JPH07147628A - Image processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To satisfactorily control image processing at a reception side device by efficiently transmitting a command signal expressing a parameter to be operated to a digital image signal by transmitting that command signal before the transmission of the image signal. CONSTITUTION:The digital color image signal and the command signal expressing the parameter to be operated to the digital image signal, are transmitted by a single transmission line. This transmitted command signal is received, command contents are identified, and the transmitted image signal is processed corresponding to the parameter. Then, the command signal is transmitted before the transmission of the image signal. Therefore, system check and system set are performed corresponding to the command signal before the exchange of image data is started. On the other hand, the number of systems at an image processing part 24 is set corresponding to the command signal. Thus, the connection of a color image pickup machine 9 to a printer dedicated to white-and-black is inhibited, and the connection of a white-and-black image pickip machine 15 to a printer dedicated to color is ihibited or permitted with conditions.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing method, and more particularly to an image processing method for processing an input image signal according to a command.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a facsimile apparatus has been proposed which transmits and reproduces an input digital image.

[0003]

However, heretofore, it has not been considered to efficiently transmit the command signal representing the parameter to be applied to the digital image and control the image processing on the transmitting side.

Therefore, the image processing by the receiving side device cannot be well controlled on the side of supplying the image data.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional technique, and it is possible to efficiently transmit a command signal representing a parameter to be applied to a digital image signal and to favorably control image processing in a device on the receiving side. An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing method capable of performing the image processing.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the image processing method of the present invention provides a digital color image signal and a command signal representing a parameter acting on the digital image signal by a single transmission path. An image processing method for transmitting, receiving the transmitted command signal, identifying the content of the command, and processing the transmitted image signal according to the parameter, wherein the command signal is transmitted as the image signal. It is characterized by transmitting prior to.

[0007]

1 is a system block diagram of image transmission processing. 1, 9 are color image pickup devices, 1a, 1b, and 1c are CCD sensors for blue (B) color separation light of the color image pickup device 1,
CCD sensor for green (G) color separation light, CCD sensor for red (R), 1c is CCD sensor for B 1a, CC for G
A widening processing unit for controlling and widening the signal data of the D sensor 1b and the CCD sensor 1c for R, 1d is an A / D converter for A / D converting the signal of the widening processing unit 1c, and 1e is the widening circuit 1c. Controllers for controlling, 2 and 10 are color transmitting modules, 3 and 11 are controllers for color transmitting modules,
4, 12 are memories for recording signals sent from the color image pickup device, 5 and 13 are parallel-serial converters for performing parallel-serial conversion of RGB signals sent from the memories,
Reference numerals 6 and 14 are selectors for switching and selecting image data and control data, 7 is a network connected to a color transmission module, 8 is a host computer for controlling the network 7, 15 is a monochrome image pickup device, 16
Is a monochrome transmission module, 17 is a memory for recording image data, 18 is a controller of the monochrome transmission module, 20
Is a data selector for performing the same data switching as in 6, 14, 21 and 28 are color receivers, 22 and 29 are selectors for selecting data inside the color receivers, and 23 and 3
Reference numeral 0 denotes a serial / parallel converter for converting a signal from the selector 22 into serial / parallel, and reference numerals 24 and 31 for processing RGB signals to obtain complementary color signals yellow (Y), magenta (M),
An arithmetic processing unit for producing cyan (C) and black signals is shown in the block diagram of FIG. 4, 25 and 32 are memories for storing respective signals, and 26 and 33 are color lasers for receiving the respective color signals to form an image on a color recording material. Beam units, 27 and 34 are controllers for color receivers, 35 is a monochrome receiver,
36 is a selector for selecting an image and a control signal of the monochrome receiver, 39 is a memory for storing monochrome image data,
Reference numeral 40 is an LBP unit for recording the image data output from the memory 39 on a recording material, and 41 is a controller of the monochrome receiver. The controller switches the coefficient for γ correction in the processing unit according to the control transmission data from the selector, for example, the γ correction command data transmitted via the line.

The host computer 8 has a register shown in FIG. 2 and a microcomputer (not shown), and controls the transmission process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

Each image pickup device sends a digital signal after A / D conversion and weighted with a gradation of 8 bits to one pixel to the transmission module. The transmission module converts all of B, G, and R data of 8 bits for a color image into a total of 24 bits, and serially converts 8 bits of data for black and white to a line. Therefore, the transmission time for one pixel is 1/3 for black and white compared to color. Similarly, in the case of a color line to the receiving device, one pixel 24 bits and monochrome 8 bits are serially transmitted.

Before starting transmission / reception of these image data, the system is checked and the system is set by a command signal regarding the vacancy of the line, the type of the receiving device, and the possibility of operation. The command signal also sets the coefficient of the image processing unit 24. As a result, the connection of the color image pickup device to the monochrome printer is prohibited, and the connection of the monochrome image pickup device to the color printer is prohibited or conditionally possible. Also, if you connect the vidicon imager to the printer and CC
Γ correction processing for making the gradation characteristics linear in the image processing unit of the printer when connected to a D type image pickup device (2
The correction coefficient in 9) is switched so as to be suitable for each image pickup device. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a print image with good gradation even if the image pickup device is changed even though it is a common printer.

