JP6085973B2 - Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program for transmitting image data of a plurality of pages.

  In recent years, an image processing apparatus typified by an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral (MFP) can generate an electronic file from image data of a document read by a scanner or still image data of a medium and distribute it to a user or the like. It is becoming possible. Furthermore, a technique for extracting one frame image data of a moving image, generating an electronic file, and distributing it is also considered.

  In such an image processing apparatus, it is also possible to generate and distribute a multi-page electronic file according to the selection. For example, an image processing apparatus capable of continuously scanning 100 originals to generate a 100-page PDF file and distributing it is already known.

  However, since conventional image processing apparatuses perform distribution processing page by page, the user cannot browse all pages unless distribution of all pages is completed. For this reason, when generating a file with a large number of pages or when generating a file with a heavy processing function, it takes a lot of time until an important part scattered on multiple pages can be browsed. There was a problem that it took.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that an image region is determined, and layer progression is performed based on the result, thereby quickly grasping the content of a document. Data distribution processing is not taken into consideration, and the problem that the user cannot view important parts scattered on a plurality of pages is not solved unless processing of all pages is completely completed.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to enable a user on the receiving side to quickly view data of a specific part such as an important part scattered on a plurality of pages when transmitting image data of a plurality of pages. .

According to the present invention, in an image processing apparatus for transmitting input image data, means for classifying the image data into classification 1 and classification 2 according to a predetermined criterion, and generating data belonging to classification 1 in the image data Means for generating reference information for data belonging to category 2 in the image data; means for generating data belonging to category 2 in the image data; The data belonging to the category 1 and the reference information of the data belonging to the category 2 are transmitted, the stream is closed, the stream is opened again in the second stage, and the data belonging to the category 2 of a plurality of pages is transmitted. , have a means for the stream closed, it means for generating a reference information data belonging to the classification 2 in the image data temporary further belonging to the second category The means for generating data and transmitting the data includes, in the first step, a plurality of pages of data belonging to the category 1, data reference information belonging to the category 2, and temporary data belonging to the category 2. The main feature is to transmit .

  According to the present invention, when a plurality of pages of image data are distributed, the receiving user can quickly browse the data of a specific part such as an important part scattered on the plurality of pages.

It is a figure explaining the outline | summary of this invention. 1 is a functional block diagram of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an overall processing flow of the image processing apparatus in FIG. 2. It is a sequence diagram of the data transmission / reception which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a multifunction machine to which an image processing apparatus of the present invention is applied. It is a flowchart of one Embodiment which judges whether the technique of this invention is applied or not. It is a figure which shows an example of the function list in the case of applying this invention technique.

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

  First, the outline of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. For convenience, FIG. 1 shows a case where image data of all two pages is distributed as an example, but generally two or more pages of image data may be distributed.

  In FIG. 1, (a) is input image data, and both the first page and the second page are a mixture of important part data that is data belonging to class 1 and non-important part data that is data belonging to class 2. Yes. In the present invention, as a first stage, reference information of important part data of each page and non-important part data of each page is distributed as a primary file. Next, as a second stage, the unimportant part data of each page is distributed as a secondary file.

  FIG. 1B shows an image of the primary file distributed in the first stage. Here, the primary file includes important part data of the first and second pages, reference information of non-important part data of each page, and temporary non-important part data of each page. Temporary non-important part data is data (invalid data) having a small size such as blank paper data, and is pointed to by reference information of non-important part data. However, this temporary unimportant portion data is not necessarily required depending on the file format, as will be described later.

  FIG. 1C shows an image of the secondary file distributed in the second stage. This secondary file is composed of non-important part data on the first and second pages.

  On the receiving side, first, the contents of the primary file distributed in the first stage are displayed. That is, the important part data of the first page and the second page are displayed. If the primary file includes temporary non-important part data together with the reference information of the non-important part data, temporary non-important part data (blank data, etc.) is generated based on the reference information of the non-important part data. , Displayed in a format synthesized with the important part data. Thereby, the user can confirm the important part data of all pages at an early stage. At this time, temporary non-important part data (blank paper data or the like) may be ignored.

