JPH05241315A - Image layout processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the image layout processor which can simulate the layouts of graphics and line drawings on a block copy layout sheet on a display screen with good accuracy. CONSTITUTION:Respective blank material data are read from a data input device 11 and are stored into an external memory device 12. A CPU 17 develops respective the blank material data on a bit map and store the graphic data and illustration mask data in respective plane memories 14a, 14b after data compression. The line drawing data is subjected to the extraction the outline of the line drawings after data compression and is stored into the plane memory 14c for the line drawings. The CPU 17 superposes contents of the memories 14a to 14c and displays the layout on a CRT 15. The illustration mask is positioned in accordance with the input instruction from an instruction input device 16 after the layout display.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image layout processing apparatus for simulating on a CRT screen the operation of pasting a plurality of figures, line drawings such as characters, etc. on a master block mount in a plate making process. ..

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A schematic structure of a conventional image layout processing apparatus will be described below with reference to FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a graphic display plane memory for storing the bitmap data of the graphics A _{1 to} A ₃ laid out on the blockboard. The various figures laid out on the blockboard are stored in the form of vector data in an external storage device (not shown), and the vector data of each figure is expanded into bit map data by a CPU (not shown), It is transferred to the display plane memory 1. Reference numeral 2 denotes a picture mask display plane memory that stores bitmap data of a figure of interest (hereinafter, referred to as a picture mask) B extracted for moving on the block board and laying it out at a predetermined position. The design mask is set to an arbitrary position on the design mask display plane memory 2 by designating its offset position (shift position with respect to the reference origin of the copyboard). A line drawing display plane memory 3 stores the bit map data of the line drawings C ₁ and C ₂ such as characters, logotypes and illustrations. Various line drawings are stored in an external storage device in the form of run length data, and the run length data of the specified line drawing is expanded into bitmap data and then transferred to the line drawing display plane memory 3. Hereinafter, when collectively referring to the graphic, pattern mask, and line drawing laid out on the blockboard,
Described as "material". In each of the plane memories 1 to 3, a priority order is set in advance in accordance with the overlapping order of the materials A to C. Here, in order to superimpose the figure, the pattern mask, and the line drawing in order, and display them on the CRT screen. In the order of the plane memories 1 to 3, small, medium and large priorities are set.

The respective data stored in the plane memories 1 to 3 are raster-scanned and read in synchronization in order from the head address of each memory. Each read bitmap data is given to the multiplexer 4 at the next stage. If the bitmap data read from each of the plane memories 1 to 3 is “ON”, the multiplexer 4 selects and outputs the bitmap data of the plane memory of high priority, and outputs the bit of the plane memory of high priority. If the map data is "OFF", the bitmap data of the plane memory of the next priority is output.

In this way, by extracting each bit map data of each plane memory 1 to 3 through the multiplexer 4, the respective materials A to C are displayed on the CRT screen 5 in an overlapping state.

[0006]

However, the conventional example having such a structure has the following problems. Generally, line drawings stored in an external storage device are
It is rare that the completed line drawing as described in FIG. 5, that is, the line drawing in the cutout state without the background,
Often accompanied by a colored background. A line drawing with such a background is represented by length-related data (run-length data) and color data of the area. Therefore, if such line drawing data is directly expanded to bitmap data, as shown in FIG. 6, the line drawing display plane memory 3 has a line drawing C ₃ with a background color,
C ₄ is transferred. As described above, since the line drawing display plane memory 3 has a higher priority than the other plane memories 1 and 2, when the bitmap data of the plane memories 1 to 3 are overlapped, as shown in FIG. Since the figures and pattern masks to be displayed on the CRT screen 5 are hidden by the background color of the line drawing, it becomes impossible to confirm the exact layout of each material.

In order to avoid the above-mentioned inconvenience, there is also an apparatus in which, as shown in FIG. 7, frame display C ₅ and C ₆ of the line drawing area is displayed on the CRT screen 5. However, according to such an apparatus, since the line drawing itself is not displayed on the CRT screen 5, it is difficult to accurately align the materials. Therefore, when it is necessary to align each material with high accuracy, it is necessary to print the laid out figure and the line drawing on separate films, and manually align each film. ing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and accurately simulates the layout of figures and line drawings on the master block mount on a display screen, thereby improving the work efficiency of the plate making process. An object is to provide an image layout processing device that can be improved.

