JPH08154169A - Image editing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve workability when editing processing for image layering is performed and to surely perform the image layering in a desired editing state. CONSTITUTION: The image signal of an original image read by a scanner 11 is stored once in SRAMs 14, 15 in prescribed image unit, and moreover, it is stored in a DRAM 17 via an address controller 13 and a memory controller 16. After that, the coordinate position of an area in which the image layering is performed is inputted by designating to the original image by a digitizer 18. Thence, the coordinate position of a fitting image area on another original image is inputted by designating by the digitizer 18, and the reading of the original is started. Only the image signal of the fitting image area is stored once in the SRAMs 14, 15 in the image unit, then, rotational processing is applied to the image signal by an angle in accordance with an editing content in the image unit by the address controller 13 and the memory controller 16, and it is stored in the fitting area of the DRAM 17, then, the image layering is performed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image editing apparatus in an image recording apparatus such as an electronic copying machine, and in particular, it performs a process for combining one original image with a part of another original image at a desired position. The present invention relates to an image editing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image recording apparatus such as an electronic copying machine has
A memory for temporarily storing image data is provided, and a part of another original image (hereinafter, referred to as an inset image) at a desired position with respect to a certain original image (hereinafter, referred to as an original image).
There is one that enables image editing processing to insert and combine. Specifically, the original image placed on the platen glass is read and stored in the memory, and the coordinate position for image composition on the original image is designated and input by a digitizer, etc. The embedded image is combined with the designated coordinate position of the original image by designating and inputting the coordinate position of the embedded image and reading the original image.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional image editing process, for example, when the inset image on the horizontally placed original is similarly image-synthesized at a predetermined position of the original image of the horizontally placed original. Is not a problem, but, for example, when the embedded image on the horizontally placed original is set vertically, that is, when the embedded image is rotated by 90 ° and the images are combined,
Since it is necessary to read the image with the original placed horizontally and read it vertically, and it is necessary to make a copy once and check whether the inset image is combined in the desired edited state on the copied image, it is very important. It was a time-consuming and laborious editing work.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve the workability in the editing process for image composition and to reliably perform image editing in a desired editing state. An object of the present invention is to provide an image editing device that can be combined.

[0005]

An image editing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a reading means for reading an original image and a first memory for temporarily storing the image signal read by the reading means in a predetermined image unit. Means, second storage means for storing the image signal read from the first storage means in image units, designation means for designating and inputting the coordinate position of the editing area with respect to the original image, and first The image signal is read out from the storage means, and at the time of the editing process, the image signal is rotated in an image unit by an angle according to the edited contents.
The control means stores the data in an area corresponding to the designated coordinate position of the storage means.

[0006]

In the image editing apparatus having the above construction, the image signal of the original image read by the reading means is temporarily stored in the first storage means in a predetermined image unit, and further stored in the second storage via the control means. Stored in the means. Then, the specification means specifies and inputs the coordinate position of the area to be image-synthesized with respect to the original image. Next, the coordinate position of the embedded image area on another original image is specified and input by the specifying means, and thereafter the reading of the original is started. Then, only the image signal of the fitting image area whose coordinate position is designated is temporarily stored in the first storage means in predetermined image units, and then the control means makes only an angle corresponding to the editing content with respect to the image signal. The image is rotated in image units and stored in the fitting area of the second storage unit. As a result, the inset image is combined at an arbitrary position on the original image.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention applied to an electronic copying machine will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a scanner 11 is composed of a line sensor arranged at right angles to the sub-scanning direction, and constitutes a reading means for reading an original image placed on a platen glass (not shown) and outputting an analog image signal. are doing. The image processing circuit 12 performs various signal processing such as A (analog) / D (digital) conversion on the analog image signal from the scanner 11 to perform the address controller 1.
Supply 3 The address controller 13 processes the image signal, which has been subjected to various processes in the image processing circuit 12, to, for example, 8 ×.
It is converted into a block (image unit) of 8 pixels and stored alternately in block units in two SRAMs (static random access memories) 14 and 15 which are first storage means, and an image signal is stored in one of them. At the same time, the image signal stored in the other is read out and passed to the memory controller 16.

