JPH04239268A - Picture processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve an operability at the time of selecting plural picture processing modes by recovering the initialized picture processing mode, when a picture inputting means is changed. CONSTITUTION:The picture processing mode is constituted of three modes, that is, a coexisting mode, photographic mode, and through mode. They are respectively executed by the combination of a black character processing with an edge emphasizing/smoothing processing. Then, when an outside inputting equipment is selected by the setting from an operating part 21, a CPU 20 sets the processing modes of both an edge emphasizing/smoothing processing part 11 and a black character processing part 14 to be optimal.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus to which a plurality of image input means can be connected.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Color digital copying machines process images inside the machine using input signals, such as printed matter, images projected onto a manuscript table, and digital image signals passed through a dedicated interface. It has a function to record images. Furthermore, the image processing allows the user to select several modes in order to faithfully display each original or to obtain special effects depending on the original or video source.

For example, in order to clearly copy the character part of a document with many characters, the character part on the document is automatically recognized and some or all of the color components (cyan, macenta, yellow) of that part are replaced with a black component. It has a mode for performing processing (hereinafter referred to as black character processing), a mode for performing smoothing processing when copying a photographic original, and a mode for performing edge enhancement processing to sharpen outlines.

0004

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] While the selection of the image processing mode as described above can reflect the user's preferences, it is rather difficult to select the image processing mode when trying to obtain an optimal copy regardless of the original. In some cases, it may be troublesome, or it may be difficult to determine which treatment is appropriate. Furthermore, if a method is adopted in which the document is automatically recognized and the optimal image processing is set by the device itself, the user does not need to make any selections, but the recognition accuracy of the automatic document recognition itself is not perfect for all kinds of documents. This can be said to be a disadvantage in that it does not reflect the user's preferences.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve the operability when selecting a plurality of image processing modes.

[0006]

[Means and Operations for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, an image processing apparatus of the present invention is provided with a plurality of image processing modes and is capable of selecting one of the image processing modes. The image processing apparatus is characterized in that it has a control means that determines a mode of image processing to be performed depending on the type, and returns to the initially set image processing mode when the image input means is changed.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The structure and image flow of a digital color copying apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of the apparatus and the flow of image signals. Moreover, FIG. 2 is an overall sketch of the apparatus. The device is roughly divided into a scanner section, an image processing section, and a printer section. The scanner section includes a sensor carriage (not shown) equipped with a charge-coupled device 2 that scans an original image and converts it into an electrical signal, a driving motor 17 for causing the carriage to scan the back side of the original platen glass in FIG. 2, and It consists of a scanner control section 1 that outputs a drive command to a motor 17. The image processing unit includes a control CPU 20, a ROM 28 for program storage, various image processing circuits formed into a gate array with RAM 29, an image processing RAM 29, an operation unit 21 on the operation unit, an LED 22, a halogen lamp 23 for illuminating the original, and an external interface 19. It has become. The printer section converts the image signal binarized by the image processing section into cyan,
It is equipped with a recording mechanism for printing on recording paper separately in magenta, yellow, and black, and since this embodiment uses inkjet type recording, the motor 18 and motor for transporting the recording paper and driving the recording mechanism are provided. It consists of a printer control section 16 that outputs drive commands to printers 18. The image processing unit control CPU 20 is in constant communication with the scanner unit, and instructs the scanner unit about the copying magnification and scanning range according to the user's operations. The scanner section uses two drive motors to two-dimensionally scan the back surface of the document table by moving a carriage equipped with a charge-coupled device. Image processing unit control CPU2
0 also communicates with the printer unit and instructs the recording range.

Next, the flow of the image signal shown in FIG. 1 will be explained. A document image is converted into an RGB electric signal by a charge-coupled device 2 in FIG. 1, and further converted into a digital signal by an A/D converter 3 at the next stage. A shading correction processing circuit 4 at the next stage corrects the characteristic difference between the elements of the charge-coupled device 2 on a pixel-by-pixel basis. At this time, 3 colors per RGB pixel x
Image signals consisting of 8-bit color pixel signals are converted into RGB
Conversion to four-color pixel signals of X is performed. The X portion is replaced with a signal indicating a black character portion in the image detected by the next black character detection section 5, and is added to the image data pixel by pixel up to the logarithmic conversion processing section at the subsequent stage. Black character detection is based on, for example, extraction of intangible color components and edge components, and black character processing is performed by printing the portion detected as a black character in a single black color, or reducing or deleting other Y, M, and C components. This is the process of The variable magnification processing section 6 achieves this by thinning out the image signal and sending it to the subsequent stage during reduction, and by overlapping the image signal multiple times and sending it to the subsequent stage during enlargement, according to the magnification set on the operation section. The image signal subjected to scaling processing is sent to the external device interface 19.
The signal is divided into a portion that is output to the outside through the circuit and a portion that is guided to the selector circuit 7 at the subsequent stage. The selector circuit 7 selects whether to use the image signal read from the scanner for processing or the image data from the external device interface 19. This selection is performed from the control CPU 20 of the image processing section. This device is assumed to be used in such a way that the image signal is output to an external device through the external device interface 19, and the image data that has been subjected to image processing by the external device is imported back into the device and output, and that the external device is configured with a memory, etc. However, it can be used to record image data in the memory of an external device.

