JPH03288275A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily extract an optional area of an image shown on an input original and to flexibly deal with various picture processing modes set after extraction of the optional image area by providing an image input part, a sort No. setting part, and an image extracting part. CONSTITUTION:An image input part 13 inputs an optical signal S from an input original and outputs the information for each picture element in response to one or both of the gradation and the color of an image. A sort No. setting part 15 sets the sort Nos based on the difference of gradations or the difference of colors of the image. Then an image extracting part 17 extracts an image part corresponding to the connection of picture elements having the same information or an image part enclosed by the picture elements having the same information as the individual areas and at the same time gives the sort Nos. to these extracted areas. In such a constitution, an optional area can be easily extracted out of an image shown on the input original. Then it is possible to quickly deal with the change of the environments and the needs for use of an image processor. In other words, it is possible to flexibly deal with various picture processing modes.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an image processing device, and in particular, it is capable of extracting any region of an image on an input document and also assigning a classification number to each extracted region. The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that can facilitate post-extraction processing by adding the following information.

(Prior Art) As an example of image production in which an arbitrary area is extracted and processed from an image on an input document such as a manuscript or a form, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57
There was an image processing device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 41770.

This image processing device includes a two-color reading device that separately reads two-color images on an input sheet, and an output from the two-color reading device that determines whether the input sheet has an area designation, an input image designation, or an output image designation. and a type mark detector for determining whether the input sheet is designated by the type mark detector, and a type mark detector for determining whether the input sheet is designated as an area by the type mark detector. a first detector for detecting information indicating a sampling area to be extracted from the input image; and a first detector for detecting information indicating a sampling area to be extracted from the input image; a second detector for detecting information indicating the insertion m11i of the input paper, and the extraction area written on the input paper from the output of the two-color reading device for the input paper that is determined to be an area designation by the type mark detector. and a third detector that detects information indicating the correspondence between the insertion area and the insertion area; The image of the sampling area of the output of the second detector is inserted into the insertion area corresponding to the sampling area of the output of the second detector of the input paper image determined by the type mark detector as output image designation. It was equipped with a pixel replacement system for inset output.

According to this image processing device, after registering in advance the extraction area of the image of the original document and where in the output image the extracted image part is to be inserted using an input sheet prepared separately from the original document, the original is added to the snowmaking machine. By setting , it was possible to fit part of the image on the document into the output image.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-mentioned image processing apparatus, each time the format of the document changes, or even if the document has the same format, the extraction area (hereinafter referred to as the extraction area) changes. , it was necessary to create corresponding input forms and use these to register image extraction areas. Therefore, the work is complicated and requires a lot of time.

Further, since the paper used to register the image extraction area in the device is a different paper from the original, if a document with a format different from the registered format is mistakenly set in the device, it may be processed incorrectly.

Also, although it was possible to automatically output the extracted area to a predetermined area of the output image, the extraction image position and the composite image position are uniquely determined, so I would like to edit it with an arbitrary layout. The structure was not capable of flexibly responding to the image processing mode after the extraction process.

Therefore, when extracting various areas of various documents in different formats, such as subsequent processing of extracted images such as editing, data file creation, search, etc., and when extracting various areas of various documents in different formats, and after extraction processing in various ways. It was not suitable for image processing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to easily extract any region of an image on an input document while being flexible in various aspects of image processing after extraction. An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing device capable of extracting images that can correspond to the following.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve this object, according to the present invention, an optical signal from an input document is processed in an image processing device that extracts and processes an arbitrary region of an image on an input document. An image input section that inputs and outputs information for each pixel according to the shading and/or color of the image, and a classification number setting that sets a classification number based on the difference in shading and/or the color of the image. Extracting the image portion corresponding to a series of pixels having the same information or the image portion surrounded by the pixels having the same information as an individual region, and assigning the classification number to the region. It is characterized by comprising an image extraction section that performs the following operations.

(effect) The operation of such a configuration will be explained using a specific example.

For example, the publication number from the patent publication publication (hereinafter referred to as the publication publication),
Let us consider the case where the title of the invention, the inventor's name, the applicant's name, the claims, and the drawings are each extracted to create a data file, and where these are output to an output medium such as a display or printer.

For example, the parts of the image on the public notice that correspond to the publication number and the title of the invention are surrounded by red addendum marks, and the parts corresponding to the inventor's name and applicant's name are surrounded by green addendum marks, and the claims and drawings are enclosed. For example, if the operator performs a process of enclosing each part with a blue add mark, for example, or
Instead of the above-mentioned postscript marks using colors (sometimes referred to as -color marks), multiple postscript marks with different densities (hereinafter also referred to as density marks) are selectively used (this is used to mark public notice numbers, etc.). According to the configuration of the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the image input section inputs the optical signal from the public notice and processes the image according to the shading and/or color of the image including the additional mark part. outputs information for each pixel.