  Next, on the receiving side, the contents of the secondary file distributed in the second stage are displayed. That is, the original unimportant part data of the first page and the second page are displayed. Specifically, based on the reference information of the non-important part data distributed previously, the original non-important part data is combined with the already displayed important part data and displayed. At this time, if temporary unimportant part data is displayed, the temporary unimportant part data is overwritten and the original unimportant part data is displayed. Thereby, the user can finally confirm the image data of all pages.

  The necessity and necessity of temporary unimportant part data are determined as follows. Temporary non-important part data is data such as blank paper that is temporarily placed in a place where there should be true non-important part data. When the file is displayed on the receiving side, the important part data and the non-important part data in the reference information destination are combined and displayed based on a specific combining processing method. That is, the present invention is applied to a file format that forms a visible image with a plurality of layers, and each of important part data and non-important part data forms a layer.

  A specific synthesis method is described according to an image processing algorithm when generating the file. That is, the synthesis method is described in the primary file, and the file viewer on the receiving side synthesizes the important part data and the unimportant part data according to this synthesis method.

  When the file viewer synthesizes the important part data and the unimportant part data, the reference information of the non-important part data is referred to. Here, when there is no data in the reference information destination of the unimportant part data, whether the temporary unimportant part data is necessary is determined depending on the behavior of the file viewer. If an analysis error occurs when there is no data, temporary unimportant data is required. On the other hand, if the specification is ignored when there is no data, temporary non-important part data is unnecessary.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram according to an embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. The image processing apparatus 100 performs transmission processing on the input image data. 2, the image processing apparatus 100 includes an important / non-important part classification unit 110, an important part data generation unit 120, an unimportant part data reference information generation unit 130, an unimportant part data generation unit 140, a transmission unit 150, and It consists of a control unit 160. Each of these units may be configured by hard logic, or may be realized by a computer (CPU) executing a program.

  The important part / unimportant part classification unit 110 classifies each pixel and region of the input image data into an important part and an unimportant part according to a predetermined criterion. In general, each pixel and region of the input image data is classified into one of classification 1 and classification 2 according to a predetermined standard. The criteria for classification will be described later.

  The important part data generation unit 120 generates important part data in the input image data based on the pixel and area information classified as important parts by the important part / non-important part classification unit 110. In general, data belonging to classification 1 in the input image data is generated.

  The non-important part data reference information generation unit 130 is based on the pixel and area information classified as the non-important part by the important part / non-important part classifying unit 110, and the non-important part data in the input image data. Reference information indicating the location where the is present is generated. In general, reference information indicating a place where data belonging to the classification 2 in the input image data exists is generated.

  In addition, the non-important part data reference information generation unit 130 also generates temporary non-important part data (generally temporary data of data belonging to the classification 2) ahead of the non-important part data reference information, if necessary.

  The non-important part data generation unit 140 generates non-important part data in the input image data based on the pixel and region information classified as the non-important part by the important part / non-important part classification unit 110. To do. In general, data belonging to category 2 in the input image data is generated.

  As a first step, the transmission unit 150 performs reference information on important part data (generally belonging to class 1) generated by the important part data generation unit 120 and the unimportant part data reference information generation unit 130 and non-important part data. (Generally, reference information of data belonging to category 2) and temporary non-important part data (generally temporary data of data belonging to category 2) are transmitted. Further, as a second stage, the transmission unit 150 transmits the non-important part data (generally data belonging to the classification 2) generated by the non-important part data generation unit 140.

  The control unit 160 controls operations of the important / non-important part classification unit 110, the important part data generation unit 120, the non-important part data reference information generation unit 130, the non-important part data generation unit 140, and the transmission unit 150.

  The important part data generation unit 120, the unimportant part data reference information generation unit 130, and the non-important part data generation unit 140 both receive the classification result of the important part / non-important part classification unit 110, but the timing of receiving the input Is different.