The memory controller 16 is for storing the image signal supplied in block units from the address controller 13 in the DRAM (dynamic random access memory) 17 which is the second storage means, and should be synthesized. The image signal of the embedded image is sent to the SRAM 14,
The address controller 13 and the address controller 13 constitute a control means for performing a rotation process on an image signal by an angle corresponding to the editing contents when reading from 15 and storing in the DRAM 17. In this embodiment, the DRAM
For example, an A4 storage capacity 17 is used. The digitizer 18 is for designating and inputting the coordinate position of the area to be image-synthesized with respect to the original image, the coordinate position of the embedded image, and the like. The coordinate position information designated and input by the digitizer 18 is given to a CPU (central processing unit) 19.

The CPU 19 controls the entire system, and the coordinate position information of the fitting image given from the digitizer 18 is sent to the image processing circuit 12 and the coordinate position information of the region to be image-synthesized and an operation (not shown). The memory controller 16 is provided with angle information (composite angle) when the embedded images designated and input from the copy section are combined. The memory controller 16 performs the above-described storage control of the image signal and also performs the control of reading the image signal from the DRAM 17 and outputting it to the address controller 20 at the time of image output. The address controller 20 alternately stores the image signals read from the DRAM 17 via the memory controller 16 in the two SRAMs 21 and 22 in block units, and stores the image signals in one when storing the image signal in the other. The control for reading the image signal and passing it to the printer unit 23 is performed. The printer unit 23 prints out a composite image based on the given image signal.

Next, in the image editing apparatus having the above structure,
The operation of the editing process when the images are combined will be described. First, an original image to be image-synthesized is placed on a platen glass (not shown), and the start button is pressed. Then, the scanner 11 reads the original image and outputs the image signal. The image signal is supplied to the address controller 13 after being converted into a digital signal in the image processing circuit 12 and subjected to various processes. The address controller 13 converts the image signal into, for example, a block of 8 × 8 pixels, and first stores it in the SRAM 14 for eight lines.

The image signal stored in the SRAM 14 is read by the address controller 13 and stored in the DRAM 17 via the memory controller 16. When the image signal is transferred from the SRAM 14 to the memory controller 16, eight lines of the image signal in the next area are also temporarily stored in the SRAM 15. The image signal stored in the SRAM 15 is stored in the DRAM 17 via the memory controller 16 while the image signal is being written in the SRAM 14 again. This operation will be repeated alternately. When the reading of the original image is completed, the digitizer 18 determines the coordinate position of the area to be fitted when the images are combined.
Specify with. This designated coordinate position information is C
It is given to the memory controller 16 via the PU 19.

Next, an editing process for synthesizing the image signal of the embedded image with the image signal once stored in the DRAM 17 is executed. Prior to this, the digitizer 18 inputs and specifies the coordinate position of the embedded image. The designated coordinate position information is given to the image processing circuit 12 via the CPU 19. Then, when another original image including the embedded image is placed on the platen glass, the reading is performed by the scanner 11, and the image signal is supplied to the image processing circuit 12. The image processing color 12 converts the input analog image signal into a digital signal, and at the same time, the address controller 13 receives the image signal of only the coordinate area designated by the digitizer 18, that is, the fitting image area.
Output to.

The address controller 13 converts the image signal from the image processing circuit 12 into a block of 8 × 8 pixels and alternately stores it in the SRAMs 14 and 15 for eight lines. Then, as in the case of processing the original image, the SRAM 1
The image signals stored in 4 and 15 are alternately read by the address controller 13 and stored in the DRAM 17 via the memory controller 16. At this time, when reading the image signal from the SRAMs 14 and 15, the address controller 13 changes the position of the read address and reads the image signal. As a result, the image signal is rotated in block units and the memory controller 16
Will be handed over to. The method of this rotation processing will be described later.