In addition, the image extraction unit can extract as individual regions image parts surrounded by pixels that have the same information according to one or both of image shading and color, so in the above example, color An image portion surrounded by marks or density marks is extracted as one region. Alternatively, if the public notice number, etc. is filled in with a color mark or density mark, the image extraction unit can extract image parts corresponding to a series of identical pixels as individual regions. In this case, each filled-in image portion is extracted as an individual region. As described above, in the image processing apparatus of the present invention, area extraction can be performed by directly applying a postscript mark or the like to an input document.

Roughly speaking, this image extraction unit assigns a classification number to each extracted image portion. Here, this classification number can be set in advance by the classification number setting section in correspondence with the additional mark. Therefore, each region extracted by the image extraction section is automatically classified as desired into regions having the same information. In other words, it is possible to uniquely associate the meaning of the written content of the input document with the color, making it easier to understand the extraction area designation. Therefore, for example, if you want to output each region between different classification numbers in a certain order, you can do so by arranging the classification numbers in this order, and if you want to output images for each classification number, you can do so by specifying the order of the classification numbers. Since this can be done by specifying the classification number, it is possible to flexibly respond to various aspects of image processing after extraction processing.

(Embodiments) Hereinafter, embodiments of the image processing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image processing device M11 of the embodiment.

The image processing device FII of this embodiment includes an image input section 13, a classification number setting section 15, an image extraction section 17, an image composition section 19, a keyboard, a mouse, and a keyboard (not shown).
Light Ben, touch panel and/or digitizer and C
It includes an input/output section having an RT and the like, and an output terminal 21 that outputs image data. Various external devices such as a printer, an external computer, etc. can be connected to this output terminal 21.

Here, the image input unit 73 inputs an input document, for example, a public notice as shown in FIG.
The optical signal S is input by scanning with the sub-scanning direction set to the vertical direction (YY), and information on the shading and color of the image of the input document,
For example, a density multilevel signal (hereinafter sometimes referred to as density information), a multilevel signal for each of day (red), G (green), and B (blue) (hereinafter sometimes referred to as color information). .

) is output to the image extraction unit 17 for each pixel. This image input section 13 can be configured with a monochrome scanner capable of outputting a multilevel density signal, for example, if only density information is desired, or if only color information or color information and density information is desired to be obtained. For example, it can be configured with a color scanner that can output multi-level signals for each day, G, and day.

Further, the classification number setting unit] 5 sets a classification number based on one or both of the difference in shading and the difference in color of the image. Although details will be described later, the classification number setting unit 5 of this embodiment includes a two-dimensional memory for a color map for identifying colors (or densities).

The image extraction unit 17 also inputs one or both of color information and density information of the image output from the image input unit 13,
In this embodiment, image portions surrounded by pixel 1 having the same color information are extracted as individual regions. Roughly, a corresponding classification number, that is, a classification number set by the classification number setting section 15, is assigned according to the color information of the extracted area. Roughly speaking, this image extracting section 17 outputs the image of the extracted area and the assigned classification number to the image synthesizing section 19. Although the details will be described later, the image extraction unit 1 of this embodiment
7 comprises a frame buffer for storing the extracted images.

In addition, the image synthesis section 19 converts the image output from the image extraction section 17 into, for example, a CR
Output to T or printer.

Next, a method of setting a classification number by the classification number setting unit 15 and a method of assigning a 1° classification number to an extraction area in the image extraction unit 17 will be explained. For convenience of explanation, in this example, the input manuscript, the public notice, has the inventor's name and applicant's name added, for example, in red, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 8 (A). mark m11 or m
+ 2, the part corresponding to the publication number and the title of the invention is surrounded by, for example, a green addendum mark m21 or m22, and the part corresponding to the claims and drawings (see Figure 8 (A) 9) is marked, for example, by a blue addendum mark m3. ．． Alternatively, it is assumed that the operator has previously performed the process of enclosing by m32. Further, it is assumed that the image input section 13 outputs color information of the scanning area of the gazette to the image extraction section 17.