  When processing the image data of a plurality of pages, the control unit 160 refers to the important part / non-important part classifying unit 110, the classification result of the image data of all pages, and the important part data generation unit 120 and the non-important part data reference. Control to output to the information generation unit 130. Further, the image data of all pages and the classification result are saved in a storage medium (not shown). In the important part data generation unit 120 and the non-important part data reference information generation unit 130, reference information of the important part data and the non-important part data of all pages is generated, and if necessary, temporary non-important part data is generated. After the transmission unit 150 finishes transmitting these data, the control unit 160 extracts the image data of all the pages saved in the storage medium and the classification result and outputs them to the non-important part data generation unit 140. Control.

  The control unit 160 again classifies the input image data into the important part and the non-important part by the important part / non-important part classification unit 110 after transmitting the reference information of the important part data and the non-important part data, and the classification result. May be controlled to be output to the non-important part data generation unit 140.

  FIG. 3 shows an overall processing flowchart of the image processing apparatus of FIG. This is also a flowchart according to an embodiment of the image processing method of the present invention.

  In step 1001, the important part / non-important part classification unit 110 classifies the input image data of each page into an important part (generally class 1) and an unimportant part (generally class 2).

  In step 1002, the important part data generation unit 120, based on the classification result of the important part / non-important part of the important part / non-important part classification unit 110, the important part data ( In general, data belonging to category 1) is generated. The generation includes image processing such as gradation conversion and compression.

  In step 1003, the non-important part data reference information generating unit 130 determines the non-important part in the image data of each input page based on the classification result of the important part / non-important part of the important part / non-important part classifying unit 110. The reference information of the important part data (generally, the reference information of data belonging to the classification 2) is generated. If necessary, provisional non-important part data of each page (generally provisional data of data belonging to category 2) is also generated.

  Note that step 1002 and step 1003 are actually executed in parallel. That is, the important part data generation unit 120 and the non-important part data reference information generation unit 130 sequentially generate reference information for important part data and non-important part data, and further provisional non-important part data in parallel for each page. To do.

  In step 1004, the transmission unit 150 transmits the important part data (generally belonging to class 1) and the non-important part data of each page generated by the important part data generation unit 120 and the unimportant part data reference information generation unit 130. Reference information (generally, reference information of data belonging to category 2) is transmitted. Further, if there is provisional non-important part data (generally provisional data belonging to category 2) of each page, it is also transmitted.

  The transmission unit 150 sets the stream to open when the transmission of the reference information of the important part data and the non-important part is started, and once closes the stream when the transmission ends. At this stage, the connection with the receiving side may be closed once.

  In step 1005, the non-important part data generation unit 140 determines the non-important part in the input image data of each page based on the classification result of the important part / non-important part of the important part / non-important part classification unit 110. Data (generally data belonging to category 2) is generated. The generation includes image processing such as gradation conversion and compression.

  In step 1006, the transmission unit 150 transmits the non-important part data (generally data belonging to the classification 2) of each page generated by the non-important part data generation unit 140.

  The transmission unit 150 opens the stream again at the start of transmission of the unimportant part data, and closes the stream at the end of transmission.

  In FIG. 3, at the stage where step 1004 is completed, the receiving side receives one piece of reference information for important part data and non-important part data in image data of a plurality of pages, and if necessary, temporary non-important part data. It will be sent as the next file. The primary file itself is a complete file. Therefore, by displaying the primary file on the receiving side, the user can view important data in the image data of a plurality of pages at an early stage. If the primary file is included in the temporary non-important part data, this is also displayed, but the temporary non-important part data is blank data, etc., and does not hinder the browsing of the important part data. .

  Thereafter, when step 1006 is completed, the non-important portion data in the image data of a plurality of pages is transmitted to the receiving side as a secondary file. The file name of this secondary file is the same as that of the primary file. On the receiving side, the non-important part data is displayed in a format to be combined with the already displayed important part data based on the reference information of the previously sent non-important part data. At this time, if temporary important part data is displayed, it is overwritten with the original non-important part data and displayed. Thereby, the user can browse complete image data of a plurality of pages.

  FIG. 4 shows a sequence diagram of data transmission / reception between the transmission side (image processing apparatus) and the reception side. FIG. 4 shows a case where image data of two pages is distributed as in FIG. 1, but the number of image data to be generally distributed may be any number.