The color image processing unit 2 is operated by a command signal.
4, the masking coefficient (30), the UCR coefficient (3
It is also possible to switch and select 1) and the desa matrix pattern (32). Here, the masking coefficient is, for example, B,
It is an arithmetic coefficient for each color signal in the masking process for calculating one color signal of B to R by calculating the three color signals of G and R, and the impurity of the Y, M and C developers is corrected by the masking process. However, the color image quality can be maintained. The reproduction color tone can be changed by changing the calculation coefficient. Also U
The CR coefficient is the ratio of the black component in the under color removal (UCR) process for removing the black component signal from each color signal of B to R,
This prevents excessive black tension when blackening the black component with the black developer. By changing this ratio, the degree of inking changes. The desa matrix pattern is a threshold value matrix pattern for reproducing halftone in a binary manner, and by changing the pattern, the target density level range in which the gradation is to be reproduced can be changed.

The network 7 switches the connection between the image pickup device and the printer by the host 8, and can be a known converter.

First, when the host computer 8 receives an interrupt signal for requesting a line from, for example, one of the transmitting modules, it jumps to an interrupt routine (step 1), judges whether the requested line is in use (step 2), and uses it. When it is in the middle, the interrupt routine is stopped (step 3). For example, 7a and 7 of the request line when not in use
Select d and the host will send commands to both. The host can also select and connect the two and send a command from the transmission module. This command asks what type of printer the imager is, the module,
From the printer, for example, monochrome or color data is returned. The reply data is written in the registers AD and BD designated by the registers A and B, respectively (step 5). Registers A and B are addresses (here, 7a and 7d) of the transmission module and the receiver, respectively. The above-mentioned reply data is sent to the host through the line after each module of the module and the receiving device judges the command.

Next, the data in the registers AD and BD are compared (step 6). In this case, since the colors are the same, a data request command is sent to both (step 7). If not in color, the line is turned off and the process returns to the main routine. The request command asks whether image data is already stored in the memory of the module, whether image data still remains in the memory of the receiving unit, that is, whether print output is in progress. When the image data is stored, the transmission enable signal is sent to the host 8. When the reception memory 25 is empty, the reception enable signal is sent to the host 8. When the host determines that both enable signals have been received (step 8), it sends a transmission start command and a reception start command to each (step 9). The system waits until the enable signal is received.

The module receiving the transmission start command outputs R, G, B from the memory in 24 (3 × 8) bits as described above, serial-converts them, and transmits one line. In this case, the selector 6 switches the transmission line 79 from the controller side to the parallel-serial converter side.

On the other hand, on the color receiver side, the controller 27 switches the selector 27 to connect the signal from the line 7d to the serial-parallel converter. It is converted into parallel RGB signals by the serial-parallel converter 23. Color the above signal to color L
Arithmetic processing for correcting the characteristics of the BP unit 26 is performed. For high speed processing, the multiplication ROM and the addition ROM are used to perform the black component extraction and masking processing by the UCR processing.

When the transmission of the color information is completed, a completion signal is sent from the module and the receiving device to the host 8 to cancel the interrupt routine and return to the main routine.

When the host selects the line 7a or 7f, the type command is sent as described above, and the color data and the black and white data are returned as a response, so that the process does not proceed to the subsequent steps and returns to the main routine. . When the line 7c having a monochrome image pickup device and the line 7f having a color printer are selected, image transmission can be executed in the same manner as 7a and 7d.

7c and a color printer capable of black-and-white printing, that is, a printer connected to the controller 34 for controlling the black-and-white command data to input image data to the Bk (black) area of the memory, and the above-mentioned 7c.
When and are selected, transmission is possible as described above. Note that the dither performs processing for black.

Further, when the γ correction command data is transmitted to the receiving section, the controller judges it and switches and selects the γ correction memory.

The black-and-white command data and the γ correction command data are sent directly from the controller of the sending module to the printer. The controller judges the sending start command by the host 8 and sends the command first. Will continue to be transmitted. In this case, the module can also receive the signal indicating that these commands have been determined by the receiving section, and start transmitting the image data.

[0022]

As described above, according to the image processing method of the present invention, the command signal representing the parameter to be applied to the digital image signal can be efficiently transmitted, and the image processing in the receiving side device can be well controlled. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image signal transmitting / receiving system.

FIG. 2 is a command determination register diagram.

FIG. 3 is a transmission control flowchart.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 8 Host computer 21,28 Color printer

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A digital image signal and a command signal representing a parameter acting on the digital image signal are transmitted through a single transmission path, the transmitted command signal is received, the content of the command is identified, and the command signal is transmitted. An image processing method for processing the image signal according to the parameter signal, wherein the command signal is transmitted prior to the transmission of the image signal.