First, when setting the initial conditions for image processing snowmaking, the operator refers to a color characteristic table in a format in which color samples and classification numbers corresponding to each color for addendum marks are associated with each other, and determines which colors are used in public notices. is (trying to use)
The color of the additional mark and the corresponding classification number j are input to the classification number setting section 15 through an input section (not shown). Here, various types of color characteristic tables can be used. For example, one in which the color and classification number are printed on paper, one in which the color and classification number are displayed on a CRT, or one in which the color and classification number are displayed on a CRT. This is a chromaticity diagram such as that shown in FIG. 3(A). In any color characteristic table, it is better to use dissimilar colors as additional marks in order to make color identification errors less likely to occur in the image extraction unit 17. Considering the case of the chromaticity diagram in M3 diagram (A), It is best to use colors whose degree coordinates are far apart from each other as the colors for the postscript marks and assign classification numbers to these colors. In the illustrated example, red, green, blue, and yellow are the colors for the postscript marks, and the classification numbers ( The 0 classification number setting section 15 that provides 1) to (4) stores the input color and classification number.

In this embodiment, this memory is a two-dimensional memory corresponding to the chromaticity diagram of FIG. 3(A), and has chromaticity coordinates x, y!
Prepare a two-dimensional memory whose addresses are integer values X% and y% that have been converted into integers (for example, multiplied by 100), and set a predetermined value other than 0 for each color in the address corresponding to the color of the add mark in this two-dimensional memory. Writing is performed by writing o to other addresses.

Note that this two-dimensional memory may hereinafter be referred to as a colorma knob.

On the other hand, the image extracting unit 17 converts the R, G, and B density multilevel signals for each pixel input from the image input unit 13 into tristimulus values X, The chromaticity coordinates x, y are calculated using the well-known formula 0 based on these tristimulus values. Note that x and y represent hue and saturation, and Y represents lightness.

In addition, both the 0 formula and the 0 formula are known formulas, and in this case, the literature ([New Edition Color Common Sense J (1987) p. 88. p.
62, published by the Japanese Standards Association).

The rough image extraction unit 17 extracts these chromaticity coordinates x, y%10
Addresses X% and y% of the color map multiplied by 0 are calculated, and the color map is accessed using these X% and y%. If the value written in the accessed address of the color map is 0, the pixel is determined to be in an area that is not marked with an addendum mark, and if the value is other than 0, the pixel is is determined to be a pixel located on a postscript mark of a certain color. The color of the pixel on the additional mark can be determined from the value written in the color map, and as a result, a classification number can be assigned.

In addition, from the above-mentioned R, G, and B density multilevel signals, 3
Conversion to stimulus values X, Y, Z is R, G.

Conversion from tristimulus values to X% and y% is performed using a dedicated ROM that inputs each signal of B and outputs tristimulus values. It is better to do this using , eliminating calculation processing and speeding up the process.

Next, with reference to Figure 4, Figures 5 (A) to (C), and Figure 6, we will explain the image extraction process in the image processing snowmaking of this embodiment. Explain. Here, FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the input document. In FIG. 4, 31 is a document, 33 is an extracted image, 35 is a background image, and 37 is an image of a postscript mark. Moreover, FIGS. 5(A) to 5(C) are diagrams showing examples of storing extracted images in the frame buffer,
FIGS. 5A to 5C are diagrams showing the contents of frame buffers for extracted images of classification numbers 1 to 3, respectively.

Further, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of storing an extracted image in a frame buffer.

In the document portion shown in FIG. 4, pixels with color information of the add mark mark are not detected in the sub-scanning YY1 line, but YY
In the second row, pixels having color information of a write-once mark of color i to which a classification number j is assigned are detected. Detection of pixels having color information of additional marks can be performed by referring to the color map described above.

Furthermore, in the YYS line, since there is an image sandwiched between pixels having color information of the add mark (an image between Xwv3 and X8Y3), the 0 image extraction unit 17 determines that the sandwiched image is the image to be extracted. stores this extraction target image @ in the frame buffer for classification number j in the frame buffer.

The images sandwiched between the additional mark images are sequentially extracted and stored in the frame buffer using the above-mentioned procedure, but if the sub-scan is Y
When the Yl line is reached, there are no more images sandwiched between the pixels that have the color information of the addendum mark, so image extraction is not performed. Since it no longer exists, image extraction of the area surrounded by the postscript mark corresponding to the classification number j is completed.

When the extraction process for one area surrounded by the write-once mark where the classification number j is set is completed, at least the final address in the sub-scanning direction where the extraction area of the frame buffer corresponding to the classification number j is stored is completed. The image extracting unit 17 saves the address as the final storage address, and next time when extracting the area surrounded by the addendum mark set with the same classification number J, start from the address next to the final storage address. It is better to store the extracted image.

Addendum marks m, ~m3. When the areas surrounded by are each extracted using the above procedure, the extracted images are stored in the frame buffers for classification numbers (1), (2), and (3) as shown in M51E (A) to (C). be done.