There is a control signal generation circuit 8 at the subsequent stage of the selector circuit 7, which generates a 2-bit black character detection signal added to the X position and a 1-bit photo signal added to the image signal from the external interface. It is separated from the image signal, synchronized with the image signal, and sent to the subsequent stage. After the control signal is generated, the logarithmic conversion unit 9 performs masking and logarithmic conversion processing.
The UCR processing unit 10 performs masking and UCR processing. After the masking/UCR processing, the RGBX color signals are converted to C, M, Y, and BK, and edge enhancement/smoothing processing is performed in step 11 to convert the spatial frequency characteristics of the image. In the edge enhancement processing/smoothing processing, image data is input to both a smoothing processing circuit 301 and an edge enhancement processing circuit 302 as shown in FIG. 3, and the processing output of each can be selected by a selector 303. This selection will be described later. After the edge enhancement processing/smoothing processing, black character processing is performed in step 14 after passing through the gamma conversion section 12 and the binarization processing section 13. Black character processing uses the black character detection signal added in the black character detection process to
, Y color signals are replaced with BK signals. With this, the processing performed by the image processing section is completed, and the image signal is sent to the printer section 15 and recorded on recording paper. This completes the general description of the flow of image signals in the apparatus of this embodiment.

Next, external equipment connected to this device will be explained.

FIG. 4 shows an "editor" which is connected to the external equipment interface of this apparatus and has a function of processing image data read by the scanner section and returning it to the main body via the interface for recording. Editor 401
has a coordinate indicator, that is, a tablet 402, and by indicating coordinates with a coordinate indicating pen 403, it is possible to set the scanning range of the document or the recording range on the recording paper, or to indicate a certain point on the document and to record the coordinates of that point. Used to give instructions for reading colors. It also has partial processing functions such as edge enhancement for a certain range of images on a document and smoothing processing for other ranges of images. The editor communicates with the main body image processing unit control CPU 20 via an external device interface 19, and instructions for the scanning range and recording range are given to the main body side through communication. Also editor 40
1 is provided with another interface that is the same as the external device interface, to which a CRT adapter, which will be described later, can be connected. That is, it can enter between the CRT adapter and the main body, perform various processing on the image data of the CRT adapter, and send it to the main body.

FIG. 5 shows a device called a "CRT adapter" that captures images received on a television into a memory, sends them to the main body from an external device interface, and records them. An NTSC video signal is supplied from the television receiver, and by pressing the image capture switch 502 on the CRT adapter 501, the user converts the intended scene into a digital multi-level image signal onto the frame memory inside the adapter 501. data can be captured and sent to the main body via the external device interface 19.

FIG. 6 shows a device called a "film projector" in which negative and positive films are exposed to a halogen lamp 6.
01 and a lens 602 to project onto the document glass 603 of the main body. The main body scans, reads, and records the projection light from the film projector 24 without using a halogen lamp mounted on a carriage on the scanner. Light from the halogen lamp in FIG. 6 passes through a film on a mount 605 set in a holder 604, is further magnified by a lens, passes through a Fresnel lens, and is projected onto the glass surface of the document table. In use, the copying operation is started after the light amount adjustment of the projector lamp, shading data sampling, etc. are performed, but the details are omitted. The film projector is connected to a dedicated connection terminal of the main body, and sensing and control of the projector's key, LED, and halogen lamp are performed by the image processing unit control CPU 20. Since the connection terminals are different from those of the editor described above, it is also possible to edit and process images projected by a film projector using the editor.

FIG. 7 shows a device called a "CG adapter". Assuming a personal computer as the host machine, data such as CG (computer graphics) from the host machine is converted into an image signal format for this apparatus, sent to the main body via an external device interface, and recorded on recording paper. This concludes the overview of the external devices used by connecting to the main unit.

