JPH05127643A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To adjust the contrast of part of one screen like dodging in photographic printing operation. CONSTITUTION:The image processor which amplifies an image signal read out of an image storage device 10 or an image signal inputted from an image scanner 12 by a gain-controllable AMP 18 and outputs the resulting signal to a CRT monitor 14 is equipped with an area specifying means (consisting of a mouse 20, a CPU 22, a ROM 24, and a RAM 26) for specifying a specific area 28 on the display screen of the CRT monitor 14, a pattern signal generating circuit 30 which generates a pattern signal corresponding to the specific area 28 and outputs this pattern signal as a gain control signal to the AMP 18, and a timing signal generating circuit 34 which controls timing; and the contrast of part of one screen is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amplification factor of the image signal of the specific area 28 according to the pattern signal.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an amplifier circuit capable of gain control of an image signal read from an image storage device (eg optical disk device) or an image signal input from an image input device (eg image scanner or CCD camera). The present invention relates to an improvement of an image processing apparatus that amplifies and outputs to an image output apparatus (for example, a CRT display).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of image processing apparatus has been constructed so that the contrast of a display screen in an image output device can be adjusted for each screen by controlling the gain of an amplifier circuit.

[0003]

However, although the contrast adjustment in the above-mentioned conventional example can change the contrast of the entire screen, there is a problem that the contrast adjustment cannot be performed for a part of one screen. there were. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, such as a dodging in a printing operation of a photograph.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing device capable of adjusting the contrast of a part of the screen.

[0004]

According to the present invention, an image signal read from an image storage device or an image signal input from an image input device is amplified by a gain controllable amplifier circuit and output to an image output device. In the image processing apparatus, an area designating unit for designating a specific area on the display screen of the image output apparatus, and a pattern signal corresponding to the specific area designated by the area designating unit are generated to generate the pattern. A pattern signal generating means for outputting a gain signal as a gain control signal to the amplifier circuit; a timing for reading an image signal from the image storage device or a timing for inputting an image signal from the image input device; And a timing signal generating means for controlling the timing at which the pattern signal generating means outputs the pattern signal.

[0005]

When the area designating means designates a specific area on the display screen of the image output device, the pattern signal generating means generates a pattern signal corresponding to the specific area, and the pattern signal is gained. It is output to the amplifier circuit as a control signal. The timing signal generating means controls the timing of reading the image signal from the image storage device or the timing of inputting the image signal from the image input device, and the timing of outputting the pattern signal from the pattern signal generating means, Timing is controlled so that contrast adjustment is performed on a specific area on the display screen of the image output device.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, 10 is an image storage device (for example, an optical disk device), 12 is an image scanner as an image input device, and 14 is a CRT display as an image output device. An image processing device 16 processes the image signal read from the image storage device 10 or the image signal input from the image scanner 12 and outputs the processed image signal to the CRT display 14.

The image processing device 16 is constructed as follows. Reference numeral 18 denotes the CR for amplifying the image signal from the image storage device 10 or the image scanner 12.
It is an amplifier circuit (hereinafter simply referred to as AMP) capable of controlling the gain to be output to the T display 14. 20 is a mouse as an input means, 22 is a CPU (central control unit), 24
Is a ROM (read only memory) storing a control program, 26 is a RAM (random access memory), and the CPU 22 has the following area designating function.

That is, when the specific area 28 of the display screen of the CRT display 14 is designated by the mouse 20, the CPU 22 controls the image data (for example, the specific area 2) representing the specific area 28 based on the control program of the ROM 26.
Data in which the number of dots in 8 is 1 and the number of dots in other areas is 0 is stored in the RAM 26.

Reference numeral 30 is a pattern signal generating circuit, which generates image data representing a specific area 28 stored in the RAM 26 on the basis of a control signal from the CPU 22. A corresponding pattern signal is generated at a predetermined timing, and this pattern signal is output to the AMP 18 via an LPF (low pass filter) 32 as a gain control signal.