[0009]

The present invention has the following constitution in order to achieve such an object. That is, according to the present invention, desired figures and line drawings are arranged on the blockboard image displayed on the display screen, and the figure of interest (hereinafter, referred to as a picture mask) is aligned with these figures and line drawings. An image layout processing device, which stores graphic data and pattern mask data composed of vector data, and line drawing data composed of run length data (hereinafter, each data is collectively referred to as material data) A data storage means, a material data conversion means for converting each material data stored in the material data storage means into bitmap data, and a contour for extracting the contour of the line drawing converted into the bitmap data by the material data conversion means. Extraction means, graphic data converted to bitmap data, pattern mask data, and the contour extraction means Display storage means for individually storing the drawn contour data of the line drawing, and a figure, a pattern mask, and a line drawing based on the graphic data, the pattern mask data, and the line drawing contour data stored in the display storage means. Means for superimposing and displaying the contours of the image, overlay display control means for controlling the order of overlaying the contours of the figure, the picture mask and the line drawing on the display means, and the setting of the picture mask and the display position thereof. And a pattern mask display control unit for updating the setting and the display position of the pattern mask stored in the display storage unit based on the instruction from the instruction input unit. ..

[0010]

The operation of the present invention is as follows. The material data conversion means develops each material data stored in the material data storage means into a bitmap, and among the expanded material data, the graphic data and the pattern mask data are respectively stored in the display storage means, and the line drawing data is stored. Is passed to the contour extracting means. The contour extracting means extracts the contour of the passed line drawing data, converts it into binary data of “ON” if it is a contour and “OFF” if it is not a contour, and stores it in the display storage means. The superposition display control means superimposes the respective material data stored in the display storage means in the order of the figure, the picture mask, and the outline of the line drawing, and displays the layout on the display means. The pattern mask display control means redisplays the pattern mask data instructed by the instruction input means at the instructed movement position. At this time, even if the background portion other than the line drawing such as characters is colored, only the outline of the line drawing is displayed on the display means.
It is not hidden by the background color of line drawing data.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic arrangement of the image layout processing apparatus according to this embodiment.

In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a material data input device for reading material data of figures, pattern masks, line drawings such as characters. The material data input device 11 is composed of, for example, a magneto-optical disk unit, a flexible disk unit, or a work station for material creation, which is connected to the apparatus via a network.

Reference numeral 12 is an external storage device for storing each material data read from the material data input device 11.
The external storage device 12 corresponds to the material data storage means of the present invention. The external storage device 12 also stores various processing procedures (programs) executed by a CPU (central processing unit) 17 described later.

In the external storage device 12, the CPU 17 expands the graphic data and the picture mask data stored in the form of vector data in the external storage device 12 and the line drawing data stored in the form of run length data into a bit map, and It is an image memory that stores each material data expanded into a bitmap.

Reference numeral 14 compresses the graphic data and the pattern mask data developed in the bit map stored in the image memory 13 to a size that can be displayed on the CRT 15 by the CPU 17, and compresses the graphic data and the pattern mask data. For display, the line drawing data expanded in the bitmap stored in the image memory 13 is compressed to a size that the CPU 17 can display on the CRT 15, and the line drawing contour data extracted by the CPU 17 based on the compressed line drawing data is stored. It is a plain memory. The display plane memory 14 is individually prepared for each material, and in the present embodiment, the graphic display plane memory 1 is used.
4a, a picture mask display plane memory 14b, and a line drawing contour display plane memory 14c. The display plane memory 14 corresponds to the display storage means in the present invention.

Under the control of the CPU 17, the CRT 15 controls the material data stored in the plane memories 14a and 14b and compressed for display, and the contour data of the line drawing stored in the plane memory 14c. Shapes,
It is a display device for performing layout display in the order of a picture mask and a line drawing outline. The CRT 15 corresponds to the display means in the present invention.

Reference numeral 16 designates a pattern mask whose layout is to be changed when the pattern mask is positioned with reference to the layout of each material displayed on the CRT 15, and also designates the layout position of the designated pattern mask. It is an instruction input device. The instruction input device 16 corresponds to the instruction input means in the present invention, and is composed of, for example, a digitizer, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like.