Next, the functions/operations of the keys and LEDs of the main body operation section will be explained. FIG. 8 is a key arrangement diagram of the main body operation section of the first embodiment. The operation unit has a 3-digit, 7-segment LED 801 for displaying the number of copies/magnification, and when the power is turned on, it is in the number of copies display mode and displays "1". In this state, the number of copies can be increased or decreased by pressing the plus key 802 or the minus key 803, and at the same time, the display on the 7-segment LED 801 is also linked. Continuously pressing the plus key 802 and minus key 803 has the same function as continuously pressing them.

To set the copy magnification, press the standard magnification key 804 to select a predetermined magnification, or press the zoom key 805 to set the 7-segment LED 801 to magnification display mode, and then press the plus key 802 or the minus key. This is done by increasing or decreasing the magnification by pressing 803. In magnification display mode, zoom key 805, plus key 8
02, if either of the minus keys 803 is not pressed for 5 seconds or more, the 7-segment LED 801 automatically transitions to the sheet count display mode. 7 segment LED80
If the clear stop key 806 is pressed while the number of sheets is displayed as 1, the set number of sheets will be returned to "1". 3 digit 7 segment LED
A display mode transition diagram of 801 is shown in FIG.

Color balance adjustment/overall density adjustment is performed using the color balance select key 812: overall density adjustment mode → color balance/yellow adjustment mode → color balance/magenta adjustment mode → color balance/cyan adjustment mode → color balance/black adjustment mode → Adjustment modes can be selected in the following order: Overall density adjustment mode. In the overall density adjustment mode, the color balance LED 821 is off, and in other color balance adjustment modes, the corresponding color LEDs (color balance BK setting LED, color balance C setting LED, color balance M setting LED, color balance Y setting LED ) lights up, and the color balance LED blinks. Further, a level indicator 807 displays the current setting level corresponding to each adjustment mode. In the display, only the LED at the position corresponding to the set level is lit for the overall density, and during color balance adjustment, the LEDs from the leftmost LED to the set level are lit at the same time. The state of the operation unit 21 in FIG. 8 shows a state in which the setting level is "5" in the overall density adjustment mode. Furthermore, FIG. 9 shows an example of a state in which the setting level is "7" in the color balance yellow adjustment mode. The color balance adjustment/overall density adjustment is reflected in the γ conversion in the γ conversion processing unit 12 via the CPU 20 according to the settings from the operation unit 21 in FIG. 1 as image processing.

The mode select key 814 is a selection key for image processing, and is a mode aimed at obtaining moderately harmonious reproducibility of both text and photos in a document containing both text and photos. You can select between ``Mixed mode'' and ``Photo mode'' which prioritizes the reproduction of photo originals. In this embodiment, the mode can be selected using the mode select key of the operation unit 21, or automatically selected by an external device ("through mode"), which will be described later. In addition, the selection of these modes is reflected in the black character processing and edge emphasis/smoothing processing shown in FIG. 1 in terms of image processing.

The external device selection key 813 functions only when the external devices shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 are connected to the main body via the I/F 19. For example, when the film projector 24 shown in FIG. 6 is connected to the main body and nothing is connected to the external device interface 19, the external select LED 815 and the PRJ select LED 816 are both turned off as an initial state. If the external device select key 813 is pressed here, the PRJ select LED 816 lights up to indicate that the camera is in the film projector mode. Furthermore, when the external device selection key 813 is pressed, the PRJ selection LED 816 turns off.

Further, when the editor 401 and the film projector 24 are connected to the external device interface 19 and the external device select key 813 is pressed, the external select LED 815 lights up first, and the external device, that is, this If the external device selection key 813 is pressed, the external device selection LED 815 turns off and the editor 401 is selected.
1 is deselected, the PRJ select LED 816 lights up, and the film projector 24 is selected. When the external device select key 813 is further pressed, the PRJ select LED 816 goes out and the selection of the film projector 24 is canceled. In this way, the editor 401 and the CRT adapter 501 are connected to the external device interface 19 of the main body.
, CG adapter 701 and the film projector 24, both cannot be selected at the same time using the external device select key on the main body operation section 21. Only when the external device is an editor, the main body's film projector 24 can also be selected by pressing the film projector selection key on the operation section of the editor 401 after selecting the external device using the main body external device select key 813. With the above, main unit operation section 2
This concludes the general explanation of the functions/operations of the 1 keys and LEDs.