The memory controller 16 outputs the image signal of the embedded image area, which has been rotated every 8 × 8 pixels, to D
On the image signal of the original image already stored in the RAM 17, the area corresponding to the coordinate position designated and input by the digitizer 18, that is, the embedded image area is overwritten. At the time of overwriting, the memory controller 16 sets the image signal for each 8 × 8 pixel so that the permutation becomes an angle such as 90 °.
Write to RAM17. With the above processing, DR
An image signal in which the image is edited on the AM 17 and the inset image is combined at an arbitrary position of the original image is obtained. This image signal is sequentially read by the memory controller 16 for every 8 × 8 pixels, is temporarily stored in the SRAMs 21 and 22 alternately via the address controller 20, and is read alternately by the address controller 20 to be printed by the printer unit 23. Is supplied to. As a result, the printer unit 23
Then, it is printed out as a composite image.

Next, a specific processing method for rotating the image signal will be described. First, the function of performing rotation processing in units of n × n blocks will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Here, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the peripheral circuit of the address controller 16 for writing and reading the image signal to and from the SRAM in units of n × n blocks, and FIG.
FIG. 9 is a bitmap diagram in which a block of n × n is rotated by 90 °, for example. In FIG. 3, the address controller 1
3 converts the image signal input from the data bus into a block scan format with n × n pixels, and also converts the block scan format with n × n pixels into a raster scan format image signal. Here, when the address controller 13 converts an image signal input from the data bus into, for example, a block scan format of 8 × 8 pixels, as shown in FIG. 3, eight images are sequentially arranged from the head of the address of the SRAM. Write the signal. When the writing is completed, it moves to the next line position, and eight image signals are written from there. Then, when the writing of the image data for 8 lines is completed, the construction of the next block is started in another SRAM.

Address controller 13 and SRAM 1
In the operations 4 and 15, first, the address controller 13 addresses the SRAM 14 via the address bus, and the image signal is written to the SRAM 14 via the data bus. Then, addressing the SRAM 15 from the address controller 13 via the address bus,
The image signal is written to the SRAM 15 via the data bus. While the image signal is being written to the SRAM 15, the address controller 13 addresses the SRAM 14, reads the image signal via the data bus and transfers it to the memory controller 16. The operation is performed up to the final stage of the image signal. When reading this SRAM 14,
The address controller 13 can perform the rotation process for each block by changing the read position of the address of the block scan format of 8 × 8 pixels, for example. That is, as is clear from FIG. 3, the rotation processing is performed by reading the image signal (a) written from the address “00” from the image signal (b) at the address “70”. It will be possible.

Next, the function of rotating image by image will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. Here, FIG.
5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a peripheral circuit of the memory controller 16 for writing and reading an image signal in the block scan format, and FIG. 5 is a coordinate diagram for explaining a format for writing the image signal in the block scan format into the DRAM 17. First, in FIG. 4, the image signal is input from the address controller 13 to the memory controller 16 via the data bus. Memory controller 1
6 is a DRAM via the buffer 24 and the decoder 25
The address of 17 is controlled, and the processing of writing the image signal to the DRAM 17 via the data bus is performed in synchronization with it.

At this time, when the position of the address for writing the image signal of the block scan format to the DRAM 17 is designated, for example, when the rotation process is performed at 90 ° or the like, the position of the address to be written is changed to change the image unit. This enables rotation processing. Figure 5
As shown in FIG. 5, when the memory controller 16 does not rotate the input image block data (a) (b), the image signal of the block scan format is input to the DRAM 17 in the order in which the main scan and the sub scan are input.
Writing to, for example, 90 ° (c), 1
When the rotation processing is performed at 80 ° (d), 270 ° (e), etc., the writing of the image signal in the block scan format is performed from the 0 block toward the address in the rotation direction. Thereby, the rotation process is performed.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, as the second storage means,
For example, two DRAMs with an A4 size storage capacity (17
a, 17b) are used. And these two DRAMs
Two memory controllers (16a, 16b) are provided corresponding to 17a, 17b, and the memory controller 16a includes the DRAM 17a and the memory controller 16
b controls the DRAM 17b. In this embodiment, two DRAMs are used, but it goes without saying that the number of DRAMs may be three or more. As described above, by using a plurality of DRAMs, it is possible to classify and store a plurality of original images in a plurality of memories.