As described above, the CPU 17 converts each material data into a bitmap, compresses each material data, outlines extraction processing of line drawing data, each material according to the program stored in the external storage device 12. It controls the superimposition display of data, redisplays the picture mask data on the CRT 15 in accordance with the instruction of the instruction input device 16, and the like, and performs the material data conversion means, the contour extraction means, the superposition display control means, the design in the present invention. It corresponds to the mask display control means. Further, the CPU 17 includes an internal memory 17a used when executing each process. The details of each process will be described later.

Next, the operation of the image layout processing apparatus having the above-mentioned structure will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. Each material data is read from the material data input device 11 and stored in the external storage device 12 (step S1).

Next, the CPU 17 reads each material data stored in the external storage device 12 into the internal memory 17a, develops it into a bit map, and stores it in the image memory 13 (step S2).

The CPU 17 then uses the internal memory 17 to store the graphic data and the pattern mask data stored in the image memory 13 in the state of being expanded into the bitmap in step S2.
The data is read into a and compressed into a size that can be displayed on the CRT 15, and the graphic data is stored in the plane memory 14a and the pattern mask data is stored in the plane memory 14b (step S3).

The data is compressed by, for example, the size of the uncompressed plateboard for the plate making is 1200 pixels in the X direction, and Y is Y.
If there are 1920 pixels in the direction, and the size that can be displayed on the CRT is 400 pixels in the X direction and 640 pixels in the Y direction, the material data stored in the image memory 13 is thinned out every 3 pixels and taken out. ..

The CPU 17 reads the line drawing data stored in the image memory 13 in the state of being developed into the bitmap in step S2 into the internal memory 17a, and then in step S2.
Compress as in 3. Further, the CPU 17 extracts the contour of the line drawing data stored in the internal memory 17a in a compressed state, and stores the extracted contour data of the line drawing in the plane memory 14c (step S4).

Here, an example of a contour extraction method of line drawing data will be described with reference to FIG. Is expanded into a bitmap,
The compressed line drawing data is stored in the internal memory 17a as shown in FIG. One square in the matrix of FIG. 3A represents one pixel. The number written in each square is a color value corresponding to the display color of the pixel. Focusing on a specific pixel in this matrix, the color value of that pixel is compared with the color values of the surrounding pixels to detect the contour. That is, the point (line) where the color value changes is determined to be the outline of the line drawing. This detection method includes a 4-neighborhood detection method and an 8-neighborhood detection method. Here, the 4-neighborhood detection method will be described. In FIG. 3A, attention is paid to, for example, the pixel (color value “2”) of (i ₂ , j ₁ ). As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the pixel of interest (i ₂ , j ₁ ) and its upper, lower, left and right peripheral pixels (i ₁ , j ₁ ), (i ₃ , j ₁ ), (i ₂ , j ₀ ),
(I ₂ , j ₂ ) is taken out, and if there is even one peripheral pixel having a color value different from the color value of the pixel of interest (the lower pixel (i ₃ , j ₁ ) has a different color value for this pixel of interest). ), The pixel of interest is determined to be a point in contact with the contour, and the location (I ₂ , J ₁ ) corresponding to the pixel of interest is set to "1" as shown in FIG. "1" and "0" in FIG. 3 (d) are discriminant codes in which a point forming a contour is "1" and a point not forming a contour is "0". If the previously stored color value is stored instead of the code "1", the displayed contour line becomes a colored contour line. In this way, the result of extracting the contour line is shown in FIG.
It shows in (d). Here, as shown in FIG. 3C, when the pixel (color value “3”) of (i ₃ , j ₁ ) is focused on, the pixel is the contour point as in the case of FIG. 3B. Since it is judged, the contour line becomes thick. This is because in the detection method described above, both inside and outside the boundary where the color changes,
This is because it is determined that it is a contour point. Therefore, when it is desired to make the contour line thin, if there is a peripheral pixel having a color value different from the color value of the pixel of interest and the color value of the pixel of interest takes the maximum value (or the minimum value), the pixel of interest Should be extracted as a point on the contour line. FIG. 3E shows the contour data extracted in the case of the maximum value. When the contour detection is performed in the vicinity of 8, the same process as described above may be performed on a total of 8 pixels obtained by adding 4 diagonal pixels to 4 vertical pixels.