Next, the main point of the present invention, which is the image source and image processing mode selection, will be explained. As shown in Figure 11, there are three image processing modes of this device: mixed mode, photo mode, and through mode, each of which is shown in Figure 1.
This is realized by a combination of black character processing and edge enhancement/smoothing processing of the image processing shown in . In the mixed mode in FIG. 11, the black character processing is "○", which means that black character processing is performed, and the black character processing "x" in the photo mode represents that black character processing is not performed. According to FIG. 11, it can be seen that in the mixed mode, black character processing and edge emphasis processing are performed. The purpose of this is to emphasize the outline of the character parts of the manuscript so that the character parts can be clearly recorded. In addition, the photo mode assumes that the original is a photo without text, so black text processing is not applied.
Smoothing processing is performed for the purpose of reducing moiré that occurs during binarization processing. The mixed mode and photo mode explained so far are available using the mode select key 814 on the main unit's control panel.
The settings can be selected with , and the settings cannot be changed during one recording. On the other hand, through mode is a mode that is forcibly set by the main unit when the editor 401 or CG adapter 701 is connected to the external device interface of the main unit, and the previous user settings are canceled and the image processing This is a mode in which the selection and setting of the images are entrusted to the image signals themselves sent via the external device interface 19 from the control of the image processing unit CPU 20 of the main body. In other words, the editor 401 among external devices
and CG adapter 701 are external device interface 19
A control signal bit is added to the X position of the image data sent to the main body through the main body, and the main body side sets the mode so that the related image processing circuit is controlled by the control signal bit at the X position. After this, during the recording operation, image data from the external device interface 19 can be controlled pixel by pixel. After pressing the external device select key 813 to select an external device, the mode select key 814, color balance select key 812, density up key 818, The CPU 20 controls the density down key 817 so that it no longer accepts key input.

Next, the selection mechanism of the edge enhancement/smoothing processing circuit 11 of the main body will be explained with reference to FIG. As mentioned earlier, the edge enhancement/smoothing processing circuit 11
are the edge enhancement processing circuit 302 and the smoothing processing circuit 3.
A selector 303, which is provided in parallel with the image data and is switched by a smoothing/edge emphasis selection signal, selects which circuit's output is to be input to the subsequent processing circuit. The smoothing/edge emphasis selection signal 304 is the S/E select 1 signal and the S/E select 2 signal controlled by the image processing control CPU 20, as shown in FIG.
It is generated from a photo signal 305 separated from an image signal by a control signal generation circuit inside. When selecting smoothing processing, S/E select 1 signal and S/E select 2 signal
When both signals are set to "1" and edge enhancement processing is selected, both the S/E select 1 signal and the S/E select 2 signal are set to "0". Furthermore, when an external device such as the editor 401 or CG adapter 701 is selected, the smoothing/edge emphasis select signal is changed by setting the S/E select 1 signal to "1" and the S/E select 2 signal to "0". It is determined only by the pixel-by-pixel photo signal 305 synchronized with the image signal. In other words, the smoothing level and edge emphasis level of the photo signal of the image data in Fig. 3 are the same as those for image control.
The parameters are set by pu20 and are given fixed values by the system.

[0024] Image source, that is, a reflection original of the main body, a projection original by a film projector, a CG adapter, a CR
It is clear from the above description that the selection of the memory document etc. by the T-adapter is performed by the external device select key on the main body operation section. These selections and display transitions will be explained by operating the operation section of the next device.

FIG. 12 shows transitions between image processing modes. In the figure, transition conditions between each mode are attached to arrows. Although the transition conditions are determined by the external equipment connected to the main unit, all possible transition conditions are listed in the figure.

According to the figure, immediately after the main body is powered on, it is in the mixed mode. In this state, no external device is selected, so the reflective original is automatically selected as the image source. Therefore, since the original is assumed to include black characters, the mixed mode is selected. This state is as shown in FIG. 13(a) on the main body operation section. When the mode select key 814 is further pressed, the mode changes from the mixed mode to the photo mode, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 13(b). In this state, the editor 401 is displayed on the external device interface 19 of the main body.
is connected, the external device select key 81
By pressing 3, the mode changes to through mode and the screen shown in Figure 13 (
As shown in c), the photo mode LED 820 is turned off to notify the user that the mode is neither mixed mode nor photo mode. Furthermore, if a film projector is connected to the main unit and the external device select key 813 is pressed, the previous editor selection is canceled, the film projector is selected instead, the PRJ select LED lights up, and image processing is performed at the same time. The mode changes to photo mode. This is because the projected original passes through the Fresnel lens shown in Figure 6 and enters the charge-coupled device in the main body, so it is equivalent to the original image itself being subjected to smoothing processing. Processing increases the possibility of false positives. Therefore, even if the user has set the main unit to mixed mode, if the film projector is selected, the setting is forcibly reset to photo mode. However, the settings can be changed freely so as not to prevent the user from intentionally selecting the mixed mode.