In FIG. 6, the image signal of the first original image and the image signal of the embedded image are fetched from the scanner 11,
The operation of fitting and combining the fitting image to the desired area on the original image designated and input by the digitizer 18 is the same as that in the previous embodiment. However, the image signal of the first original image is stored in the DRAM by the memory controller 16a.
17 half area, that is, written in the DRAM 17a,
The embedding image combining process is performed on the DRAM 17a. Next, similarly to the case of the first original image, the image signal of the second original image and the image signal of the embedded image are fetched from the scanner 11 and desired on the original image designated and input by the digitizer 18. The process of inserting and synthesizing the inset image in the area of is the remaining half area of the DRAM 17, that is, the DRAM.
Performed on 17b.

The image signals written in the DRAMs 17a and 17b are read by the memory controllers 16a and 16b in the order in which they are written and output to the printer unit 23 via the address controller 20 and the SRAMs 21 and 22. As described above, by using a plurality of memories to store a plurality of original images, it is possible to carry out all editing operations on a plurality of original images at the initial stage of copying. As a result, it is possible to improve workability in editing processing for image composition. Further, the order of taking out the image signals of a plurality of sheets written in the DRAM 17 by the control signal from the CPU 19 is changed, and the work of reading the output originals is repeated in the changed order, so that the output document is sorted by the DRAM 17. You can do it.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, when synthesizing images, after storing all the image signals of the original image in the DRAM 17, the digitizer 18 designates and inputs the coordinate position of the embedded image region, and the original image on the designated region is input. Although it has been stated that the image signal of the embedded image is overwritten on the image signal of the image, first, the digitizer 18 designates and inputs the coordinate position of the embedded image region, and the image processing circuit 1 outputs the image signal of the original image corresponding to the designated region.
After performing the process except for 2, the data is stored in the DRAM 17.
Then, since the inset image area becomes a blank area on the DRAM 17, it is possible to perform processing so that the inset image is inserted in this blank area. However, in this case, when a relative displacement occurs between the blank area and the inset image, the blank area remains in the inset portion on the composite image. From that point of view, overwriting is preferable.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When performing image editing to synthesize an inset image at a desired position with respect to the original image, the configuration is such that the inline image is rotated and synthesized on the memory storing the image signal, It is not necessary to adjust the mounting angle of the original of the embedded image on the platen glass during editing, or to output the composite image once and check the editing status, so workability during editing processing is improved. In addition to the improvement, it is possible to surely perform image composition in a desired editing state.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of an address controller peripheral circuit.

FIG. 3 is a bit map diagram when performing 90 ° rotation processing.

FIG. 4 is a configuration block diagram of a memory controller peripheral circuit.

FIG. 5 is a coordinate diagram illustrating a write format to DRAM.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Scanner 12 Image Processing Circuit 13, 20 Address Controller 14, 15, 21, 22 SRAM 16, 16a, 16b Memory Controller 17, 17a, 17b DRAM 18 Digitizer 23 Printer Section

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Office reference number FI Technical display location G06T 1/00 G06F 15/66 450

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A reading unit for reading a document image, a first storage unit for temporarily storing an image signal read by the reading unit in a predetermined image unit, and a read unit for reading the first image unit. Second storage means for storing the generated image signal in image units, designating means for designating and inputting the coordinate position of the editing area with respect to the original image, and reading the image signal from the first storage means,
And a control means for performing rotation processing on the image signal for each image at an angle according to the edited contents during the editing processing and storing the image signal in an area corresponding to the coordinate position of the editing area of the second storage means. An image editing device characterized by the above.