After the line drawing contour extraction processing as described above is performed, the CPU 17 sets the contents of the plane memories 14a, 14b and 14c stored for CRT display in the graphic data (14a) and the pattern mask data (14b). ), And the outline data (14c) of the line drawing is overlaid in this order and displayed on the CRT 15 (step S5). Figure 4 shows CRT1
5 is a display example in which A ₁ , A ₂ , and A ₃ are the lowermost figures,
B is the pattern mask of the intermediate layer, and C ₇ and C ₈ are the outlines of the line drawing of the uppermost layer. By the processing up to step S5, each material is laid out and displayed on the CRT screen.

The operator confirms the position of the pattern mask by referring to the layout display, and inputs the subsequent processing from the instruction input device 16.

The CPU 17 determines the termination of this system based on the termination instruction from the operator's instruction input device 16 (step S6). If not completed, the following pattern mask positioning process (process of deciding the placement of the pattern mask on the plate mount for plate making) is executed in steps S6 to S10.

The CPU 17 takes in the pick-up instruction of the picture mask input by the operator from the instruction input device 16 and the designation of the moving position of the picture mask (step S7).

When a new figure is instructed to be picked up as a picture mask, the CPU 17 reads out vector data of the figure instructed from the external storage device 12 and develops it into a bit map, and the image memory 13 and the picture are read by the bit map data. Plane memory for mask display 14
Update the data in b. As a result, a new picture mask is displayed on the CRT 15. When there is an instruction to move the picture mask, the offset position of the picture mask stored in the image memory 13 is changed, and then the data in the picture mask display plane memory 14b is updated, whereby the CRT is displayed.
The design mask is moved and displayed at the designated position on 15 (step S8).

The CPU 17 determines the final position of the picture mask redisplayed on the CRT 15 in accordance with the positioning instruction from the operator's instruction input device 16 (step S).
9).

The CPU 17 reconfigures the pattern mask data in the positioned state into vector data in order to store the determined position of the pattern mask on the plate for master making, and stores it in the external storage device 12. Yes (step S1
0). As a method of storing the position of the picture mask, in addition to the above-mentioned method, the positioned picture mask is embedded in the figure data on the block board and reconfigured into vector data, The external storage device 1 is used as graphic data in which the layout of the graphic and the pattern mask on the mount is completed.
May be stored in 2.

[0032]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, when the graphic, the pattern mask, and the line drawing are superposed and displayed in that order on the blockboard image projected on the display screen, Since the contour is extracted and the contour is displayed, even if the original line drawing data is accompanied by the background color, the figure and the pattern mask are not hidden by the background color. Therefore, since the pattern mask can be accurately aligned with other figures and line drawings, the complicated work of manually burning the figures and the line drawings on the film and manually aligning them as in the conventional example. It is not necessary to carry out, and the processing efficiency of the plate making process can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image layout processing device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a contour extraction method of line drawing data.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of overlapping display of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional layout display device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a problem of the conventional device.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another overlay display of the conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Material Data Input Device 12 External Storage Device 13 Image Memory 14 Display Plane Memory 15 CRT 16 Instruction Input Device 17 CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Osamu Ikeda 425, Kuze Oyabu-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto DIES Giken Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image for arranging desired figures and line drawings on a block board displayed on a display screen, and aligning a figure of interest (hereinafter referred to as a pattern mask) with these figures and line drawings. Material data that is a layout processing device and stores graphic data and pattern mask data composed of vector data and line drawing data composed of run length data (hereinafter, each data is collectively referred to as material data). Storage means, material data conversion means for converting each material data stored in the material data storage means into bitmap data, and contour extraction for extracting the contour of the line drawing converted into bitmap data by the material data conversion means Means, graphic data converted into bitmap data, pattern mask data, and extracted by the contour extracting means Display storage means for individually storing the contour data of the drawn line drawing, and based on the figure data, the pattern mask data and the contour data of the line drawing stored in the display storage means, the figure, the pattern mask, and the line drawing Display means for superimposing and displaying contours, superimposition display control means for controlling the order of superimposing graphics, pattern masks, and line drawing contours on the display means, and setting of the pattern masks and its display position An instruction input means; and a pattern mask display control means for updating the setting and the display position of the picture mask stored in the display storage means based on the instruction from the instruction input means. Image layout processing device.