recognition device 69, a language processing device 70, a speech synthesizer 71, and a speaker 72.

  RAM, CD-R, FD, or the like made directly from the storage device 55 of the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus via a wired or wireless transmission line such as radio waves or infrared rays, or by the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus or the memory transfer device. HDD, Click! (Trademark of Iomega Corporation, USA) Discs, memory sticks, and other suitable memory media are replaced with electronic comic book production equipment, and image data (cartoon image including speech balloons) signals and sequence table and synchronization signals are transferred from I / F 68 to RAM 64. It is captured. At the time of capturing, the transmission line or the memory medium is given an ID number and an ID number for individually identifying the electronic comic output device, and the ID number of the transmission line or the memory medium and the electronic comic output device 20 ID are assigned. Match the numbers. When both ID numbers match, the capturing is performed, but when both ID numbers do not match, capturing is blocked. This prevents unauthorized use. Since the image data signal, the sequence table, and the synchronization signal are subjected to data compression and encryption in the electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus, the data is decompressed and decrypted to return to the original data.

  The image data signal stored in the image area 64 a of the RAM 64 is displayed as an image of comic image data including a balloon on the display device 66 via the display driving unit 67. The display device 66 preferably has a resolution of XGA (1024 × 768 pixels) or higher and UXGA (1600 × 1200 pixels) so that ruby can be displayed. In the order table signal stored in the order table area 64b, the balloons are extracted from the image data according to the numerical order, the balloon characters are pattern-recognized, and the pattern-recognized balloon characters are character-recognized by the character recognition device 69. A character code is generated, and this character code generates a speech synthesis parameter by the language processing device 70. Then, speech synthesis is performed based on the speech synthesis parameters, and speech is output. The image display and audio output are synchronized by a synchronization signal, and the frames are moved sequentially. The voice output speed and the frame moving speed are controlled by a time table or a time table. Accordingly, the time table or the time table can be multiplied by an appropriate coefficient to fast-forward at an arbitrary speed to perform slow motion reproduction. In addition, the time table or the time table can be arbitrarily changed to adjust the reading speed of the speech balloon and the speed of frame movement.

  Here, the character recognition device 69, the language processing device 70, and the speech synthesizer 71 for detecting the position of a speech bubble, recognizing the character of a speech bubble, detecting the position of a character written between frames or within a frame, and character recognition. 9 is a diagram for explaining the state of the image data and its vertical / horizontal projection data, FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the automatic reading portion, and FIG. 11 is an operation flowchart of the automatic reading portion.

  When the operation of the electronic comic output device is started (step S1), image data, sequence data, and synchronization data are extracted (step S2). The image data is displayed on the display device 66 through the display drive unit 67, and a balloon in the image data is extracted according to the order data (step S3). Next, in step S4, if the character of the balloon is character data, the process proceeds to step S7. If it is not character data, the layout processing unit 81 performs layout processing as image data A0 as shown in FIG. 9 (step S4). S5). In the layout process, the position of the balloon position and balloon area (size) is detected based on the XY coordinate data of the order table. The balloon characters in the balloon area project the image data A1 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the balloon character position, width, and length for one character based on the obtained vertical projection data Av and horizontal projection data Ah. Is detected. When the characters in the balloon are written vertically or horizontally, the position of the balloon character, width, and length for one character are detected along with the vertical writing and horizontal writing by the above method, but the characters are written diagonally. When the vertical projection data Av and the horizontal projection data Ah cannot be obtained, the projection direction is rotated until the vertical projection data Av and the horizontal projection data Ah are clearly obtained, and the vertical projection data Av and the horizontal direction are obtained. Projection data Ah is obtained. Next, the character recognition unit 82 cuts out image data for each character, and performs character recognition of the cut out image data of one character based on pattern matching with reference character data sequentially read out from the internal dictionary 83. Then, the character code is confirmed, and the confirmed character code is transferred to the language processing device 70 (step S6). Such character recognition and transfer are sequentially executed in time series. Here, when the character of the speech balloon is pattern-recognized by the electronic comic book manufacturing device and converted into a character code, and the character code is given to the electronic comic output device, the character recognition device 69 is not operated and the character code is directly changed. Send to next language processor.