  In FIG. 4, in period 1, the transmission side is transmitting the file (file 1) and is not completed as a file, so the reception side cannot open the file normally. Period 2 is a complete file at the stage where the transmitting side has transmitted all the important part data of two pages. For this reason, it is possible to open as a normal file on the receiving side, and the user can browse the important part data in the image data of two pages. In the period 3, when the transmission side has finished transmitting all the unimportant part data for all two pages, the reception side combines the non-important part data with the important part data and displays it. As a result, the user can browse the complete image data of two pages.

  Next, an application example of the image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a multifunction peripheral (MFP) to which the image processing apparatus of the present invention is applied. The multifunction machine includes a scanner 12, a scanner correction unit 14, an original reading system of a compression processing unit 16, a media reader 22, an external media reading system of a file compression / decompression processing unit 24, an expansion processing unit 32, a printer correction unit 34, a plotter. 36, an image output system, a controller 40, an HDD (hard disk) 50, a NIC (network interface controller) 60, an operation unit 70, and the like. Among these, the compression processing unit 16, the file compression / decompression processing unit 24, the decompression processing unit 32, the controller 40, and the operation unit 70 are connected to the internal general-purpose bus 80. The controller 40 is connected to an HDD 50 and a NIC 60, and the NIC 60 is connected to an external terminal 90 such as a personal computer or other devices through a network.

  Although omitted in FIG. 5, the controller 40 includes a CPU that executes various processes, a ROM that stores programs necessary for the processes of the CPU, a RAM that stores data being processed, and the like.

  When the MFP operates as a copying machine, the scanner 12 reads image data from a document, converts the image data (analog signal) into digital data, and outputs the digital data. Here, it is assumed that the image data is composed of 8 bits for each of RGB. The scanner correction unit 14 classifies image areas (character data, line drawings, photographs, and the like) of image data (digital data) read by the scanner 12 and performs image processing such as filter processing on RGB data of a document image. The compression processing unit 16 compresses the RGB corrected 8-bit image data, edge character area signal (1 bit), and color area signal (1 bit) after scanner correction. The compressed image data is sent to the controller 40 through the internal general-purpose bus 80. The controller 40 stores the sent image data in the HDD 50. In the accumulated data, the image size and the type of the read original are recorded as bibliographic information.

  Although the image data is compressed here, the image data may be handled in an uncompressed state as long as the bandwidth of the internal general-purpose bus 80 is sufficiently wide and the capacity of the HDD 50 to be stored is large.

  Next, the controller 40 sends the image data of the HDD 50 to the decompression processing unit 32 via the internal general-purpose bus 80. The decompression processing unit 32 decompresses the compressed image data into the original 8-bit RGB data, edge character region signal (1 bit), and color region signal (1 bit), and sends them to the printer correction unit 34. The printer correction unit 34 converts the RGB image data into YMCBk data by color correction processing, and replaces the portion of the edge character region signal that is not the color region signal with black (Bk) single color data as a black character. Further, the printer correction unit 34 performs correction processing of the light / dark characteristics of the plotter and gradation number conversion processing such as γ correction processing and halftone processing. In the tone number conversion process here, image data is converted from 8 bits to 2 bits for each color using error diffusion and dither processing. The plotter 36 is a transfer paper printing unit using a laser beam writing process. The plotter 36 draws 2-bit image data as a latent image on a photoconductor, and forms a copy image on the transfer paper after image formation / transfer processing with toner.

  When the MFP operates as a distribution scanner that distributes image data to an external terminal via a network, the controller 40 performs color conversion processing, gradation processing, format processing, and resolution conversion on the image data stored in the HDD 50. Image processing such as. In this case, the controller 40 develops the image data stored in the HDD 50 on the RAM and performs predetermined processing. For example, in the gradation processing, gradation conversion processing is performed according to the mode during the distribution scanner operation. In the format process, general-purpose still image format conversion to JPEG, TIFF, or PDF format is performed. The processed image data is distributed by the controller 40 to the external terminal 90 via the NIC 60.

