JPH0831959B2 - Image converter - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Outline] A graphic vector automatic conversion system in which image data input from a color camera is vectorized for input to a videotex information center, and a vector information amount is defined by a protocol or an operator. There is disclosed an image conversion device that vectorizes image input data such that the specified value of is used as a threshold value, and if it exceeds the specified value, it is contained within a specified information amount by another processing method.

[Industrial applications]

The present invention converts image data input from a color camera into
It relates to a method of vectorizing image data for input to the Videotex Information Center. More specifically, it enables the image data of images input from a color camera to be vectorized within a specified amount of information. The present invention relates to an image conversion device having a plurality of graphic vector automatic conversion functions provided with a plurality of processing methods.

Videotex has emerged as a new medium and is becoming popular at an accelerating rate, but videotex is an essential element because of its nature as a mass medium, and the novelty of the information to be disclosed is indispensable. Is intense.

However, even if the screen is updated, the whole story is built, especially the audience continues to look up to the final screen with expectations.
In addition, the screen composition that fulfills the purpose of the videotex media requires a considerable number of days for the screen manuscript creator and the requester to be selected, and there is a common problem that the screen input work is complicated.

This problem seems to be inevitable in the future only for the industries involved with artists.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to reduce the screen input time, and for example, the development of a device that automatically vectorizes input data obtained by photographing a document with a CCD camera is strongly desired.

[Conventional technology]

In the conventional videotex information input device, when the image data of the input image taken by the color camera is converted into vector data, the operator compares the amount of vector data with the output data with the amount of information specified or instructed by the protocol. Then, if the amount of information exceeds the limit, another method was instructed to perform vectorization, and the manual operation was performed so that the information amount was within the regulation.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, even if the operator specifies another processing method to generate vector data, there is no guarantee that the amount of information will be within the upper limit of the specified value of the protocol, and the expected result in the second vector conversion. If is not obtained, the operator performs vectorization using another method of displaying a graphic figure, such as an incremental point command determined by NAPLPS (North American Videotex communication standard). I had to generate a geometric image.

The method of vectorizing the input image data by such a method not only makes the operator's work troublesome, but also makes it difficult to perform the processing within a short time required for the image input of the videotex. A solution is strongly desired.

[Means for solving problems]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of the graphic vector automatic conversion system of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a color camera that captures an input image, and 2 is an image input unit that captures image data from the color camera 1.

An image processing unit 3 vectorizes the image data input from the image input unit 2 and calculates the amount of information. The image processing unit 3 is composed of a plurality of processing units having different vectorization methods.

An information amount determination unit 4 makes a determination by comparing the information amount vectorized by the image processing unit 3 with a prescribed value.

A control unit 5 controls the image input unit 2, the image processing unit 3, the information amount determination unit 4, and the like.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a memory, which stores information being processed and which is used by the control unit 5
Write and read via.

 Reference numeral 7 is an output unit for the completed image data.

With such a configuration, the image conversion device automatically converts the image data of the input image into vector data within a prescribed amount of information.

[Action]

The image image data captured and input by the color camera 1 is sent from the image input unit 2 to the image processing unit 3, and first converted into vector data by the processing unit (A) to calculate the amount of information.

The calculated information amount is compared and determined by the information amount determination unit 4 with the specified value of the protocol or the information amount specified by the operator, and if it exceeds the vector amount, the processing unit (B) of the image processing unit 3 calculates the vector. Converted to data.

However, if the amount of information still exceeds the limit, the final processing is performed by the processing unit (C), and the vector data is converted into the vector data that fits within the specified amount of information.

〔Example〕

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the graphic vector automatic conversion system of the present invention, in which an original image is photographed by the color camera 1, and image data is sent from the image input unit 2 to the image processing unit 3 via the control unit 5. Then, it is vectorized by the vector conversion unit 31a by the processing method (A) 31 and the vector information amount is calculated by the information amount calculation unit 31b.

The calculated information amount is determined by the information amount determination unit 4 using the protocol specified value or the operator specified value as a threshold value, and if not exceeded, it is output from the output unit 7 as a completed vector graphic.

When it is determined that the vector information amount is excessive, the vector conversion unit 32a of the processing unit (B) 32 automatically performs the re-processing, the information amount calculation unit 32b calculates the information amount, and the same as the previous time. The amount of information is determined by the information amount determination unit 4, and if the amount of information still exceeds the above threshold, the processing unit (C)
By the approximation unit 33c, the vector conversion unit 33a by 33, the final processing of vector data conversion is performed so as to be within the above threshold,
The information amount calculation unit 33b calculates the information amount, and the information amount determination unit 4
When it is confirmed that the value is within the specified value, the encoding unit 8 gives a predetermined code and the output unit 7 outputs the code. The final form of output is that image data is stored in the floppy disk 9 and is input from the communication section 10 to the videotex center through the communication line.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for determining the amount of vector information of the present invention, which comprises a plurality of processing units (A) for converting the image data input in the image processing unit 3 into vector data.
(B), (C), and the information amount determination unit 4 is a flow diagram showing the above description in which the image data that is determined by the threshold value of the predetermined value is output.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an incremental polygon and a short line segment. The vector conversion method of the processing unit (A) is an incremental polygon of length 1 as in the example of length 1 of 41. The processing unit (B) and the processing method (C) are expressed by an incremental polygon of length 2 as in the example of length 2 of 42.

The incremental polygon is a drawing command based on the North American Videotex communication protocol, and is a method of connecting short line segments to draw a polygon.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the example 42 of the length 2, the representation is lower than that of the example 41 of the length 1 due to the object of the figure, but the amount of information can be halved.

By such a method, the image conversion apparatus automatically obtains vector conversion satisfying the information amount of the specified value.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the vector conversion of the input image data is automatically performed within the specified value of the information amount, the processing time for vectorizing the image data can be shortened, and the automation can be performed. As a result, the number of operation items of the apparatus is reduced, which has the side effect of shortening the operator learning period, which is extremely useful in practice.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of an automatic graphic vector conversion system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an embodiment diagram of an image conversion apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a vector information amount determination flow chart according to the present invention, and FIG. It is an explanatory view of an incremental polygon and a short line segment. In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a color camera, 2 is an image input unit, 3 is an image processing unit,
Reference numeral 4 is an information amount determination unit, 5 is a control unit, 6 is a memory, and 7 is an output unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A color camera (1) is used to take an image, a contour line or the like is extracted from still image data input from an image input unit (2), and lines, rectangles, circles, and all sides have the same length. An image conversion device for performing graphic vector conversion for converting into graphic data such as a polygon, wherein a plurality of vector conversion units having different lengths of line segments forming the side and calculating the vectorized information amount. An image processing unit (3) having a processing unit including an information amount calculation unit for
The image processing unit (3) is provided with an information amount determination unit (4) that determines the amount of information converted into a vector by defining a protocol or using a value specified by an operator as a threshold, and the information amount determination unit (4) provides information. When it is determined that the amount is larger than the threshold value, the process proceeds to the processing unit of the other vector conversion unit in the image processing unit (3) sequentially, and the vectorization satisfying the condition of the information amount determination unit (4). An image conversion device characterized by generating image data.