  The language processing device 70 includes a kanji / kana conversion unit 84 and a morpheme analysis unit 85. The kanji / kana conversion unit 84 converts the character code sent in time series into a hiragana code (step S7). Then, the morpheme analyzing unit 85 performs analysis for dividing the sentence into word units and phrase units (step S8). The code string of the unit processed in this way is transferred to the speech synthesizer 71 in time series. In the language processing device 70, the characters of comics, men and women, animals, the size of characters and speech balloons, character fonts, the number of character points, the shape and size of characters such as long symbols, the impression of the entire image, the style of the text The flag attached according to is discriminated, and the tone quality, tone color, size and length are changed. The phoneme / prosody controller 86 of the speech synthesizer 71 generates phonetic synthesis parameters by performing phoneme control and prosody control that is word accenting based on an accent dictionary or the like (step S9). In the speech synthesizer 71, a DSP (digital signal processor) 87 or the like converts the input code string of the input unit into synthesized speech data based on the speech synthesis parameters (step S10). Next, the audio output unit 88 performs output processing such as D / A conversion and filtering. Such processing is sequentially performed in time series, and the synthesized speech is sequentially output from the speaker 72 via the amplifier (step S11).

  The above operation is continued until the order of the order table is completed. In this way, speech balloon characters written in comics and characters written between frames or within frames are output as audio.

  When recognizing characters, the characters in the order table recognize the shape and size of the characters, fonts, character points, character points, etc. of the cartoon characters, animals, etc. If you output audio, you can give a sense of realism and atmosphere. The synchronization signal stored in the synchronization signal area 33c synchronizes the image data signal and the audio signal, the display page (or frame) and the output audio are synchronized, and the next page (or frame) and the next Sent to audio. When the back signal, onomatopoeia, and sound effect are included in the sound signal, the sound is output in accordance with the display page (or frame) under the control of the synchronization signal. Such an operation is continued until one title of a comic or one book is completed. Or it continues until the end switch of an electronic comics output device is operated.

1, 41 Comic book 2, 42 Scanner device 7, 49 Display device 10 Microphone 13, 53 Photoelectric conversion unit 15, 55 Storage device 20, 60 Electronic comic output device 21 Display device 22 Speaker 34, 65 Operation unit 36, 67 Display drive 69 Character recognition device 70 Language processing device 71 Speech synthesizer

Claims (5)

Image data acquisition means for acquiring image data from comic images including frames and speech balloons;
A frame balloon information acquisition means for acquiring the position information of the frame, the position information of the balloon and the area information of the balloon from the image data;
The order in which the display order of the frames, the display order of the balloons, and the reading order of the balloons are determined by the vertical and horizontal regularity of the position information of the frames, the position information of the balloons, and the area information of the balloons, and the order is stored. Table,
Synchronization signal generating means for generating a synchronization signal for synchronizing the display order of the frames or the display order of the balloons and the reading order of the balloons based on the display order of the frames, the display order of the balloons, and the reading order of the balloons ;
Recording means for recording the image data, the display order of the frames or the display order of the balloons, the reading order of the balloons, and the synchronization signal;
An electronic cartoon production apparatus comprising: The order table further records a time interval of presentation of the frames and speech balloons,
The electronic comic production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synchronization signal generation unit generates a synchronization signal based on a time interval stored in the order table.   The electronic comic book manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising order table registration means for registering an order or time interval of the frames and balloons in the order table. An image data acquisition step for acquiring image data from a cartoon image including a frame and a speech bubble;
A frame balloon information acquisition step for acquiring position information of the frame, position information of the balloon and area information of the balloon from the image data;
The display order of the frames, the display order of the balloons and the reading order of the balloons are determined by the regularity in the vertical and horizontal directions of the position information of the frames, the position information of the balloons and the area information of the balloons, and the order is determined in the order table. Memorizing step;
A synchronization signal generating step for generating a synchronization signal for synchronizing the display order of the frames or the display order of the balloons and the reading order of the balloons based on the display order of the frames, the display order of the balloons, and the reading order of the balloons ;
A recording step of recording the image data, the display order of the frames or the display order of the balloons, the reading order of the balloons, and the synchronization signal;
An electronic cartoon manufacturing method that is executed by a computer. An image data acquisition step for acquiring image data from a cartoon image including a frame and a speech bubble;
A frame balloon information acquisition step for acquiring position information of the frame, position information of the balloon and area information of the balloon from the image data;
The display order of the frames, the display order of the balloons and the reading order of the balloons are determined by the regularity in the vertical and horizontal directions of the position information of the frames, the position information of the balloons and the area information of the balloons, and the order is determined in the order table. Memorizing step;
A synchronization signal generating step for generating a synchronization signal for synchronizing the display order of the frames or the display order of the balloons and the reading order of the balloons based on the display order of the frames, the display order of the balloons, and the reading order of the balloons ;
A recording step of recording the image data, the display order of the frames or the display order of the balloons, the reading order of the balloons, and the synchronization signal;
A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute is recorded.

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