  When the MFP processes the image data of the external medium and distributes it to the external terminal, the MFP reads the file with the media reader 22 and expands the file into the RGB format with the file compression / decompression processing unit 24. Files to be processed are general-purpose still image formats such as JPEG, TIFF, and PDF formats, and general-purpose moving image formats such as MPEG4 and H.264 / AVC. In the case of the still image format, the image data of all pages or a part of pages is cut out based on the designation, sequentially developed into the RGB format, and transferred to the controller 40. In the case of the moving image format, all the frames or designated frames are cut out, sequentially developed into the RGB format, and transferred to the controller 40.

  The controller 40 performs image processing such as color conversion processing, format processing, and resolution conversion on the image data transferred from the file compression / decompression processing unit 24 as in the case of operating as the distribution scanner. Thereafter, the image data is distributed to the external terminal 90 via the NIC 60.

  When the MFP operates as a printer that prints out image data from the external terminal 90 via the network, the controller 40 analyzes an image and a command for instructing printing from the data received by the NIC 60 to obtain image data. As described above, the bitmap is expanded into a printable state, and the expanded data is compressed. The compressed image data is written to the HDD 50, which is a large-capacity storage device, as needed. Bibliographic information is also written in the HDD 50 when the image data is stored.

  Next, the controller 40 sends the image data stored in the HDD 50 to the decompression processing unit 32 via the internal general-purpose bus 80. The decompression processing unit 32 decompresses the compressed image data to the original 8-bit data and sends it to the printer correction unit 34. The printer correction unit 34 converts RGB image data into YMCBk data by color correction processing. Next, YMCBk is independently subjected to correction processing of the light / dark characteristics of the plotter 36 and gradation number conversion processing such as γ correction processing and halftone processing. In the tone number conversion process here, image data is converted from 8 bits to 2 bits using error diffusion and dither processing, as in the case of operating as a copying machine. The plotter 36 is a transfer paper printing unit using a laser beam writing process. The plotter 36 draws 2-bit image data as a latent image on a photosensitive member, and forms a copy image on the transfer paper after image formation / transfer processing with toner.

  The image processing apparatus of the present invention can be applied to a case where the image data of an external medium is processed and distributed when operating as a distribution scanner.

  The configuration (function) of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. That is, the controller 40 performs image processing (transmission processing) such as color conversion processing, format processing, and resolution conversion and distributes the image data received as input under predetermined conditions. To work. In other words, the process of FIG. 3 is performed. When the function of the image processing apparatus 100 in FIG. 2 is configured by a program, the program is stored in advance in a ROM in the controller 40.

From the operation unit 70, an image quality mode, a file format, a resolution, a processing mode, a function to be used, and the like can be selected. Specifically, there are the following options.
Image quality mode: Text mode, Photo mode, Text photo mode, etc. File format: JPEG, TIFF, PDF, etc. Resolution: 200 dpi, 300 dpi, 400 dpi, etc. Processing mode: Time priority, File size priority, etc. Use functions: High compression PDF, High compression XPS Etc. Note that the function selection is arbitrary. If selected, it is filed in a separately selected file format.

  Selection information selected by the user via the operation unit 70 is sent to the controller 40. The controller 40 determines whether or not to apply the function of the image processing apparatus 100 of FIG. 2, that is, the process of FIG. 3 (hereinafter, the technique of the present invention) according to the selection information. FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the controller 40 at this time.

  In step 2001, it is determined whether an applied function is selected. Specifically, the file format of the selected function is confirmed, and it is confirmed whether the file format is a file format represented by a layer. If the selected function is not a file format expressed by a layer, the technique of the present invention cannot be applied, and the process goes to Step 2006. If the selected function is a file format expressed by a layer, the technique of the present invention is applicable, and the process proceeds to step 2002. For example, the technique of the present invention is applicable when high compression PDF / XPS, PDF (JPEG) / XPS (JPEG) is selected on the operation unit 70, and otherwise it is not applicable. Also, in the case of mail transmission, it is not always applicable. This is because the technique of the present invention can be applied only when a place where a file is placed can be specified, such as folder transmission or FTP (file transfer protocol) transmission.