The storage method in the frame buffer is shown in Figure 5 (A) ~
It is not limited to the example shown in (C), and of course, each extracted image may be stored in one frame buffer. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining such a storage example. . In this case, each extracted image is stored in the frame buffer in the order of extraction, but at this time, data containing a pair of the start address of each extracted image in the frame buffer and the classification number of each extracted image is stored as an area table. do.

Mibo 3J will explain the operation of the image compositing section to Yutoji ULl. C
The data is outputted to the RT or via the output terminal 21 to a printer or the like.

Therefore, for example, if an operator inputs a designation to output the extracted images stored in the frame buffer as shown in Figure 6 in the order of classification numbers (1), (2), and (3), the frame The extracted images are combined as shown in Figure 7 in an order different from the order stored in the buffer, that is, in an order according to the order in which the images in the area extracted from the original are added and the corresponding colors are added. and output. Note that among extracted images having the same classification number, unless otherwise specified, each extracted image is output in ascending order of frame buffer addresses.

In addition, the image processing device M of the present invention (in this case, even when there are multiple input manuscripts, the desired image portion of each page is enclosed and extracted using predetermined postscript marks, so that each Since a desired classification number is assigned to the extracted image, desired image synthesis can be performed even when there are a plurality of input documents.

For example, if the first sheet of the input document is shown in FIG. 2 and the second sheet is shown in FIG. The images of the parts surrounded by the marks are each extracted.Then, if the operator gives an instruction to perform image synthesis on the extracted image layers with classification numbers (1) to (3), the synthesized image will be as shown in Figure 8 CB.
).

Modifications, 1λ This invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified in various ways as described below.

For example, in the above embodiment, the classification number setting and area extraction were performed based on color information, specifically, the chromaticity diagram and chromaticity coordinates, but the classification number setting and area extraction were
Figure 3 (8) shows the background density, text/figure density and extraction on the input document when setting the classification number and extracting the area using the density information. This figure shows an example of how to change the density of a mark portion surrounding a desired image portion. That is, the density range between the density range of the background part and the density range of the characters/figures part is taken as the density range of the mark part, and within the density range of this mark part, a plurality of marks (in the illustrated example, the first to 3 additional marks)
It can be seen that it is possible to set the classification number and extract the area if the densities of the two do not overlap.

Note that when density information is used, the image input unit] 3 may simply be configured with a monochrome scanner capable of obtaining density multi-level signals. However, even when a color scanner is used, density information can be obtained by using the Y value indicating the brightness of the stimulus values determined by the equation 0.

In addition, in the above embodiment, both g1 of the input document to be extracted
This was an example in which area extraction is performed by surrounding a part with postscript marks of different colors or postscript marks of different densities, or it is also possible to fill in the image part to be extracted with postscript marks that provide color information or density information different from that of the image part. . In this case, the image extraction unit extracts a region where pixels from which the same color information (density information) can be obtained are connected.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, the image processing device of the present invention automatically extracts the portion of the input document image surrounded by the additional marks or the portion filled in by these marks. Moreover, a predetermined classification number can be assigned to the extracted image portion.

Therefore, there is no need to designate the extraction import area using an input form separate from the input manuscript, and the problems that would otherwise arise when input forms are used are solved. In general, various processes can be performed using the classification number assigned to the extracted image in image processing such as image synthesis processing after region extraction processing.

Therefore, it is possible to easily extract any region of the image on the input document, while also being able to respond flexibly to various aspects of image processing in response to changes in the environment and needs in which the image processing device is used. A processing bag H can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the image processing bag M of the embodiment; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an input document; FIG. Figure (B) is an explanatory diagram of the density range of recordable marks; Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of image extraction; Figures 5 (A) to (C) are diagrams illustrating an example of storage in a frame buffer; The figure shows another example of storage in the frame buffer. Figure 7 shows an example of a composite image corresponding to Figure 6. Figures 8 (A) and (B) show an input document FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of combining multiple images. . . . Optical signal, 3. Image input section, 7. Image extraction section, 1.. Output terminal 7. ~m3□...Additional mark...Original, 5...Background image 7...Additional mark (setting color i)

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An image processing device that extracts and processes an arbitrary area of an image on an input document, which inputs optical signals from the input document and outputs information corresponding to the shading and/or color of the image for each pixel. an image input unit; a classification number setting unit that sets a classification number based on one or both of the difference in shading and color of the image; and the image portion or the information corresponding to a series of pixels having the same information. An image processing device comprising: an image extracting unit that extracts as an individual region an image portion surrounded by pixels having the same number, and assigns the classification number to the region.