Reference numeral 34 is a timing signal generating circuit, and this timing signal generating circuit 34 supplies timing signals to the image storage device 10, the image scanner 12 and the pattern signal generating circuit 30 based on the control signal from the CPU 22. Are transmitted, and these timings are set.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. (A) The image signal read from the image storage device 10 and D / A (digital / analog) converted or the image signal input from the image scanner 12 is the A signal in the image processing device 16.
It is amplified by the MP 18 and displayed on the CRT display 14. At this time, the amplification by the AMP 18 becomes the gradation amplification of the entire one screen as in the conventional example, and the image signal at the scanning timing of the horizontal scanning line 36 of the display screen is assumed to be (a) in FIG. That is, it is an image signal before the image processing according to the present invention.

(B) Next, a case where the display screen of the CRT display 14 in (a) is viewed and the specific area 28, which is a dark image, is displayed as a bright image will be described. First, the mouse 20 is used to specify the specific area 28. Then, the image data representing the specific area 28 is stored in the RAM 26.

(C) Next, the pattern signal generating circuit 30
Is a pattern signal corresponding to the image data representing the specific area 28 in the RAM 26, and is transmitted to the AMP1 via the LPF 32.
8 at a predetermined timing. At the scanning timing of the horizontal scanning line 36, a pattern signal as shown in FIG. 2B is output to the AMP 18 as a gain control signal.
At this time, the LPF 32 functions to smooth the change in the amplification degree at the boundary between the specific area 28 and the other areas.

(D) Therefore, the image signal output from the AMP 18 to the CRT display 14 is as shown in FIG. 2C, and the display screen of the CRT display 14 is one in which the amplification degree of the specific region 28 is emphasized. Becomes That is,
It is an image signal after being subjected to image processing according to the present invention.
At this time, the boundary between the specific area 28 and other areas is L
It is not noticeable due to the change in the amplification degree by the PF32.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the pattern signal generating means is used to generate the pattern signal which emphasizes the amplification degree of the specific region. However, the present invention is not limited to this. -A pattern for lowering or setting the amplification degree of a specific region to zero by a signal generator.
A specific area may be darkened or blackened by generating a black signal.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the changing portion of the pattern signal from the pattern signal generating circuit is smoothed by the LPF and then used as the gain control signal to the AMP so that the boundary of the specific area becomes inconspicuous. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the LPF is omitted so that the pattern signal from the pattern signal generating circuit is used as a signal for direct gain control to the AMP. Good.

[0017]

As described above, the image processing apparatus according to the present invention designates a specific area in the display screen of the image output apparatus,
Since the pattern signal generated corresponding to this specific area is output to the amplifier circuit as a signal for gain control to adjust the contrast for the specific area in the display screen of the image output device, It is possible to partially emphasize the screen or brighten a part of the dark part, conversely reduce the amplification degree to partially crush the display screen, or darken a part of the bright part.

The pattern from the pattern signal generating means is also used.
When the input signal is output to the amplifier circuit through the low-pass filter, the boundary between the area where the contrast of the display screen is adjusted and the area where the contrast is not adjusted can be made inconspicuous.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram illustrating the operation of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Image storage device, 12 ... Image scanner (an example of image input device), 14 ... Image output device, 16 ... Image processing device, 18 ... AMP (amplifying circuit), 20 ... Mouse (input means), 22 ... CPU , 24 ... ROM, 26
... RAM 28 ... Specific area, 30 ... Pattern signal generating circuit, 32 ... LPF (low-pass filter), 34 ... Timing signal generating circuit, 36 ... Horizontal scanning line, 1H ... 1 horizontal scanning period.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image processing apparatus, wherein an image signal read from an image storage device or an image signal input from an image input device is amplified by a gain controllable amplification circuit and output to an image output device. An area designating means for designating a specific area on the display screen of the device and a pattern signal corresponding to the specific area designated by the area designating means are generated, and this pattern signal is used for gain control. A pattern signal generating means for outputting to the amplifier circuit as a signal, a timing for reading an image signal from the image storage device or a timing for inputting an image signal from the image input device, and a pattern from the pattern signal generating means. An image processing apparatus, comprising: a timing signal generating means for controlling the timing of outputting the input signal. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pattern signal from the pattern signal generating means is output to an amplifier circuit via a low pass filter.