  In step 2002, it is determined whether the applicable image quality mode has been selected. Specifically, in the character mode, the technique of the present invention is not applicable and the process goes to Step 2006, and otherwise, the process goes to Step 2003. That is, in the case of the character mode, the input data is assumed to be only characters, and is binarized and transmitted as it is. That is, when the input data is a character, it is not meaningful to apply the technique of the present invention because the important part and the non-important part cannot be distinguished.

  In step 2003, it is determined whether an application processing mode has been selected. Specifically, in the time priority mode, the process of the present invention is not applied to the step 2006, and otherwise, the process of the present invention is applicable to the step 2004. When the technique of the present invention is applied, the total processing time becomes longer than when the technique is not applied. For this reason, the technique of the present invention is not applied when it is desired to shorten the total processing time rather than looking at important parts early.

  In step 2004, it is determined whether or not there is a high possibility that an important part and an unimportant part exist in the input image data. That is, it is determined whether or not the input image data can be distinguished from the important part and the non-important part. When the possibility is high, the process proceeds to step 2005, and when the possibility is low, the process proceeds to step 2006.

  In the technique of the present invention, it is necessary to classify the important part and the non-important part with respect to the input image data. There are several ways to classify as important or non-important based on the basis, but one of them is the non-important part where there is no difference between pages, and the part with the difference is important There is a way of thinking as a part.

  The difference between pages can be determined by analyzing the image data of each page, but the processing load increases. For this reason, it is assumed here that the determination is based on the extension. For example, when image processing is performed on input image data from a medium, if the extension is “ppt”, the technique of the present invention is implemented, and otherwise it is not implemented. “Ppt” is a power point extension of Windows (registered trademark). PowerPoint is often used to create presentation materials. Since presentation materials often have the same background data between pages, the background data can be considered as non-important data. In addition to “ppt”, the technology of the present invention can be applied to any format that is mainly used for presentation materials.

  Up to step 2004, it is determined whether to apply the technique of the present invention. FIG. 7 shows a function list when the present technology is applied in this embodiment. Note that FIG. 7 shows the case of the non-character mode, non-mail transmission, and non-time priority mode.

  In FIG. 7, when applied simultaneously with the function list to which the technology of the present invention is applied, what is determined as important part data (data belonging to category 1) and what is determined as non-important part data (data belonging to category 2). It also shows. For example, when the compression method is JPEG, the important part data is a low frequency component and the non-important part data is a high frequency component. When the compression method is high compression, the important part data is set as characters and the non-important part data is set as non-characters (such as a picture). However, when the extension is “ppt”, even if the compression method is JPEG and the above is satisfied, the important part data is changed with data between pages, and the non-important part data is changed between pages. It is assumed that there is no data.

  Returning to FIG. 6, if it is determined up to step 2004 that the technique of the present invention is to be applied, the process proceeds to step 2005, and if it is determined that the technique is not applicable, the process proceeds to step 2006. Steps 2001 to 2004 may be OR conditions.

  In step 2005, processing to which the present technology is applied is performed. That is, when the controller 40 distributes image data of a plurality of pages received as input by performing image processing (transmission processing) such as color conversion processing, format processing, resolution conversion, etc., first, important part data for all pages. Send, then send unimportant data.

  In step 2006, normal processing not applying the technique of the present invention is performed. That is, the controller 40 performs predetermined image processing on the image data of one page or a plurality of pages received as input, and distributes the image data as it is.

  In the following, the processing of the important part / non-important part classification unit 110, the important part data generation unit 120, and the non-important part data generation unit 140 of the image processing apparatus of FIG. .

<Case No. 2 and No. 4 in FIG. 7>
High-compression PDF / XPS is a technology for generating high-quality and high-compression files by classifying image data into characters and pictures and individually compressing them in an optimal compression format. Specifically, in order to improve the legibility of the character, the character image representing the character is subjected to binary compression such as MMR suitable for the character while maintaining the resolution. An image representing a picture is compressed in a compression format suitable for natural images such as JPEG and J2K.
The important part / non-important part classification unit 110 classifies the character part as an important part and the pattern part (design area) other than the character as an unimportant part in the input image data. The important part data generation unit 120 performs MMR compression on the character part image (character image) classified as the important part in the input image data. At this stage, the background image, foreground image, etc. in the input image data are not processed. After the character images of all pages of the input image data are transmitted, the non-important part data generation unit 140 JPEG compresses the image of the pattern area (background image, foreground image, etc.) classified as the non-important part in the input image data. To do.