If a CRT adapter is connected as an external device to the main body, the state shown in FIG. 13(a) changes to the state shown in FIG. 13(e) by pressing the external select key, that is, the CRT adapter is not used as an image source. Set a photo mode that does not include black text processing because it is similar to a photo original. If a CG adapter is connected as an external device to the main body, the state shown in Fig. 13(a) will change to the state shown in Fig. 13(f) by pressing the external select key. Although the graphics are similar to those shown in Figure 1, the through mode is set on the main unit because the host computer adds control bits for image processing to the image data. When the editor 401 and CG adapter 701 are selected, the mode select key 814 on the main body operation section 21 is disabled, but this does not take away the user's freedom, and the operation section on the editor (not shown) or the host This was done with the intention of preventing conflicts with the settings on the main unit since they can be set freely on the computer.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the CPU regarding mode setting.

First, when the power of the copying machine is turned on (S1)
, a mixed mode is set (S2). Next, it is determined whether an external device rather than a CCD scanner has been selected as the input means (S3), and if the input method is a projector or CRT adapter, the photo mode is set (S3).
S4, S11), and in the case of an editor, the full mode is set (S5, S10).

Further, in the case of the host computer, when the photo mode is specified by online mode specification, the photo mode (S9, S11) is set, and when the through mode is specified, the through mode (S9, S10) is set.

[0031] Furthermore, if another external device is selected, a predetermined processing mode is set according to that device (S
7, S8).

On the other hand, if no external device is selected, it is determined whether manual settings are available (S13), and either the photo mode or the full mode is selected (S14, S15).

Furthermore, when the external device selection is canceled (S1
2) Mixed mode is set. That is, the mode returns to the initially set mode when the power is turned on.

As explained above, by forcibly setting the image processing mode according to the image source to the one most suitable for that source, and further allowing the user to set it afterwards, it is possible to set the image processing mode to the one most suitable for many image sources. This has the advantage of saving the user the trouble of setting up image processing by themselves, while also allowing the user the freedom of setting.

(Other Embodiments) In the embodiment described above, fixed values were set for the smoothing level and edge emphasis level shown in FIG. 3, but in this embodiment, the settings are changed depending on the image source. For example, for reflective originals, the smoothing bell is set to 1 and the edge emphasis level is set to 3. When a film projector is selected on the main body operation section, the image control CPU performs controls such as setting the smoothing level to 2 and the edge emphasis level to 1. As described above, in this embodiment, compared to the first embodiment, proper recording can be performed not only by changing the image processing mode depending on the image source but also by resetting the processing parameters. In this way, the control amount for the same process may be changed depending on the type of input means.

Furthermore, the objects of mode setting are not limited to black character processing and parameter control of spatial frequency characteristics, but may also be parameters such as color balance and density adjustment.

Further, the input means is not limited to the above-described one, but may be, for example, a film reader that reads the film using a CCD.

As explained above, depending on the image source, the image processing mode is forcibly set to the one most suitable for that source, and furthermore, by allowing the user to set it afterwards, it is possible to set the image processing mode to the one most suitable for many image sources. This has the advantage that the user does not have to set the image processing by himself/herself, and the user also has freedom in setting the image processing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of an apparatus and the flow of image signals.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the entire device.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an edge enhancement/smoothing processing circuit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the editor.

FIG. 5 is a sketch of a CRT adapter and a television receiver.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a film projector.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a CG adapter and a host computer.

[Fig. 8] Main body operation section.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the setting status of color balance on the main body operation section.

FIG. 10 is a 3-digit 7-segment LED display mode transition diagram.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing image processing modes and corresponding image processing contents.

FIG. 12 is a state transition diagram between image processing modes.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the state transition of keys and LEDs on the operation unit.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing mode setting by the CPU.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 Edge enhancement/smoothing part 14 Black character processing section 20 cpu 21　Operation section

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An image processing apparatus that is provided with a plurality of image processing modes and can select one of the image processing modes, the image processing apparatus having a control means that determines the image processing mode to be performed according to the type of image input means, An image processing apparatus characterized in that the image processing mode returns to an initialized image processing mode when a means is changed. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing is black character processing. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing is spatial frequency conversion processing. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image input means includes at least one of an image scanner input, a film projector input, and a host computer input. 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the initial setting mode is a mode set when power is turned on.