<Case No. 1 and No. 3 in FIG. 7>
In the JPEG standard, there is a format called progressive. Progressive is a technique that allows information on a low frequency component to be first grasped, and then information on a high frequency component to be transmitted later, so that the whole can be grasped even in a poor communication line.
In this case, the processing of the important / non-important part classification unit 110 is not necessary. The important part data generation unit 120 generates information on low frequency components used in progressive as important part data. The non-important part data generation unit 140 generates high-frequency component information used in progressive as non-important part data. Since the generation method is a general-purpose technique, detailed description is omitted.

<Case No. 5 in FIG. 7>
The important part / non-important part classifying unit 110 classifies a part having different data between pages as an important part and a part having no difference as non-important parts in the input image data. For this, for example, a block matching technique is used. Specifically, region identification, edge information matching, color information matching, and the like are performed to classify a portion having a difference in data from a portion having no difference. The important part data generation unit 120 generates only the image part classified as the important part in the input image data (data having a difference between pages) as the important part data. After the important part data of all pages of the input image data is transmitted, the non-important part data generation unit 140 makes the non-important image part (data having no difference between pages) classified as the non-important part in the input image data. Generate as part data.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiment. The present invention can be variously modified and expanded within the scope of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image processing apparatus 110 Important part / unimportant part classification part 120 Important part data generation part 130 Non-important part data reference information generation part 140 Non-important part data generation part 150 Transmission part 160 Control part

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-184086

Claims (7)

An image processing apparatus for transmitting input image data,
Means for classifying the image data into classification 1 and classification 2 on a predetermined basis;
Means for generating data belonging to classification 1 in the image data;
Means for generating reference information of data belonging to classification 2 in the image data;
Means for generating data belonging to category 2 in the image data;
In the first stage, the stream is opened as a plurality of pages of data belonging to the category 1 and the reference information of the data belonging to the category 2 is transmitted, the stream is closed, and in the second stage, the stream is opened again as a plurality of pages. Means for transmitting the data belonging to the classification 2 and for closing the stream;
I have a,
The means for generating reference information of data belonging to category 2 in the image data further generates temporary data belonging to category 2;
The means for transmitting the data transmits, in the first stage, data belonging to the classification 1 of a plurality of pages, reference information of data belonging to the classification 2, and temporary data belonging to the classification 2.
An image processing apparatus. The data belonging to Class 1 is the low frequency components of the image data belonging to the second category is an image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the high-frequency component of the image. The data belonging to Class 1 is the character region of the image, data belonging to the second category is an image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the picture area of the image. The data belonging to Class 1 is data which has a difference between pages, the image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data belonging to the second category is data with no difference between pages. According to an image quality mode, a file format, a processing mode, and a function used, further includes means for determining whether or not to apply the processing in each of the above means.
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein characterized in that. An image processing method for transmitting input image data,
Classifying the image data into classification 1 and classification 2 on a predetermined basis;
Generating data belonging to category 1 in the image data;
Generating reference information of data belonging to classification 2 in the image data;
Generating data belonging to category 2 in the image data;
In the first stage, the stream is opened as a plurality of pages of data belonging to the category 1 and the reference information of the data belonging to the category 2 is transmitted, the stream is closed, and in the second stage, the stream is opened again as a plurality of pages. Transmitting the data belonging to the classification 2 and closing the stream;
Carried out
The step of generating reference information of data belonging to category 2 in the image data further generates temporary data belonging to category 2;
The step of transmitting the data includes transmitting a plurality of pages of data belonging to the category 1, data reference information belonging to the category 2, and temporary data belonging to the category 2 in the first stage.
An image processing method. A program for causing a computer to execute each step in the image processing method according to claim 6 .

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